Course information

Students on the course spend the first semester of the taught component at the Scottish Oceans Institute (SOI) at the University of St Andrews and the second semester at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) on the Scottish west coast.

Highlights

• The programme is run jointly by two internationally renowned organisations: the Scottish Oceans Institute and the Scottish Association of Marine Science.
• The programme takes a holistic approach to understanding ecosystem goods and services, and how to protect and manage marine systems.
• All students have the exciting opportunity to conduct field work and training on board the SAMS vessel Calanus. Students may also take optional courses in either Antarctica or Indonesia (requiring additional payment of a substantial expedition fee).
• The course provides strong preparation for future employment: 77% of the 2015 graduate now have a job or PhD studentship that is directly related to their studies in marine ecosystem management during the EMMS year.

Teaching format

The modular curriculum is designed to be coherent, providing an excellent integrated training for future careers in marine management or scientific research.Teaching takes the form of lectures, tutorials, discussions, debates and workshops. Practicals involve laboratory work, field excursions, modelling and computer-based data analysis. Class sizes range from 5 to 30 students, depending on the activity. There is a strong focus on small-group teaching so that students are individually supported and can ask for help when it is needed.

In Semester 2 there are optional field courses: a polar field course in Antarctica or a tropical scientific diving course in Indonesia.

From May to August, students focus solely on their research project, which can be undertaken at either SOI or SAMS, leading to the submission of a 15,000-word dissertation.  

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2016–2017 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2017 entry.

Semester 1 modules (taught at SOI)

At SOI, students follow a coherent course of modules that provide sound training in essential skills for ecosystem-based management.

• Ecosystem-based Management of Marine Systems: the development of ecosystem-based management.
  
• Quantitative Methods for Biology: basic numerical and computation skills necessary for visualising and summarising data sets.
• Statistical Modelling of Biological Data: introduces methods for fitting models to biological data, mainly using R software.
• Geographic Information Systems for Environmental Management: provides an introduction to Geographic Information systems and their use in environmental problem solving.

Semester 2 modules (taught at SAMS)

At SAMS, students combine a compulsory module in Research Methods with a choice from optional modules.

• Marine Systems Research Methods: training in a variety of methods used in sampling the marine environment, as well as in the writing of a formal research funding proposal. This module involves elements of field data collection in the local area and laboratory analysis.

Students choose two optional modules from the following. These modules require a minimum number of participants to be offered. Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

• Advanced Modelling: an advanced course building on the basic concepts of system modelling, including physical circulation models, individual and population-based spatial models and ecosystem modeling techniques.
• Marine Management, Policy and Planning: the issues surrounding the management of marine resources. As part of the assessment for this course, students develop an in-depth plan for a local area, gaining valuable experience of the approaches and problems of the emerging field of marine spatial planning.
• Professional Skills: covers project and time management, how to review, read and write a scientific paper, and how to promote your research to the public.
• Predator Ecology in Polar Ecosystems: field course located in southern Argentina and Antarctica (requires payment of expedition fee); or Scientific Diving: field course located in Indonesia (requires suitable diving qualifications and payment of expedition fee). 

The modules listed ran in the academic year 2016–2017 and are indicative of this course. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2017 entry. Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue.

Research project and dissertation

During the final four months of the course, students complete a research project culminating in the presentation of a written 15,000-word dissertation. This provides important training in lab, field and analytical methods, and also in scientific writing skills. Students can choose from a range of projects suggested by supervisors and also take an active role in designing their own project plan. Training in proposal writing is provided in Semester 2 during the lead-up to the project itself.

See previous project topics.

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MSc, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MSc.

EMMS news

Accommodation

All students should think about securing accommodation in St Andrews as early as possible, to ensure the best choice from the options available. Please contact Student Accommodation Services to let them know that you are enrolling for the EMMS MSc, and will be resident in St Andrews initially for just one semester. They can help and advise about this.

Usually, students organise accommodation for Semester 2 after arriving in St Andrews in September. In October, there will be an organised visit to SAMS where there will be some information and advice given to help you find accommodation in Oban for Semester 2.

Depending on your project, you may need accommodation in Oban or in St Andrews for summer 2018, and this can be organised during Semester 2.

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).