Key information
- Level
- Postgraduate Taught
- Delivery type
- Full Time, Part Time
- Degree qualification
- MSc
- Mode of delivery
- On-Campus
- Duration
- 1 year
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Start date
- September
There is a global need for an interdisciplinary approach to combat the effects of climate change on the marine environment. MSc Climate Change: Managing the Marine Environment provides those of you with a bachelor-level graduate degree in biology the opportunity to build your marine biology knowledge and expertise with emphasis on challenging climate change and solving maritime environmental issues. For those of you from a different academic background, the programme offers you the opportunity to prepare for employment in the marine management and planning sector. Through studying a broad range of relevant and topical issues, you’ll gain an understanding of the causes, impacts and management measures involved in dealing with issues in the marine environment.
You’ll learn fundamental knowledge of the main disciplines and associated technologies in managing impacts of climate change in the maritime environment, the ethics and standards relevant to professional scientific and engineering practice, and the social, economic, and environmental impact of change to marine ecosystems with an international context.
The career-focused master’s programme will develop your technical, scientific, and managerial abilities, relevant for a marine science career in academia, industry, government and non-governmental organisations.
Your student experience
Your learning will be informed by experts in marine science, renewable energy, economics, and transition engineering from our Institute of Life and Earth Sciences (ILES). The Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology (CMBB) is based at the Edinburgh campus and the International Centre for Islands Technology (ICIT) in Stromness, Heriot-Watt University’s Orkney campus. These research facilities are part of Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS), which is one of the United Kingdom’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity.
The research relevance of this postgraduate programme ensures your studies remain innovative and industry focused.
Go Global
With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.
Inter-Campus Transfer
Course content
September Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory September
- Applied Research Design and Analysis
- Marine Resources and Sustainability
- Climate Change, Sustainability and Adaptation
Optional September
- Environmental Processes
- Economics of Renewable Energy
- Introduction to Marine Planning
- Oceanography
- Transition Engineering - Achieving zero carbon InTIME
- Diversity of Marine Organisms
- Fisheries Sustainability and Gear Technology
- Marine Ecotoxicology
Mandatory January
- GIS for Marine and Environmental Scientists
- Marine Environmental Monitoring
Optional January
- Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
- Science Communication and Engagement
- Tropical and Coral Reefs: Monitoring and Management
- Equity, Economics and Ecosystems under Pressure
- Energy Transition Lab
- Practical Skills in Marine Surveying
Mandatory May
- ILES Environment Dissertation
Programme Video
Malaysia field study
Fees and funding
| Status | Full Time | Part Time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £12,344 | £6,172 |
| International | £28,056 | £14,028 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).
Scholarships and bursaries
Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries
We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.
Postgraduate European Union Scholarship
Open to any student coming from an EU country, this scholarship is an automatically applied £5,000 fee reduction for a full-time postgraduate taught programme at Heriot-Watt University.
Entry requirements
We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.
A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree or non-UK equivalent in a science subject with evidence of maths/numeracy courses passed at C or experience from a work environment can also be considered. Please include your CV as part of your application.
We welcome applications from international students and accept qualifications from around the world. Please refer to the entry requirements for your country for more details.
Why Heriot-Watt
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.
Employability
Below are just a few examples of the wide breadth of employment or PhD positions our recent graduates have secured: Blair Easton (2018) is a researcher at St Abbs Research Station, Allan Cochrans (2016) has secured a PhD at Stirling University, David Hill (2015) is Strategic Business and Finance Manager, Scottish Government, Theofilos Sidiropoulos (2015) has secured a position at Gardine Geosciences Ltd, Tetrienne Box (2013) is now Underwater Noise Advisor at JNCC, Melodie Hermier (2010) is now clinical data manager with Aptiv Solutions, Kerri Gardiner (2010) initially worked for Jacobs engineering and is now a senior scientist with Intertek involved in developing EIAs (risk/toxicity) for drilling and pipelines for the oil industry as well as subsea cable projects, Cella Carr (2010) has secured an internship with the Zoological Society of London, working on their Biodiversity and Oil Palm Programme in Indonesia, Renier (Dutch) Zoutenbier (2011) is an Environmental Consultant with Royal Haskoning at their Exeter Offices, responsible for Industry, Energy and Mining, Charles-Eric Deplanck (2010) works as a fisheries observer for Oceanic Développement, based in Concarneau (Brittany).
Student life
Explore facilities, and chat to staff and students
