Postgraduate Prospectus

www.essex.ac.uk/bs | Biological Sciences
agricultural or medical biotechnology,
providing you with a broad spectrum of
future career opportunities. With an
emphasis on hands-on practical training,
including a major research project
component, supervised by research leaders
in their fields, we ensure you gain the best
educational and research experience as an
integral part of your studies. This course
also provides a solid foundation if you are
wishing to undertake further studies
leading to a PhD in our Department.
MSc/MA Environmental Governance: the
Natural World, Science and Society•†
An unprecedented combination of
pressures is threatening the health of social
and ecological systems across the world.
Continued population growth, rapidly
changing consumption patterns and climate
change are driving limited resources of
food, energy, water and materials towards
and beyond critical thresholds. There is an
urgent need for interdisciplinary study that
crosses the boundaries between intimately
interwoven natural and social systems.
Our MA/MSc Environmental Governance
addresses this by focusing on the analysis,
conservation, protection and management
of natural resources, and the institutions
and policies that shape human actions.
Eight Essex departments contribute to our
unique interdisciplinary course, providing
you with the critical capacity to analyse
environmental issues from a range of
perspectives. Our course is suited to
graduates from all disciplinary backgrounds
and gives a thorough training in the
principles and practices of environmental
governance if you wish to pursue a
career in environmental management
and regulation, research and policy.
MSc Environmental Resource
Management•
Natural resources and people are
inextricably linked. Much of what we
currently value about the environment
exists because of the positive actions of
human managers. Equally, most of what
we have lost is because of people and
their institutions.
MSc Environmental Resource Management
combines our international standing in the
natural and social sciences with Writtle
College’s leading expertise in land-based,
countryside and amenity industries, with
one day’s tuition per week at Writtle
College in Chelmsford. We focus on
developing your theoretical knowledge and
practical skills in the management of
environmental resources, with our teaching
covering the range of applied ecological
skills including surveying, protected species
monitoring, habitat creation and restoration,
environmental impact assessment
and project management. Graduates
are equipped for further academic
progression or employment in the fields
of conservation and rural resource
management in academic, voluntary,
public and private sectors.
MSc Marine Biology•
This course delivers advanced marine
biology theory and enables you to develop
a comprehensive range of practical and
research skills. We capitalise on the breadth
of research carried out in marine biology in
our Department and give you the chance to
engage with our current research activities,
both in the UK and abroad.
Our research active staff provide you
with analytical, experimental and field
study opportunities, while assessment
techniques are chosen to represent the
numerous skills required by modern day
marine biologists. You can specialise
through your research project, the topic
of which can be diverse, again reflecting
our broad research skills base.
MSc Molecular Medicine
Molecular medicine is a new and rapidly
evolving discipline which uses the modern
life sciences and their methods to study
the molecular basis of disease and the
use of therapeutic influences to correct
pathological alterations. Our overall focus
is to equip you with a broad and up-to-date
understanding of the molecular and genetic
factors that underline human disorders.
Our popular MSc Molecular Medicine gives
you the necessary knowledge and skills to
compete in the international marketplace,
as well as the experience of producing
a 12-week research project. Graduates
can continue their careers in molecular
medicine in hospitals, industry, universities
and research institutes, and other parts of
the public and private sectors. Our course
also provides a solid foundation if you wish
to study for your PhD.
MSc Natural Environment and Society
Social-ecological systems are more
vulnerable than formerly predicted.
Analysing and developing solutions to
address this immense challenge will take
a combination of economic, social, political,
legal and management expertise, which
our MSc Natural Environment and Society
aims to provide.
We combine our international excellence
in the natural and social sciences with
Writtle College’s leading expertise in
land-based, countryside and amenity
industries, to design a course for those
interested in gaining advanced knowledge
of contemporary theories on the
relationships between environment,
nature and society. You have the
opportunity to engage with key topics
such as human-nature interactions and
the social practices that shape the
environment and nature, and one day’s
tuition per week is at Writtle College in
Chelmsford. Our graduates are equipped
for further study or employment in the
fields of conservation and rural resource
management in the academic, voluntary,
public and private sectors.
MSc Plant Biotechnology
Our exciting and topical new MSc Plant
Biotechnology builds on our successful
MSc Biotechnology by offering graduates
in biological sciences the opportunity to
study biotechnology, as applied to the
production of the essential new crops
for food and fuel needed for our growing
population. We include a large laboratory
component allowing you to gain research
skills, while wider issues of sustainability
Postgraduate Prospectus 2012 | 69