MSc Environmental Sciences TCD

El Siglo

Alright folks,
I'm a final year BA (geography, planning and environmental policy) student in UCD and I was enquiring whether anyone here has or is currently doing the MSc Environmental Science in TCD. All the literature seems pretty generic really and it tends to try and cover all bases (GIS, policy, environmental chemistry, hydrology etc...) I was just wondering whether anyone here had any information that might be useful; is there anything that they look for in particular in an application form (i.e. what sort of applicants do they want?), is it a good course for jobs etc... I'm really interested in this field, from what I've been studying in UCD to date, but I'd really appreciate first hand information.

jw297

Hi,
A couple of people I know did the course and found it good, and went on to do PhD research. I imagine its a good way to get a more in-depth grounding in environmental science and would be useful to have for applying for environmental consultancy jobs and that kind of thing. Its will also be helpful to figure out if there's a specific area you want to specialise in.
Im afraid I don't know what kind of application they look for, but I guess a 2.1 or a 1 in your degree would help.
Good luck!

iarmhii

Hi All ,

Just wondering if anyone has information on this course , has anyone recently completed this course . Is it worthwhile, what jobs are available if any ? I have a 2:2 Arts Degree with Geography , would i have any chance of getting into the course and does the course have much of a science element ?

Thanks in advance , would appreciate any responses


Iarmhii

El Siglo

iarmhii wrote: »

Hi All ,

Just wondering if anyone has information on this course , has anyone recently completed this course . Is it worthwhile, what jobs are available if any ? I have a 2:2 Arts Degree with Geography , would i have any chance of getting into the course and does the course have much of a science element ?

Thanks in advance , would appreciate any responses


Iarmhii

I ended up doing that MSc after, probably the best course I've ever done. The jobs front is tough at the minute but people have managed to get something out of it which is quite surprising. I didn't do it for the jobs though, it was just a really great course to do, way better than the arts degree and the staff are absolutely amazing. You would have a chance of getting it, definitely apply for it. It'll take some getting used to though, it's not too bad at the start but after Christmas it generally picks up the pace.

iarmhii

Thanks for the response El Siglo ,much appeciated. Did you have an Arts or Science degree on entering this masters ? Can you recall if many people in the class came from arts backgrounds or if they acquired jobs on completion of the course ? I previously enquired about a similar masters in UCD ; ' Natural Resource Management ' and the feeling on the jobs front on it wasn't great although this course in Environmental Science appears to be a better looking option covering a number of areas.


The course looks interesting but my two major concerns are the fact that the course may require a scientific primary degree and also the worry that arts as a primary degree could make studying the course quite difficult and also hinder the chances of acquiring employment . . .

El Siglo

iarmhii wrote: »

Thanks for the response El Siglo ,much appeciated. Did you have an Arts or Science degree on entering this masters ? Can you recall if many people in the class came from arts backgrounds or if they acquired jobs on completion of the course ? I previously enquired about a similar masters in UCD ; ' Natural Resource Management ' and the feeling on the jobs front on it wasn't great although this course in Environmental Science appears to be a better looking option covering a number of areas.


The course looks interesting but my two major concerns are the fact that the course may require a scientific primary degree and also the worry that arts as a primary degree could make studying the course quite difficult and also hinder the chances of acquiring employment . . .

I did a BA in Geography in UCD, so by no means a science background just an interest. There were three others with BAs in Geography, the rest were varied; an environmental scientist, two environmental managers, two civil engineers, a chemist, a physicist, a geologist, a biologist, it was a fairly eclectic mixture actually. I wouldn't do the MERM course in UCD, it's interesting but wouldn't give you a solid grounding the basics (especially the wet chemical techniques). The one in Trinity is extremely practical and there is a lot of contact with the lecturers (complete opposite to the Belfield experience). Let me know the details of the application process, and I can pm you some stuff that you might be interested in.

iarmhii

El Siglo wrote: »

I did a BA in Geography in UCD, so by no means a science background just an interest. There were three others with BAs in Geography, the rest were varied; an environmental scientist, two environmental managers, two civil engineers, a chemist, a physicist, a geologist, a biologist, it was a fairly eclectic mixture actually. I wouldn't do the MERM course in UCD, it's interesting but wouldn't give you a solid grounding the basics (especially the wet chemical techniques). The one in Trinity is extremely practical and there is a lot of contact with the lecturers (complete opposite to the Belfield experience). Let me know the details of the application process, and I can pm you some stuff that you might be interested in.

Thank you El Siglo, i have made enquiries and applications will be accepted up to June 30th. Did you acquire employment from this course and do you have any details and how many if any graduates got jobs and what areas ? Are tutorials offered for those who are not from a science background? Course looks interesting but modules such as Environmental chemical analysis ' look a bit daunting coming from non science path. I have been informed that application through PAC and 15-20 places . . I am kinda new to this site, do you mean private mail when you say ' pm ' ? Any help greatly appreciated , many thanks

El Siglo

iarmhii wrote: »

Thank you El Siglo, i have made enquiries and applications will be accepted up to June 30th. Did you acquire employment from this course and do you have any details and how many if any graduates got jobs and what areas ? Are tutorials offered for those who are not from a science background? Course looks interesting but modules such as Environmental chemical analysis ' look a bit daunting coming from non science path. I have been informed that application through PAC and 15-20 places . . I am kinda new to this site, do you mean private mail when you say ' pm ' ? Any help greatly appreciated , many thanks

I'm doing a PhD now, so not necessarily employment in the 9-5 sense. Out of 15 of us, I'd say between 5 and 10 got jobs within the first year of leaving the course. It's like anything, put in the hard yards, the course isn't about getting you a job, it's about giving you an additional set of skills that employers would be attracted to. Not necessarily tutorials, but they do start everything at a level everyone is comfortable with, as I said not everyone is an environmental scientist, so everyone is equally ignorant (even the science graduates). And the lecturer for the module you mentioned is probably one of the nicest people there, an absolute gentleman. PM means private message. When I applied I had to write a piece I think on why I would like to do the course along with the cv. Make sure to place emphasis on the environmental stuff (e.g. "I am interested in heavy metal pollution of riverine systems, primarily acid mine drainage. I have done fluvial geomorphology etc..."). I'd hurry up, you need references from lecturers etc... And that stuff takes time unless you know them well. Get that sorted out as soon as possible.