Information
£4,407 per year
Our MSc by Research and PhD programmes in Biodiversity Management encourage you to undertake original, high-quality research, which culminates in the submission of a thesis. We welcome students with the appropriate background for research.
During postgraduate research (PGR) studies students research and write a thesis of under the supervision of an academic team. The length of the thesis varies according to the mode of registrations (i.e. no more than 100,000 words for a PhD, or no more than 40,000 words for an MSc by research). Students participate in the vibrant postgraduate community of the School, and have opportunities to attend a number of seminar series organised by the Research Themes and the Research Centres of the School.
Due to the diversity and international nature of many field-orientated research projects, the amount of time that individual research students spend at the School campus varies. However, students are expected to spend the first months of the PGR study at the School campus to obtain training in research methods and attend a number of research seminars.
Queen’s Anniversary Prize
Queen’s Anniversary PrizeThe University of Kent was awarded a highly prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for the work of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE).
DICE leads projects in over 50 countries, including research on human wellbeing and nature, human-elephant conflict, oil palm deforestation, online illegal trade in protected species, national park planning and ecotourism projects and the mapping of biodiversity through eDNA.
Choosing a topic
Although sometimes we have specific MSc / MPhil / PhD research projects funded by external research grants in which the research project has already been specified, most of our research students choose their own research topics. Once you have decided on the nature of your project, you should then contact by email the member of staff in the School whose expertise and interests most closely match your area of research and ask them if they will act as your supervisor. It is extremely important that you attach to your email an updated CV, a 2-page research proposal (including background statement, aims and objectives and research methods) and that you indicate how you are planning to fund your PGR studies. You then work with your proposed supervisor on refining your research proposal which provides the starting point for your subsequent research.
Supervision
Each student is supervised by a supervisory team that consists of at least two members of academic staff one of them designated to act as the student’s Main supervisor. Occasionally, particular projects require more than two supervisors depending on the expertise that each supervisors brings in the project. It is also possible that co-supervision is provided by a member of staff from different School.
Students meet (or, while in the field, make contact) with their supervisor(s) several times over the course of each term. These meetings involve intensive discussion of the way the project is developing, the readings and training that have been done and that need to be done, and the way field research and writing-up is progressing.
If the research project requires that the student has to spend a significant amount of time in the field (away from the School), local supervision is usually organised. Overseas students who wish to spend most of their time in their home country while undertaking PhD research may register as an external student or for a split PhD.
Skills training
The University’s Graduate School co-ordinates the Research Development Programmefor research students, providing access to a wide range of lectures and workshops on training, personal development planning and career development skills.
Research within the School is grouped into the following research areas:
Conservation Biology
Research within the conservation biology theme is broadly centred on using ecological approaches to understand and maintain biodiversity and ecosystem service provision.
The main tenet that underpins our work is that it is genuinely applied, with the explicit aim of either improving conservation practice (both in-situ and ex-situ) or informing policy development, both nationally and internationally. To achieve this, we collaborate closely with individuals and organisations including government agencies, not-for-profits, private landowners and corporations from around the world, in addition to more traditional partnerships with academics at other universities and research institutes.
The scope of work conducted in the conservation biology theme is diverse, spanning multiple levels of biological organisation, from molecular/evolutionary genetics through to ecosystems, and a wide array of taxonomic groups (e.g. mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, orchids). Primarily, there are four key accordant areas of expertise. The first is spatial/landscape conservation and ecology, with particular emphasis on protected area network design via systematic conservation planning techniques, as well as the use of novel methods to explore the impacts of environmental change (e.g. habitat fragmentation and degradation, climate warming, urbanisation) on populations and assemblages. The second focuses on analysing extinction risk across a continuum ranging from individual species up to global macroecological patterns. Third, much of the long-standing research in DICE is concentrated on monitoring population dynamics and examining trends in the genetic diversity of threatened species, contributing directly to the success of a whole host of conservation programmes over the years. Finally, we study human-wildlife conflict/interactions (e.g. resource competition, disease transmission, development mitigation, wildlife gardening) from a natural sciences perspective, complementing concurrent social science research or contributing to knowledge within an interdisciplinary framework.
Geography and Human Ecology
Our interdisciplinary research theme explores the complexity and diversity of interactions between people, place and environment.
We pursue our research in a range of geographical and social contexts to elaborate – and engage critically and constructively with – understandings of these relationships and approaches to their management and governance. Our research encompasses questions of sustainability and resilience, set within a broader interest in systems thinking. Research undertaken within our theme is distinguished by significant capacity in the critical and applied social sciences and spatial analysis, and is advanced through strong commitments to theoretical and conceptual innovation, as well as practical research that can influence developments in policy and practice The interdisciplinary basis of the group draws in perspectives from human geography, anthropology, economics, conservation and development studies, and has specific research interests in:
- Land use change and sustainable landscape planning
- Applied resource economics and environmental valuation
- Participatory approaches to natural resource management
- Ecosystem services and biocultural diversity
- Political economies of development and tourism
Members of the theme are active members of the University-wide Kent Interdisciplinary Centre for Spatial Studies (KISS) and the School’s Centre for Biocultural Diversity (CBCD) and Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE). We also host a lively programme of seminar and reading groups that synergise with these wider centre activities. Members of the theme are currently convening a reading group exploring the multiple provocations of the Anthropocene.
About The Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE)
DICE is Britain’s leading research and postgraduate training centre dedicated to conserving biodiversity, as well as the ecological processes that support ecosystems and people.
We focus on combining natural and social sciences to understand complex conservation issues and design effective interventions to conserve biodiversity. Our staff have outstanding international research profiles, yet integrate this with considerable on-the-ground experience working in collaboration with conservation agencies around the world. This blend of expertise ensures that our programmes deliver the skills and knowledge that are essential components of conservation implementation.
Entry requirements
For an MSc by research a first degree (at least 2:1) in a relevant subject is required
For an MPhil or PhD a first degree and a usually a Master’s (at least Merit) or substantial professional experience in a relevant field is required.
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
International students
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Please note that international fee-paying students cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.
English language entry requirements
The University requires all non-native speakers of English to reach a minimum standard of proficiency in written and spoken English before beginning a postgraduate degree. Certain subjects require a higher level.
For detailed information see our English language requirements web pages.
Need help with English?
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
Course structure
Duration: MSc 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
PhD 3 to 4 years full-time, 5 to 6 years part-time
Teaching and assessment
During postgraduate research (PGR) studies students research and write a thesis of under the supervision of an academic team. The length of the thesis varies according to the mode of registrations (i.e. no more than 100,000 words for a PhD, or no more than 40,000 words for an MSc by research).
Fees
The 2020/21 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
Biodiversity Management – MSc at Canterbury
- Home/EU full-time£4407
- International full-time£19800
- Home/EU part-time£2204
- International part-time£9900
Biodiversity Management – PhD at Canterbury
- Home/EU full-time£4407
- International full-time£19800
- Home/EU part-time£2204
- International part-time£9900
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
Additional costs
General additional costs
Find out more about general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Funding
Search our scholarships finder for possible funding opportunities. You may find it helpful to look at both:
- University and external funds
- Scholarships specific to the academic school delivering this programme.
The Complete University Guide
The Complete University GuideIn The Complete University Guide 2020, the University of Kent was ranked in the top 10 for research intensity. This is a measure of the proportion of staff involved in high-quality research in the university.
Please see the University League Tables 2020 for more information.
Independent rankings
In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, research by the School of Anthropology and Conservation was ranked 10th for research power and in the top 20 in the UK for research impact and research power.
An impressive 94% of our research was judged to be of international quality and the School’s environment was judged to be conducive to supporting the development of world-leading research.
Research areas
Worldwide research
Recent or current projects cover topics such as:
- understanding adaptation to climate change; ringneck parakeets in the UK
- improved management of socio-ecological landscapes in Western Ghats
- cost, benefits and trade-offs in creating large conservation areas
- monitoring population trends in tigers and their prey in Kirinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra
- chameleon trade and conservation in Madagascar
- conservation genetics of the critically endangered Seychelles paradise flycatcher
- traditional knowledge, intellectual property rights and protected area management
- the economic value of mammals in Britain
- estimating extinction dates of plants, birds and mammals.
Staff research interests
Kent’s world-class academics provide research students with excellent supervision. The academic staff in this school and their research interests are shown below. You are strongly encouraged to contact the school to discuss your proposed research and potential supervision prior to making an application. Please note, it is possible for students to be supervised by a member of academic staff from any of Kent’s schools, providing their expertise matches your research interests. Use our ‘find a supervisor’ search to search by staff member or keyword.
Full details of staff research interests can be found on the School’s website.
Dr Peter Bennett : Reader in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Ecology
Evolution, ecology and conservation of birds; biodiversity hotspots; life history evolution and extinction risk; marine mammals; wildlife disease.
Dr Ian Bride : Senior Lecturer in Biodiversity Management
Conservation education; biodiversity management; PA and visitor management; nature tourism; guiding and interpretation; community-based conservation; and restoration ecology.
Professor Zoe Davies : Professor of Biodiversity Conservation
Conservation planning and practice; conservation financial and investment; urban ecology and human-wildlife interactions; biodiversity and ecosystem service relationships; species and assemblage responses to environmental change (eg, climate and habitat loss/fragmentation).
Professor Richard Griffiths : Professor of Biological Conservation
Ecology and conservation of amphibians and reptiles; effects of environmental change on threatened species; survey and monitoring protocols for biodiversity.
Dr Jim Groombridge : Reader in Biodiversity Conservation
Conservation of highly threatened bird species; conservation genetics of small populations; parrot conservation, genetics and biogeography.
Dr Mark Hampton : Reader in Tourism Management
Tourism in developing countries, especially concerning its socio-economic impacts in islands and coastal areas.
Dr Tatyana Humle : Lecturer in Primate Conservation
Primate conservation and behavioural ecology; ethnoprimatology; cultural primatology; primate rehabilitation and reintroduction; human wildlife conflict and resource competition.
Professor Douglas MacMillan : Professor of Conservation and Applied Resource Economics
Economics and wildlife conservation; environmental modelling; economics of collaboration in land and wildlife management; forest resource economics.
Dr David Roberts : Senior Lecturer in Biodiversity Conservation
Species detectability and extinction; international wildlife trade; perception of biodiversity; the response of orchids to climate change; epiphyte community ecology and modelling epiphyte seed dispersal.
Dr Bob Smith : Senior Research Fellow
Designing conservation landscapes and protected area networks, especially as part of long-term projects in southeast Africa and the English Channel.
Dr Matthew Struebig : Lecturer in Biological Conservation
Ecology and management of tropical mammals; species response to climate change; biodiversity impacts of land-use change, disturbance and fragmentation; conservation value of degraded lands; oil palm and biodiversity.
Dr Joseph Tzanopoulos : Senior Lecturer in Biodiversity Conservation
Biodiversity conservation using a landscape approach to assess impacts of policy scenarios; reconciling biodiversity conservation and sustainable development on rural areas; landscape ecology and GIS; conservation policy and governance; agro-ecology and agricultural landscapes.
Dr Charlie Gardner : Lecturer in Conservation Biology
Protected area management and governance; community-based conservation; small-scale fisheries; the researcher-practitioner divide
Dr Robert Fish : Reader in Human Ecology
Sustainable landscapes, culture and ecology, environmental citizenship.
Careers
DICE programmes combine academic theory with practical field experience to develop graduates who are highly employable within government, NGOs and the private sector.
Our alumni progress into a wide range of organisations across the world. Examples include: consultancy for a Darwin Initiative project in West Sumatra; Wildlife Management Officer in Kenya; Chief of the Biodiversity Unit – UN Environment Programme; Research and Analysis Programme Leader for TRAFFIC; Freshwater Programme Officer, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Head of the Ecosystem Assessment Programme, United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC); Community Based Natural Resource Manager, WWF; Managing Partner, Althelia Climate Fund; and Programme Officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Study support
All research students have a supervisory committee, which is led by a main supervisor who oversees the day-to-day administration and management of the project. The committee also includes a chair, and, if necessary, a supplementary member (often based in the country where the research is conducted).
In conjunction with the supervisory committee, an individual training programme is devised for each student that includes both the generic and specific skills required to undertake the programme of research.
Postgraduate resources
DICE has various long-term study sites around the world, in addition to maintaining an ecology field trials area and field laboratory on the University campus. DICE is part of the School of Anthropology and Conservation, which is well equipped with computing facilities and research laboratories for biological anthropology, ecology, ethnobotany and molecular genetics.
The DICE postgraduate student body is global. Since 1991, there have been over 500 taught MSc graduates from 75 countries, most of whom now have successful full-time conservation careers. The PhD research degree programme has produced over 90 graduates from 27 different countries. Several graduates have gone on to win prestigious international prizes for their outstanding conservation achievements.
Dynamic publishing culture
Staff publish regularly and widely in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings and books. Articles have recently been published in prestigious periodicals including: Nature; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Ecology Letters; Conservation Letters; Conservation Biology; Global Environmental Change.
Researcher Development Programme
Kent’s Graduate School co-ordinates the Researcher Development Programme for research students, which includes workshops focused on research, specialist and transferable skills. The programme is mapped to the national Researcher Development Framework and covers a diverse range of topics, including subject-specific research skills, research management, personal effectiveness, communication skills, networking and teamworking, and career management skills.
Apply now
Typically we ask candidates to contact a supervisor directly to discuss their proposed project and the supervision available within the School. We recommend that you take a look at our staff profiles page, to ascertain what colleagues may be best placed to support your project.
Once you have liaised with your supervisor you should submit a formal application via the ‘Apply’ tab on the individual course information page. As part of the online application you will be required to upload your PhD proposal (no more than 2 sides of A4, not including references) and your CV. Furthermore you will be required to provide details of two academic referees.
Learn more about the applications process or begin your application by clicking on a link below.
Once started, you can save and return to your application at any time.
