About the course

Climate change, pollution and invasions by non-native species are pressing issues globally, within Europe and in the Humber region.

This MSc provides an in-depth understanding of the causes and impacts of environmental change, and equips you with the necessary skills and analytical tools to monitor and manage such changes.

You consider the scientific, political and legal consequences of environmental change and management and develop your understanding of the processes involved, integrating information at molecular, cellular, organismal and ecosystem levels.

Here at Hull, we have an active team of environmental research focused staff, both biologists and geographers, and an established track record in environmental services. We are a member of the GU8 consortium, a group of port city universities from across the world, providing us with international collaborative links that are unrivalled in the UK. We also enjoy strong, well-established industry links.

Fieldwork is incorporated throughout the programme. The city of Hull’s location on the Humber Estuary, with a large ports complex and growing renewables energy industry, within a thriving agricultural setting, provides students with an abundance of opportunities to move from bench to environment. Aquaria provision is considerable, with an established partnership with The Deep, Hull's internationally famous public aquarium.

What you'll study

The programme is taught by a team of environmental research focused staff with a range of expertise unique to the University.

A critical overview of environmental change and related management policies and scientific challenges will be provided. You gain an understanding of the main aspects of monitoring environmental change, from practical, laboratory-based techniques to those used in the field by industry and regulatory authorities.

You will solve complex, real-world problems and construct and test hypotheses related to environmental issues, applying advanced theories, concepts and principles, and learning how to apply them to manage the environment.

Your skills in teamwork, communication and time management will be honed as you make use of the principles of scientific inquiry in the context of evidence-based practice and effectively communicate complex and conceptually challenging information.

A range of industry-standard instrumentation will be used and you will critically evaluate research on current and new diagnostic methodologies. Practical modules cover the wide range of current techniques used in environmental monitoring.

Future prospects

This MSc leads to a host of employment opportunities right across the environmental arena, and graduates will be highly sought by employers. The programme is also an ideal pathway for those intending to progress to PhD programmes within Environmental and Biological Sciences.

Your employability on graduation is very important to us and we place a strong emphasis on providing you with the skills and attributes required by the environmental sector.

We provide specialist progression routes that target the increasing number of employment opportunities within the industry, so you will be ideally placed to secure employment with national or international consultancies and NGOs; private and public service research and management; or conduct further higher-level research across the UK and overseas universities and research centres.

A significant number of employment opportunities exist right here in the Humber region.