Through the specialist modules you will be trained in key quantitative approaches and will be introduced to contemporary methods in top predator monitoring and research allowing you to document their abundance distribution and behaviour in relation to their physical habitat.
The specialist modules take advantage of the rich and abundant communities of marine top predators in north Wales and you will be studying animals in a range of settings and locations. These will be supplemented by fundamental modules covering ecological and oceanographical topics providing you with the knowledge needed to pursue a range of careers researching monitoring or conserving these species. The fundamental modules will also explore the diverse habitats around the School of Ocean Sciences and will utilise our research vessel and small boats. You will then apply the quantitative and practical skills you have gained in an independent project where you will pursue a research topic of interest over the summer period.
You will pick-up a lot of specialist skills taught in the course including:
Line and Strip-Transect Surveys
Shore-based surveys
Species Distribution Modelling
Marine Mammal Photo-ID
Mark-Recapture Analysis
Movement Modelling from Biologging data
Population Modelling
Acoustic monitoring
In-situ Oceanographic measurements
Remote-sensed Oceanographic measurements
You will also be taught valuable skills that prospective employers are seeking such as:
R Statistics
MATLAB
Advanced ecological modelling
GIS
How will you learn on this course?
As a postgraduate Masters student of the School of Ocean Sciences most of your teaching will occur in the dedicated Masters Suite on the Menai Bridge site. Most of your lectures will be held there and there are seminar rooms computer areas and general learning spaces also available exclusively to the MSc classes. Some teaching such as computer practicals take place on the main Bangor site.
Our MSc programmes all have a strong emphasis on practical activity both laboratory and fieldwork - with the latter being based around our natural local surroundings. You will have the opportunity to sail on our research vessel the Prince Madog to collect data and samples.
The School has a vibrant teaching and research culture that you will experience and contribute to. The latter forms an integral basis for our postgraduate teaching and you will typically join active researchers as part of your own personal research project.
You will experience our forward-thinking teaching culture and be taught using a range of methods and assessment types that will develop your subject-based industry-relevant skills.
Specialist course facilities
The University's Research vessel - the RV Prince Madog.
State-of-the-art oceanographic and ecological field data acquisition systems.
Specific Masters Learning Suite within the School of Ocean Sciences.
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