MSc in Soil Science
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
25 Nov 2024
TUITION FEES
GBP 23,282 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
The importance of sustainable and resilient soil management has surged in recent years. Soils, and their delivery of critical goods and services, are fundamental assets for the health, sustainability, and resilience of the terrestrial environment, and its ecosystems, as well as the longevity and productivity of society. Recently, there has been widespread recognition from researchers, industry, and policy arenas of the burgeoning pressures faced by soils, and the urgency needed to deploy robust land management strategies to address these.
Co-designed by the UK industry, the Soil Science MSc will equip and upskill organizations with the knowledge, understanding, tools, practices, and resources to achieve optimal soil management. It will deepen your knowledge of soils across diverse land-use contexts, delve into cutting-edge technologies for effective decision-making, showcase best practices in analyzing soils on and off-site, and help you build the personal competencies you need as a soil scientist.
On completion of the program, you will acquire a Master’s Degree in Soil Science. You will also attain Technical Membership of the British Society of Soil Science, and you will be eligible to apply for Chartered Scientist status.
This page is dedicated to students seeking the Soil Science MSc independent of Apprenticeship Levy funding. If you are looking for more information on our Apprenticeship Levy part-funded routes, please visit the Soil Scientist Apprenticeship webpage
Ideal Students
Who is it for?
The course is suitable for:
- Soil scientists and consultants, who are keen to upskill their knowledge and understanding of soil monitoring and analyzing soil conditions, as well as those who assist farmers in determining soil health and optimizing sustainable management strategies.
- Employees of organizations that offer guidance on earthworks, construction and demolition projects, or urban green infrastructure, are keen to advance their expertise in assessing and mitigating the effects of such works on urban soils.
- Soil mappers and surveyors use a combination of digital technology and traditional tools like soil pit digging to evaluate soil types for various stakeholders.
- Environmental consultants specializing in providing advice on sustainable materials, waste management, biodiversity, flood control, and ecosystem restoration.
- Government agencies and non-profit organizations that inform soil policy decisions and develop guidance documents
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Funding Opportunities
To help students in finding and securing appropriate funding we have created a funding finder where you can search for suitable sources of funding by filtering the results to suit your needs.
Curriculum
Keeping our courses up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. The modules we offer reflect the needs of business and industry and the research interests of our staff and, as a result, may change or be withdrawn due to research developments, legislation changes, or for a variety of other reasons. Changes may also be designed to improve the student learning experience or to respond to feedback from students, external examiners, accreditation bodies, and industrial advisory panels.
To give you a taste, we have listed the compulsory and elective (where applicable) modules that are currently affiliated with this course. All modules are indicative only and may be subject to change for your year of entry.
Compulsory modules
- Project Management and Portfolio
- Introduction to Soils
- Soil Policy
- Desk-based Soil Assessments and Basic Statistics
- Soil Surveying
- Field-based Methods for Rural Soils
- Fundamental Laboratory Methods in Soil Science
- Soils - a Nexus
- Soil Mapping, Modelling and GIS
- Advanced-Data Analysis and Statistics
- Field-based Methods for Urban Soils
- Advanced Laboratory Methods in Soil Science
- Sustainable and Resilient Land Management
Program Outcome
Why this course?
The course will equip and upskill organizations with the knowledge, understanding, tools, practices, and resources to achieve optimal soil management across both rural and urban settings.
The course aims:
- To help students critically evaluate soil properties and functions, and understand how soils interact with the wider environment to deliver critical ecosystem goods and services.
- To allow students to devise effective soil management plans that can integrate the principles of sustainable and resilient land management with the priorities of local and national policy.
- To provide students with a wide-ranging toolkit for effective decision-making across different land-use and management contexts, including GIS-based mapping, data analytical skills, field-based techniques, and laboratory analyses.
- To empower students to enhance their professional competencies and personal development in order to build the next generation of soil scientists ready to address the needs of internal and external stakeholders and tackle grand and complex challenges.
Program delivery
Taught modules: 120 credits, Reflective portfolio project: 60 credits