MSc Conservation Leadership
Page last updated 9 April 2025
This course is open for applications
Introduction
Get a chance to remotely shadow the project lead of a strategic conservation project team for six months on this flexible distance learning course. You'll gain the skills to advance your career as a conservation leader while balancing other commitments.
Accreditations and partnerships:
Why study MSc Conservation Leadership (online)
Study the MSc Conservation Leadership (online) and you'll gain the skills you'll need to successfully lead conservation projects.
This flexible distance learning course will also enable you to balance your studies with other commitments.
Conserving our planet's diverse species, habitats, and ecosystems in an ethical and socially responsible manner is one of today's greatest challenges. This course addresses a leadership skill gap in the sector and will give you the skills you'll need to tackle these challenges. You'll get practice-based experience in project management and be equipped with the theoretical, personal, and practical skills you'll need to advance your career as a conservation leader.
Why UWE Bristol?
Our Master's in Conservation Leadership is led by experts at Bristol Zoological Society and UWE Bristol, who are involved in national and international conservation projects. You'll benefit from their innovative work and enhance your career prospects by engaging in live conservation efforts, joining their teams.
You'll have the unique opportunity to shadow a Conservation Project Leader for six months, becoming integrated into a leadership team. Working remotely with your Project Leader, you'll contribute to the project and gain valuable leadership and remote project management skills, which are increasingly important in the conservation sector.
Where can it take me?
Throughout this Conservation Master's, you'll enhance your wildlife conservation project management skills through real-world scenarios and assessments that build your professional portfolio. Modules cover project design and management, budgeting, long-term financial sustainability, conservation governance and ethics, and culturally sensitive communication.
This course will help you advance in the wildlife conservation sector. You'll be prepared for decision-making roles, such as conservation project management, and be equipped to lead impactful projects. You'll also be able to apply your skills to leadership positions in the sustainability and climate change sectors.
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Structure
Content
You'll study:
Year one
- Conservation Leadership in Practice (60 credits) - Experience working remotely within a conservation project team for six months, participating in strategy planning, stakeholder meetings, fundraising and decision-making.
- Conservation Business and Finance (30 credits) - Learn how to make your project financially viable and sustainable, critically review risks and issues that could impact project outcomes and manage key relationships to achieve your conservation targets.
- Conservation Communication and Marketing (30 credits) - Identify relevant stakeholders and apply different communication methods to engage with colleagues, sponsors and partners across various cultural and political contexts. Understand key issues around governance and ethics and learn best-practice working with vulnerable individuals and communities.
- Conservation Impact (30 credits) - Create meaningful outputs and conservation outcomes by mapping out a situation analysis and developing a Theory of Change. Design evidence-based, feasible objectives that allow you to measure your impact.
- Conservation Project Management (30 credits) - Develop, plan and coordinate a project through its different phases and learn how to best manage teams locally and remotely.
This course can be studied both full-time and part- time, providing a flexible approach that meets your needs.
If you study full time, you'll take all the modules in one year. If you study part time you'll study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.
Learning and Teaching
Delivered by UWE Bristol and Bristol Zoological Society staff, this online course offers a rich learning experience. You'll get to study ex-situ conservation and manage national and international projects. You'll have opportunities to take part in interactive live seminars, workshops, watch recorded lectures, and undertake guided activities, all while having regular contact with the lecturing team.
You'll have the opportunity to become embedded within a strategic conservation project team, remotely shadowing a conservation project leader for six months. This hands-on experience will teach you to design and implement conservation initiatives effectively.
Activities may include project planning, report writing, communication strategy design, stakeholder engagement, community outreach, and the development of funding bids.
Optional in-person and hybrid social meetups will be available to connect with fellow students. You'll receive regular one-to-one guidance and feedback from our experienced academic team and applied conservation professionals.
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Study time
This course can be studied both full-time and part-time, providing a flexible approach to meet your needs.
The course will take place over 12 months for full-time students and 24 months for part-time students.
Assessment
Our assessments will develop your problem-solving, finance, and staff management skills and are based on real-world scenarios. This means you'll be able to apply what you have learned to your professional career.
For example, you'll produce a communication strategy, a project plan, a business case and a case study analysis. You'll also develop communication skills which will enable you to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders in a conservation project.
During your conservation project placement, you'll experience project management first-hand. You'll develop a portfolio that will include all the materials you create or contribute to.
Your portfolio will help you to stand out when you enter the job market post-graduation or look to progress your career.
Features
Placements
The MSc Conservation Leadership includes a remote six-month placement with a Conservation Project Leader, during which you'll select the tasks you'd like to lead.
You'll shadow the project manager on a conservation project led by the Bristol Zoological Society or UWE Bristol, or an external partner.
You can visit the project manager in person if you choose, but there is no expectation to do so.
Fieldwork
No Fieldwork is needed to complete the course. However, you may wish to use examples from current and previous fieldwork experiences in your learning, and you'll use the skills developed over this degree if you undertake future fieldwork.
In recent years, international conservation projects have increasingly been managed remotely, to facilitate local capacity building and decrease carbon footprint. In this course, you'll learn how to effectively maximise the benefits and tackle the drawbacks of remote project leadership.
Study facilities
Our online teaching resource offers a rich, interactive learning experience. You'll have access to UWE Bristol's extensive online library, with materials such as research journals and ebooks that can be accessed remotely. You will also have access to the Bristol Zoological Society's librarian, who can provide you with remote study support.
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Life
Postgraduate support
Our support includes access to fantastic facilities, study tools and career consultants, plus practical help to access everything from funding to childcare.
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Careers
Careers / Further study
Our MSc in Conservation Leadership is a unique training platform designed to help you secure a decision-making position or advance your career in the wildlife conservation sector. This course will enable you to make a real impact on current and future conservation efforts, addressing the greatest threats to habitats and species.
Developed to fill a market gap for conservationists seeking career progression, this program addresses the shortage of applicants with project leadership skills and experience. You'll gain hands-on experience managing national or international conservation projects, equipping you with the knowledge to tackle conservation challenges and drive meaningful change.
Upon completing this MSc, you'll possess the skills, knowledge, and tools to effectively lead a conservation project. And you'll be well-positioned to secure a leadership role within an existing or new conservation initiative in the sector.
Get inspired
Our award-winning Careers Service will help develop your employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering, community activity support for entrepreneurial activity, and access to employer events.
Learn more about our graduate destinations.
Fees
Full time course
Part time course
Supplementary fee information
See our funding pages for more information.
Entry
Entry requirements
You'll have:
- a good honours degree (minimum 2:2) in a subject which includes conservation science, environmental science, or a related science. Your qualification will be from a UK or recognised overseas institution, and
- some experience through working, volunteering or your undergraduate degree in the conservation sector, in policy or the business sector, anywhere in the world. Your experience could come from a range of opportunities.
If you do not meet the above grade requirements but have at least 12 months relevant professional experience and/ or equivalent qualifications, we will consider you on an individual basis.
International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The University accepts a large number of UK and international qualifications in place of IELTS. To find details of acceptable tests and the required grades please visit our English Language requirements pages
Read more on our postgraduate application pages.
How to apply
Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.
For further information
- Email: Admissions@uwe.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0)117 32 83333
