Marine Planning and Management University of Liverpool

Award	Attendance	Study	Duration	Start	Domestic fees	International fees
MSc	On-Campus	Full-time	1 years	September	find out	find out
MSc	On-Campus	Part-time	2 years	September	find out	find out

Course overview

This new multidisciplinary programme is designed to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills required to take up the exciting job opportunities arising from recent changes to the planning system for UK marine areas.

The need to improve our management of the seas and oceans is increasingly being recognised. We need to repair the damage that has been done to the marine environment and make it possible to draw on the sea’s rich natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Marine spatial planning is now developing as a key component of marine management. It is being taken up by coastal nations around the world, including Australia, China, the United States of America and several European nations, such as Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It aims to deliver a more organised sharing of sea space between demands as diverse as nature conservation, tourism, ports and shipping, renewable energy, fishing, aquaculture and mineral extraction. Some nations, including the UK, are now introducing statutory provisions for planning their coastal and marine waters and are setting up bodies and procedures for carrying out marine planning.

So there is a growing demand for professionals who understand marine science and management on the one hand, and spatial planning, as has long been practiced on land, on the other. This postgraduate programme of study bridges the gap between these two disciplines, and equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to embark on a career within marine management, with a particular focus on the newly emerging practice of marine spatial planning.

This course leads to the award of a Master of Science degree. It is a full-time, one-year course, though it is also possible to study part-time over two years, combining studies with other responsibilities.