Research-led teaching
Our cutting edge marine research underpins a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that are listed below.
Biosciences at the University of Exeter is a vibrant and rapidly expanding centre for research and teaching across a broad spectrum of biological sciences.
Undergraduate students are taught by world-leading experts in subjects at the frontiers of science, including systems biology, conservation and ecology, whole organism biology and microbiology, molecular and cellular biology, computational biology and biological chemistry.
Our degrees are also available with study abroad or industrial and professional placements.
| Undergraduate programmes | Campus |
|---|---|
| BSc Marine Biology | Penryn |
| BSc Animal Behaviour | Penryn |
| BSc Conservation Biology and Ecology | Penryn |
| BSc Environmental Sciences | Penryn |
| BSc Evolutionary Biology | Penryn |
| BSc Zoology | Penryn |
Postgraduate students join a community of world-leading experts in subjects ranging from evolutionary biology, conservation and ecology, through whole organism biology and microbiology, to molecular and cellular biology, computational biology and biological chemistry. Students are supported by the Doctoral College, which offers institution-wide support, training, and administration for all of our postgraduate and early career researchers.
| Postgraduate programmes | Campus |
|---|---|
| MSc Conservation and Biodiversity | Penryn |
| MSc Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology | Penryn |
| MSc Marine Environmental Management | Penryn |
| MSc Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation | Penryn |
| MPhil/PhD Biological Sciences | Penryn and Streatham |
| MSc by Research Biological Sciences | Penryn and Streatham |
Geography offers world-class research and teaching at the frontiers of social and natural sciences.
Undergraduate Geography offers challenging programmes that aim to develop students' ability to better understand the world, as well as the knowledge and skills to shape solutions for the future. Through our programmes students will consider critical global issues and challenges of the 21st century that are likely to affect environments and societies in the coming years. Our degrees are also available with professional placement or study abroad.
| Undergraduate programmes | Campus |
|---|---|
| BSc Environmental Science | Penryn |
| MSci Environmental Science | Penryn |
| BA/BSc Flexible Combined Honours | Penryn |
| BA/BSc Flexible Combined Honours | Streatham |
| BA/BSc Geography | Penryn |
| BA Geography | Streatham |
| BSc Geography | Streatham |
| BSc Geography with Applied GIS | Streatham |
| BSc Geography and Geology | Penryn |
| BSc Marine Science | Penryn |
| BSc Natural Sciences | Streatham |
| MSci Natural Sciences | Streatham |
| BA Politics and Geography | Penryn |
Postgraduate Geography at the University of Exeter offers a lively, thriving and innovative research environment at campuses in both Cornwall and Exeter. We offer a range of innovative taught programmes, relevant to 21st century challenges and developed with input from industry. Students are supported by the Doctoral College which offers institution-wide support, training, and administration for all of our postgraduate and early career researchers.
| Postgraduate programmes | Campus |
|---|---|
| MSc Marine and Coastal Sustainability | Penryn |
| MSc Sustainable Development | Penryn |
| MRes Sustainable Futures | Penryn |
| MRes Critical Human Geographies | Streatham |
| MPhil/PhD Human/Physical Geography | Penryn & Streatham |
| MPhil/PhD Sustainable Futures | Penryn & Streatham |
| MSc by Research Geography | Penryn & Streatham |
At both the Streatham and Penryn campuses there are a number of Law modules which link to environmental and marine themes.
UG Streatham (open to law students only): LAW3200 - Environmental Law
UG Penryn (open to non-law students):
- LAW1016C - A Legal Foundation to Environmental Protection
- LAW2016C - Environmental Regulation and Redress
- LAW2116C - Legal Foundations for Sustainable Business
- LAW3016C - Legal Response to Environmental Destruction
- LAW3300C - Law and Policy for Sustainability
PG Penryn (open to non-law students):
- LAWM184C - Climate Change Law
- LAWM185C - Earth Law and Guardianship
Psychology at Exeter has over 60 academic staff, many research staff, and over 200 postgraduate students, including nearly 100 postgraduate research students. Our staff is recognised internationally for academic excellence, high quality research and applied output.
Our MSc Animal Behaviour is unusual in that it is offered within a Psychology department. This benefits you by providing a strong background in a broad cross-section of research methods used by researchers studying human and animal behaviour, a strong training in statistical methods and multidisciplinary study environment.
| Postgraduate programmes | Campus |
|---|---|
| MSc Animal Behaviour | Streatham |
In Renewable Energy our academics are committed to working with a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure a better informed and more inclusive approach to sustainable energy solutions. We have expertise in energy policy, marine renewables, bio-fuels, electrical power and networks, wind, photo-voltaic and thermal technologies.
Specialising in energy engineering with a focus on clean and renewable energy technologies for over a decade, our programmes are well established in providing graduate engineers to the sector. They offer excellent vocational training in the areas of renewable and clean energy, but with each programme tailored to students strengths and with a clear progression towards employability outcomes for each. The BEng/MEng is tailored to students who want to focus on an engineering career, while the BSc programme has a broader remit towards consultancy or policy opportunities.
| Undergraduate programmes | Campus |
|---|---|
| BEng Energy Engineering | Penryn |
| MEng Energy Engineering | Penryn |
| BSc Sustainable Energy Futures | Penryn |
Postgraduate research opportunities enhanced by expert academic supervision and excellent field and laboratory research facilities.
| Postgraduate programmes | Campus |
|---|---|
| MSc by Research/MPhil/PhD Renewable Energy | Penryn |
| EngD in Offshore Renewable Energy | Penryn |
Delivered at the Knowledge Spa located on the Royal Cornwall Hospital Site in Truro this research inspired programme will include contributions from the University of Exeter Medical School’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health, the Met Office, Age UK and the World Health Organisation.
The programme would suit graduates who are planning or already undertaking a career within public health, health promotion, environmental health and protection, occupational health, workplace wellbeing or social enterprise. The programme has been developed with reference to the training requirements of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the UK Faculty of Public Health to maximise your future employability in the discipline of environment and human health sciences.
| Postgraduate programmes | Campus |
|---|---|
| MSc Environment and Human Health | Cornwall (Truro) |
| 2nd year UEMS Oceans and Human Health Module | Cornwall (Truro) |
Meet our students
Lorraine Aldridge
Degree: Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
Current role: Conservation Intern at the Ascension Island Government (AIG) Conservation and Fisheries Directorate.
One of the biggest highlights of my studies was networking with lecturers and partner researchers who are actively working in my field of interest and having the opportunity to work closely and collaboratively with them on my research project. As part of my research project I was able to travel to Costa Rica to study the green turtle population at Tortuguero with the Sea Turtle Conservancy which was a definite highlight for sure!
Practical fieldwork experience, report writing skills and understanding of statistical analysis are some of the most valuable skills I gained whilst completing my masters, which will be beneficial when applying for future roles.
Rachel Lennon
Degree: Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
Year of Graduation: 2021
Current job role: PhD student at the University of Glasgow, in association with the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme.
I enjoyed the talks we had by different people in the field, they were always interesting and a great opportunity to hear about different projects and approaches to marine research. But my highlight was definitely the first boat trip of the year – we saw minke whales, porpoises, common dolphin, seals and a basking shark all in one day!
The statistics course was really useful, our lecturer explained concepts so well and helped me to understand the analysis I was doing and feel confident when learning new techniques. In my PhD I’m now starting to work with machine learning models and it’s all building on from the solid foundation from my MSc course.
Giulia Luerti
Degree: Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
Current Role: Marine Bioacoustics Researcher with MORIGENOS – Slovenian Marine Mammal Society.
After graduating from my BSc in Biology I wanted to focus my studies on marine conservation and this course provided a wide range of opportunities to meet researchers from all over the world and to learn more about their work.
The biggest highlight was for sure getting to work with SPOT – Society for the Protection of Turtles in Cyprus and their Bycatch project for my thesis. Going on fishers’ boats to deploy FPODs and learn about their perspective on the conflict between small-scale fisheries and dolphins was mind opening. I even got to see turtles mating in the water while snorkelling which was one of the best experiences!
Ben Radford
Degree: Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
Year of Graduation: 2021
Current job role: Marine science and dive instructor at the marine education company Seamester.
The Uni of Exeter Cornwall provided great access to the environment I was studying. Being based in Cornwall, it was easy to get in the sea and see what I was learning in the real world. The academic staff at Penryn were exceptional during my Masters, going the extra mile to make sure we gained the best postgraduate experience possible.
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Lucia Yllan
Degree: Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
Year of Graduation: 2021
Current Role: PhD student at Newcastle University working on the role of acoustic cues in anemonefish hierarchies.
The first thing that caught my attention from Exeter University was the master course that they were offering which perfectly aligned with what I wanted for my career and also included
fieldwork opportunities. Also, as an international student and non-native English speaker, the fact that the university offered so many courses and one-on-one meetings to support non-English speakers and help them improve their skills in English was also something that help me decide to enrol in this university.
The thing I enjoyed the most about studying at Exeter, was the opportunity to learn from experienced researchers who were always keen on helping you out if you needed it, and how the modules and assignments were always oriented towards preparing us for an actual work setting.
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Fletcher Noble
Degree: Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
Year of Graduation: 2021
Current Role: Marine Science Officer at Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (Eastern IFCA).
The lecturers were excellent! They have the ability to engage you and grow your interests in topics that you may not have given much thought to previously. Their ability to engage you and draw your attention for an entire lecture really motivates you to go and do that extra work to learn more about the subject in your own time. It made learning the course easy and enjoyable.
The research projects I undertook during my studies provided a whole range of skills that have become relevant in my current job. Being able to take part in active research within the conservation field, tackling the challenges which come with it, and overcoming them by developing a greater understanding of the statistical analysis software RStudio, statistics as a subject and managing databases, along with planning and executing it within a project were critical in securing my role.
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Steph Trapp
Degree: Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
Year of Graduation: 2021
Current Role: PhD Student at the University of Exeter, studying shorebirds.
I really liked how the course was split between structured, taught modules in the first half of the year and then completely independent project work in the second half. It gave us the chance to learn and develop academic skills like statistical modelling and GIS and then put them into practice for our own projects. The lecturers are all fantastic and super enthusiastic. We were able to explore some of the UK’s marine wildlife, including puffins, basking sharks and Risso’s dolphins. It was the perfect way to round off the taught part of the course.
Learning statistical and spatial analysis techniques, using R and GIS software, whilst developing writing concise and logical scientific material have all proved useful. Additionally, gaining practical experience such as seabird and cetacean identification, alongside boat and land-based survey techniques have better prepared me for the industry. The combination of these have given me a good foundation for both practical fieldwork and more academic careers.
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Camille Burton
Degree: Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
Year of Graduation: 2021
Current Role: Marine Advisor for Natural England.
I think the Exeter Marine research network along with the field trips they provide students puts them in a great position to provide people with the skills to develop and apply to future jobs and new working environments.
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Graduate In Focus series
In the MSc Graduate In Focus series we speak to graduates from our MSc programmes. They share their experiences of studying in Cornwall, how their course has helped them in their careers and what they are doing now. So if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to study with us, look no further!
