MSc by Research Glaciology

COURSE OVERVIEW

The MSc by Research in Glaciology allows you to undertake a year-long individual programme of personally and professionally enriching research. Your glaciology research project will be shaped by participation in activities such as seminars, workshops, laboratory activity and fieldwork, as well as your involvement in Swansea Glaciology Group.

While this programme usually finishes after a year, it can also be used to progress to the second year of a PhD degree. You will contribute to our research and learn methods such as computer simulation, satellite remote sensing, or geophysical and geological field methods. Swansea glaciologists work in the Arctic, Antarctic, and most glaciated regions to advance understanding of:

• Ice dynamic processes such as iceberg calving and basal processes in relation to ice streams, outlet glaciers and glacier surging;
• Interactions between ice sheets, solid earth, oceans and atmosphere;
• Reconstruction of past and prediction of future glacier, permafrost, and snow behaviour and processes;
• Past and future cryospheric contribution to sea-level rise

Come and join our active and friendly research group at the University by the beach! In the latest Research Assessment Exercise, 95% of Geography research at Swansea was judged to be of international quality, and 60% was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Programme Summary

This MSc by Research in Glaciology at Swansea will enable you to undertake a research project led by your own interests. It is a highly respected qualification which can enable a future career in academia or a wider scope for employment in fields such as education, government or the private sector. A thesis of 40,000 words will be submitted for assessment demonstrating original research with a substantive contribution to the subject area. The Masters is examined following an oral examination of the thesis (a viva voce examination or viva). You will acquire research skills for high-level work and skills and training programmes are available on campus for further support.

Programme Aims

This Masters programme will provide students with:

1. The opportunity to conduct high quality postgraduate research in a world leading research environment.
2. Key skills needed to undertake advanced academic and non-academic research including qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
3. Advanced critical thinking, intellectual curiosity and independent judgement.

Assessment

Students for the Masters by Research in Glaciology are examined in two parts.

The first part is a thesis which is an original body of work representing the methods and results of the research project. The word limit is 40,000 for the main text. The word limit does not include appendices (if any), essential footnotes, introductory parts and statements or the bibliography and index.

The second part is an oral examination (viva voce).