Master of Science in Paleontology and Evolution

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

This MSc provides skills and knowledge to support your career in the field of water and environmental management. The content of the program has been designed to help you develop a detailed knowledge of fundamental environmental processes, as well as policy, regulation and other tools. 

A key focus is on how you can contribute to sustainable management of water resources and other aspects of environmental management. Teaching covers both academic and practical skills. Teaching staff include leading water and environment researchers at the University of Bristol as well as practitioners with experience in private and government sectors, both in the UK and overseas.

Learn computational and statistical skills that are in high demand from top employers or gain a strong basis for further study – this three-year course provides a rigorous foundation in mathematics.

Our lecturers are passionate about their subject, with modules informed by cutting-edge research. You can shape your degree to suit your interests; you could discover units like Complex Networks and Probability alongside your core modules, or choose optional vocational units like Financial Risk Management or Maths in Schools to prepare you for a particular career.

The curriculum currently includes opportunities to learn the statistical computing environment R, the Bayesian approach to estimation and prediction, and how to design powerful tests for statistical hypotheses.

The first year provides a broad background in pure, applied and statistical mathematics via a range of compulsory units. You'll cover material in lectures and small-group tutorials, with the freedom to explore a range of topics in collaboration with your personal tutor and fellow students.

From year two you will focus more on statistics and probability, although there is still scope to take some units from other areas.

As you move through the course you will gain academic independence, moving from small-group tutorial teaching in year one to an optional, independent project in your final year.

Our education master's degrees give you the opportunity to design a tailored program of study that suits your cultural and learning needs. You will be able to specialise and receive an award in a particular disciplinary area.

The Leadership and Policy pathway will help you develop the theoretical knowledge and skills to lead quality improvement and promote social justice within organisations. You will critically engage with ideas and practices around leading and managing organisational change and educational effectiveness.

This program is designed for professionals with, ideally, some experience in education as a teacher, administrator, university lecturer or early-years practitioner.

This pathway attracts a diverse cohort of professionals, who bring their unique perspectives and experience to our highly interactive teaching and learning environment. Graduates have gone on to become education ministers, advisers, school leaders and university-based researchers, and to lead training within business organisations.

Do you enjoy both physics and computing? Our MSci Physics with Scientific Computing with Industrial Experience combines the study of the building blocks and forces of nature with training in computing and data-science skills. It includes a year of gaining hands-on, paid experience in the industry.

Computing skills are vital across many physics-related careers. This course offers a unique combination of units and projects blending programming, machine learning, data science and high-performance computing with fundamental concepts in physics. It aims to produce a new kind of scientist – one with a firm foundation in physics, a sound appreciation of scientific computing and an understanding of what can be achieved by combining them.

The industrial year can be a life-changing and rewarding experience providing valuable insights into the commercial pressures and real-world applications of physics and computing.

You will join a friendly department with a very active, award-winning student society. We encourage you to develop a broad range of skills, including the experimental, theoretical and computational skills needed for a career in research and industry. Our physics graduates have an excellent record of employment, a testament to the value that employers place on these skills. If you have a fascination for physics and an appetite for scientific computing, you will enjoy this programme.

Examine the interactions between the geology, biology, chemistry and physics of Earth’s surface, oceans and atmosphere and gain a deep understanding of Earth’s environment and how it can be influenced by human activities.

Learn with experts whose research feeds directly into your studies at the cutting edge of scientific developments. Recent options have included Soils and the Critical Zone, Environmental Impact Assessments, Oceans and Climates, and Environmental Radioactivity. By your final year you’ll be conducting your own independent research and exploring the questions that matter most to you.

The course is designed for students who seek to broaden their knowledge on the economy and understand the linkage with accounting. Therefore, it combines two courses, economics and accounting.

The economics aspect provides students with insight into economic institutions (eg banks), actors, and policies that underpin and influence the financial market. The accounting aspect explores accounting institutions (eg audit firms), accounting regulations, and accounting techniques that are used by and support organisations that actively participate in and outside the market.

This course is unique as it offers students access to an interdisciplinary perspective that includes psychology and sociology. Students learn from academic experts in the field, who work with businesses in the financial industry. The knowledge acquired from the field is used to design and shape the curriculum, thereby enabling students to keep abreast with commercial and contemporary issues.

This course provides students with rewarding opportunities to participate in a summer internship and the Bristol PLUS Award. You'll also benefit from the Professional Liaison Network, which runs a professional mentoring scheme with alumni, insight talks and internships.

The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) by way of exemptions from some professional examinations enabling students to fast-track their careers. 

Previously, graduates have gone on to work for the Bank of England, JP Morgan, UBS, PwC, KPMG, EY, Microsoft, IBM and many other blue-chip organisations.