The MSc/MA in Geographical and Environmental Research is a research-focused masters programme designed to provide a strong educational background for a career in research and development, or the public or private sector. During the course you will develop generic and subject-specific research skills through working with our research-active staff on an extended research project of your choice. We have research project opportunities at Keele, with UK-based external organisations and with overseas institutions.
Our MSc/MA in Geographical and Environmental Research is a research-focused masters programme designed to develop generic and subject specific research skills over a broad range of disciplines within Geography, the Environment and Sustainability, providing a strong educational background for a career in research and development, or the public or private sector. You will gain a MSc or a MA degree depending on whether your research project is based within the Natural or Social Sciences.
The programme is designed to develop generic research skills such as a critical evaluation, research design, scientific writing, data management, literature reviews, reflective practice and science communication, alongside subject-specific research skills such as fieldwork, laboratory skills, data collection, data analysis and interpretation. As part of the course, you will undertake an extended research project. You can see the available projects on our website.
The aim of the programme is that on completion you will be able to:
demonstrate systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights at the forefront of the chosen research area in Geography, the Environment or Sustainability;
critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in your chosen area of Geography, the Environment or Sustainability;
demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge, and how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in Geography, Environmental Science or Sustainability;
evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses;
deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;
demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level;
demonstrate the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring: - the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility - decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations - the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development.
Our programme has an excellent track record of graduates entering employment in the Geography, Geology and Environment sector or moving on to PhD programmes. We also strongly encourage our students and graduates to publish their work in peer-reviewed journals where appropriate. See our 'Careers' section for more information
Course structure
The MSc/MA Geographical and Environmental Research is a 180 credit programme that runs full time over one year or two years part time and will develop research skills through focusing on a natural science or social science project of your choice. The programme comprises five modules that run over three semesters, with the main focus of the programme being a research project undertaken either at Keele University or on placement with either a UK-based partner or a host institution overseas:
Research Skills (30 credits)
Literature Review (15 credits)
Geography/Environment Option module or Modern Language module or Academic English for Postgraduate Students* (15 credits)
Research Project Design and Management (30 credits)
Dissertation (90 credits)
During Semester 1, students focus on generic research skills including science communication and planning the research project through the Research Skills, Literature Review and Research Project Design and Management module. Semesters 2 and 3 are primarily focused on the research project.
You will gain a MSc or a MA degree depending on whether your research project is based within the Natural or Social Sciences.
Students undertaking their research project at a host institution overseas will normally take an appropriate modern language module or, if available, a language and culture module for their international placement, or are encouraged to sign up for an Online Linguistic Support (OLS) module via Keele University’s Global Education Team.
*International students for whom English is not their first language will take Academic English for Postgraduate Students to further improve their English language skills, either as their 15 credit option module or as an additional module.
Teaching and assessment
You will be taught by experienced, well-qualified and enthusiastic staff. All of our staff are research-active within the discipline, accomplished at working on funded research - both nationally and internationally. The programme team are enthusiastic to share their teaching, research and professional experience to help you achieve success in your studies.
You will complete formal assessment on all modules. Assessments for core programme modules are coursework-based and includes assessments such as oral and poster presentations, reports, reviews, a blog, reflective writing, project proposals, a research project portfolio and a dissertation. Optional modules may include a range of assessment types (including essays, reports, consultancy or technical reports, exams, poster presentation, etc) depending on the module.
The main assessment is the research project/dissertation, a 20,000-25,000 word Masters dissertation that is undertaken in conjunction with an academic supervisor at Keele or with one of our international partner institutions or external collaborators.
We encourage our students and graduates to attend conferences and publish their work in peer-reviewed journals where appropriate. A number of our students have published in peer-reviewed journals - see more information on Student Publications below.
The programme starts with a module aimed at developing your research skills. Comprehensive generic research skills will provide you with transferable research skillsets needed to successfully complete the course and provide employability skills in your job or research roles following successful completion of the course. Alongside the taught skills sessions covering research design, critically evaluating literature, ethics and methodologies, you will also begin to learn the techniques needed to carry out your independent research project under guidance from your supervisor. You will present your research ideas and plans via an oral presentation to the rest of the cohort and teaching team, and the feedback received will be used to improve your assessed research proposal. This will better prepare you to carry out your dissertation project, and also provide you with a deeper understanding of methodologies in, and impact of, your chosen field of research.
Being able to work both individually and as part of a team are essential employability skills for driving projects forward in the work place, and sustainability is at the forefront of our global society. Therefore, in this module, you will work in small groups to research a ‘grand challenge’ in your field of research and write a website article/blog. This assessment will develop your skills in project management and communication, along with providing you with transferable skills of considering the wider implications of your research to society and the environment – key attributes for many jobs in the employment sector.
Literature Review:
A successful, well-designed, well-analysed research project stems from an excellent understanding of research in the discipline. In this module, you will develop information literacy and skills in searching for, selecting, and critically evaluating peer-reviewed research literature relevant to their masters research dissertation and then synthesising this information into a literature review. Regular seminar/tutorial meetings with supervisors will develop your confidence in discussing and critiquing issues within your field of interest.
Research Design and Management:
This module builds on research training to support you to successfully manage your research and career through reflective practice, skills audits and action plans, and developing peer-reviewed CV and cover letters. Module content is delivered via a combination of taught sessions in semester one, one-to-one fortnightly meetings with the project supervisor(s), independent research and self-learning techniques. You will present your preliminary research project results and receive formative feedback via a poster presentation to your cohort and teaching team.
Dissertation:
The cumulation and highlight of the programme is the strong focus on the research project. Using the research skills gained over the duration of the course and its accompanying modules, you will communicate the background, methods, results and conclusions of the masters research project in the form of a 20,000-25,000 word dissertation that is structured to easily translate the work into a manuscript fit for peer-reviewed publication. We always encourage you to publish your work where possible and this has generated a number of publications in peer-reviewed, high quality international journals, geoscience magazines and newspaper articles.
Entry Requirements
Academic entry requirements
Applicants should have an honours degree in Geography, Environmental Science or Sustainability, or a related discipline, or hold an equivalent qualification. The minimum degree category for entry is 2:2 (or international equivalent). Students who can evidence alternative professional qualifications and/or relevant experience/training will also be considered.
Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to view our available projects, then contact and discuss research options with the Keele University staff member listed for the research area/topic of interest before making an official application. In your application documents, state clearly your preferred subject area or specific project, as advertised on the MSc/MA Geographical and Environmental Research website (including potential supervisor), and your motivation and background for carrying out a project in a particular area. Please contact us if you would like to discuss options.
Acceptance on the course is subject to having an agreed research project and project supervisor. Places with external partners and at individual host institutions overseas are limited and subject to availability. A placement at a specific host institution (or external partner) is not guaranteed and is allocated on a competitive basis after discussion with the potential host supervisor. A decision on a particular student placement is made at the time of application to the course. In the case that an agreement to host a student cannot be reached with the host institution (or external partner), students may be accepted on the MSc/MA Geographical and Environmental Research programme to carry out a research project in the chosen field at Keele University.
Applicants from a country where English is not the first language are required to show evidence of English language competence, either an IELTS score of at least 6.5 (with no subtest lower than 5.5), or by holding a previous degree which has been taught and examined in English, unless the specific entry for the course indicates otherwise
A comparative IELTS score to other English Language qualifications is available on the Keele International web pages.
English language entry requirement for international students
During your degree programme you can study additional English language courses. This means you can continue to improve your English language skills and gain a higher level of English.
Fees and scholarships
Fees (2021/22 academic year)
UK students FT £9,000 / PT £4,950 per year
EU/International students £16,500 per year
Some costs may be incurred dependent on the project: any such costs will be discussed with the student before the project is confirmed. It will be possible for the student to select an internal project and that would not incur any additional travel costs. There may be additional costs for textbooks and inter-library loans.
Living costs
Keele University is located on a beautiful campus and has all the facilities of a small town. Student accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance of the teaching buildings. This is a very cost effective way to live and to reduce your living costs.
Scholarships and Funding
The University is committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Each year we offer a range of prestigious scholarships, along with scholarships to support inclusivity;
UK/EU students - more information on scholarships and funding
The MSc/MA in Geographical and Environmental Research is taught in the School of Geography, Geology and the Environment by experienced, well-qualified and enthusiastic staff who work across a range of areas within Geography, the Environment and Sustainability, including Outreach. You can find the teaching and research profiles of our staff on our website. We have expertise in areas such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Quaternary environments, glaciology, rural geographies, animal geographies, energy, soil system science, sustainability, water chemistry, ecology and ecotoxicology, cultural and economic geographies, art-science crossover projects, artistic geographies, and plastics in the environment.
All of the staff on our programme are research active within the discipline, and are accomplished at working on research-funded projects both nationally and internationally. Staff take an active role in encouraging students to disseminate their work and we have a number of past graduates who have successfully published their work in peer-reviewed journals or in the media. Many of our staff are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy and hold both Keele and national awards for Teaching and Learning. Programmes in our School are often highly ranked in national student surveys at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Alongside our staff expertise, the School hosts a monthly Geography, Geology and Environment (GGE) Research Seminar Series where staff and students benefit from knowledge and expertise from external speakers and visiting researchers to the School. A number of our projects are carried out with external collaborators in the public or private sector, or at overseas institutions, giving students on our course plenty of opportunity to enhance their employability and network within the sector.
The School of Geography, Geology and the Environment holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award and is contributing to the University Race Equality Charter and Stonewall initiatives. We strive to work towards promoting equality, diversity and inclusion within our School environment and programmes.
Careers
Our programme includes a Career development workshop and the emphasis on the substantial ‘hands on’ research training (with the provision of an international placement option) makes this programme unusual within the Higher Education Sector in the UK and will enhance your employability. We believe that our programme structure will help to develop future employees with strong and transferable research skills that are valued both within industry, organisations and academia. Students are encouraged to publish their work in peer-reviewed journals, enhancing employability.
The MSc/MA in Geographical and Environmental Research has only been running for one year but is similar to the MSc in Geoscience Research. Past Geography and Environmental Science students from that course have progressed to gain employment within the Geography, Geology and Environment sector, and so far, 14 of our students have continued onto PhD programmes. See examples of what our students have progressed onto doing in our case studies below.
The MSc/MA Geographical and Environmental Research programme at Keele offers the added value of My Keele Journey, which develops students' intellectual, personal and professional capabilities (Keele Graduate Attributes) through both subject-specific and generic workshops and activities.
The University has a Careers and Employability team who can provide you with advice and guidance about your future career. The team offer specialist workshops and can also meet you individually to give guidance and support to help you develop your career. We also hold regular careers fairs on campus and informal events where you can meet employers. You will also have access to our database of job opportunities and digital resources such as online psychometric testing.
Projects
This section describes the various research projects that may be able to be pursued as part of this course. They are arranged by broad groupings, although you are encouraged to view all the projects across these as there may be something of interest for you within all groups.
