The MSc in Marine Systems and Policies is unique across Europe as it embraces a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to understand the functionality of marine environments, and the roles of humans in relying upon marine ecosystems for survival and prosperity. It approaches marine systems as an integrated socio-ecological system through focusing on three spheres of marine systems:
- Marine natural systems: exploring diverse scales and functions of key marine biomes, habitats and species, spanning islands, coasts, estuaries, continental shelves, polar seas and global oceans.
- Marine policy systems: examining different ways in which society governs coastal and marine ecosystems and services, through formal policies, laws and informal cultural customs and practices.
- Marine built systems: looking at 'blue growth' e.g. the ingenuity and impacts of human built environments in marine settings, from re-shaping coastlines for cities, travel and trade, to the urbanization of ocean environments through innovations in energy infrastructure.
A combination of core courses, optional courses and field work enables you to develop skills and capacities around personal intellectual, analytical, practical, methodological and experiential goals. Core courses consist of a balance of lectures, seminars, lab practicals and may include field trips. In addition to the core courses, you will select 60 credits from a very broad range of elective courses across the School of GeoSciences and other Schools across the University. The requirement for the degree of MSc is the completion of courses and a dissertation worth a total of 180 credit points.
Compulsory parts:
- Marine Systems and Policies
- Marine Infrastructure and Environmental Change
- Marine Field Methods in Research and Practice
- Research Project in Marine Systems and Policies
- Dissertation
Information about our international and local field trips.
As indicated in marine 'core' courses, this programme has an international field trip to a tropical marine island setting in which we use a 'social-ecological system' approach, looking at ecological, geomorphological and social aspects of small island ecosystems and societies, facing a range of issues from climate change and trying to balance both conservation and blue growth-development goals. In 2015 and 2016 we have gone a marine lab on an atoll the Maldives, which is rich in both cultural and biophysical complexity. Read more about the MaHre marine lab on their website.
During the course of the programme we also do a range of local field trips in Scotland through the year, e.g. in Induction Week at the start in September and Dissertation Retreat at the end in August. For all of the field trips - including the tropical international trip - the full travel and accomodation costs are covered by the Marine MSc Programme. Students are expected to provide their own snorkel and dive gear.
Students who wish to SCUBA dive will need to have completed and have records of at least 10 dives beyond basic certification (e.g. beyond Padi Open Water).
Application procedure
You must submit one reference with your application.
Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:
Grant opportunities
MSc Marine Systems and Policies Scholarships
The School of GeoSciences offers many Scholarships and Bursaries for Masters students.
- Scottish Funding Council Highly Skilled Workforce Full Fee Scholarship (UK/EU Students)
- Head of School Scholarships
- George David Family Scholarship (for applicants resident in Greece or Cyprus)
- Derek and Maureen Moss MSc Scholarship
- New UK Government Postgraduate loans for 2016
- UK/EU Masters Scholarships
- UK Masters Access Awards
- Witherspoon Scholarships (Princeton University Graduates Only)
- Graduate Discount
Postgraduate Funding search
GeoSciences Scholarship Website
Learning outcomes
Employability. This MSc will be an excellent foundation for working at international, national or local levels for think tanks, consulting firms, government and NGOs where an integrated understanding of marine ecosystems, policy and infrastructure is needed.
Prerequisites
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in natural sciences or social sciences, but with clear evidence of experience and interest in marine topics.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.
English language tests
For 2020 entry we accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified*:
- IELTS Academic: total 7.0 (at least 6.0 in each module)
- TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 20 in each module). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- PTE Academic: total 67 (at least 56 in each of the "Communicative Skills" sections; the "Enabling Skills" sections are not considered)
- CAE and CPE: total 185 (at least 169 in each module)
- Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components
For 2021 entry we will accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified*:
- IELTS Academic: total 7.0 (at least 6.0 in each module)
- TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 20 in each module). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- CAE and CPE: total 185 (at least 169 in each module)
- Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components
*(Revised 21 February 2020 to remove PTE Academic from 2021 entry requirements. Revised 21 April 2020 to include TOEFL-iBT Special Home Edition in 2020 and 2021 entry requirements.)
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries.
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
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