Atlantic Technological University (ATU) is a college that places teaching and research at its core. ATU aims to provide students with a transformative university experience that prepares them to make significant contributions to society. With a focus on applied learning, teaching, and research that reflects the needs of businesses and professions in the region, ATU strives to be a preferred partner for research and innovation. The university seeks to attract and support students and staff from around the globe, enabling them to reach their full potential.

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This one-year MSc degree focuses on how animal behaviour can be applied to wildlife conservation. This is an exciting new area of study, known as Conservation Behaviour, and is suitable for those interested in careers in animal behaviour and/or conservation. You will study the behaviour of a wide range of species from marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats, and you will learn how an understanding of animal behaviour can contribute to the conservation and management of those species. You will acquire a range of applied skills, such as camera trap surveying for terrestrial mammals, visual and acoustic monitoring of marine mammals, abundance estimation of marine mammals using mark-recapture and DISTANCE, geographic information systems (GIS), and data analysis using R and RStudio. Course Highlights: Teaching by research-active staff working in the field of Conservation Behaviour, with particular interests in marine and freshwater species. A week-long residential field course in the west of Ireland, where the behaviour of a number of species will be studied in a natural setting. A major research thesis on a real conservation problem, in collaboration with a supervisor from GMIT and a supervisor from an external organisation. Show less

Course Details
The course consists of six taught modules (5 ECTS each) and a major research thesis (60 ECTS).

The research thesis:

Students will undertake an approved research project under the direction of an internal supervisor and, if appropriate, a supervisor from a relevant external organisation.

Research projects may be drawn from any area within the course, or from an area of expertise of the supervisors, while also taking the interests and future career of the student into account.

Research projects to be carried out in 2019 involve collaborations with the Marine Institute, Inland Fisheries Ireland, and the Coral Restoration Foundation (Florida, USA), among others.

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Year 1
Studies in Conservation Behaviour
5 credits

Data Analysis using R and RStudio
5 credits

Residential Field Course
5 credits

Applied Geographic Information Systems
5 credits

Animal Behaviour: Recording and Analysis
5 credits

Acoustic Monitoring as a Marine Conservation Tool
5 credits

Research Thesis
60 credits

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