Postgraduate study in Ecology
What can you study in Ecology?
You will take a mix of advanced courses in theoretical and applied ecology, including population and community ecology, global change, biosystematics, ecophysiology, biosecurity, pest management, conservation, ethics, and socio-ecological systems.
Research areas include:
- The ecology of Aotearoa’s native species (including birds, insects, fungi, plants, whales, fish, echinoderms) and ecosystems (including forest dynamics and marine coastal processes).
- Invasive species management, including Predator Free NZ, myrtle rust and kauri dieback, weeds, and Undaria.
- Urban ecology.
- Climate change impacts on biota.
Depending on your focus, the specialised knowledge and skills you can gain include:
- Learning techniques to analyse data and explain changes in biodiversity from the microbial scale to the landscape and global scale.
- Practical lab and field skills, including incursion response planning and taxonomic collection curation.
- Developing skills in undertaking research, vision Mātauranga, writing restoration plans, risk assessment, pest management strategy, science communication and engaging with communities.
- Communicating with different audiences, including policymakers and funders.
Master of Ecology
Master of Science in Biosecurity and Conservation
Where can postgraduate study in Ecology take you?
Postgraduate study in Ecology prepares you for employment in roles such as:
- Biodiversity advisor
- Biosecurity officer
- Botanist
- Ecologist
- Environmental consultant
- Environmental policy analyst
- Forest scientist
- Higher education lecturer
- Marine biologist
- Museum collections technician
- Nature conservation officer
- Pest management specialist
- Ranger
- Research assistant
- Restoration ecologist
- Science communicator
- Secondary school teacher
- Wildlife biologist/ Zoologist
Scholarships and awards
Each year we award scholarships and prizes to thousands of students.
Find out about the scholarships you may be eligible for, search available scholarships or begin an application by visiting Scholarships and awards.
Help and advice
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