Arid Land Studies - MSc

About the course

1 year full time/2 years part time

Taught with the Centre for International Arid and Semiarid Land Studies at Texas Tech University, Lubbock and the Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture at Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin.

Study with world leaders in this field and gain insights into the latest thinking in this area. This course provides interdisciplinary training in arid land studies, covering the fields of geography, geology, environmental sciences, biology and biodiversity, soil and water sciences and development. You'll graduate with a degree awarded jointly by the University of Sheffield and Texas Tech University.

Entry requirements

You'll need a good 2:1 or first class honours degree in geography or a related subject, or an equivalent recognised qualification.

English language requirements

IELTS 7 (with at least 6.5 in each part), or TOEFL 100 (iBT), or equivalent.

Entry requirements for international students 

Course structure

Your first semester will be in Sheffield, where you'll take four modules. Your second semester will be at Texas Tech where you'll study three modules.

You'll spend the summer months doing fieldwork for your dissertation in either Texas or New Mexico. Your third semester will be at Texas Tech, taking an additional module and working on your dissertation.

You'll spend six weeks at Humboldt University working on a research project and completing your dissertation. You'll then return to Sheffield for an oral examination of your dissertation.

Modules

Sheffield modules. Choose four from:

• Sources to Sinks
• Research Design in Analysis of Terrestrial Systems
• Environmental Process Fluxes
• Geochemical Techniques
• Spatial Techniques in Environmental Analysis
• Current Issues in Environment Analysis

Texas modules. Choose three from:

• Watershed Management
• Precision Agriculture
• Soils and Crops in Arid Lands
• Aerial Terrain Analysis
• Imagery Interpretation in Natural Resource Management
• Geographic Information Systems
• Spatial Data Analysis and Modelling
• Water Resource Management
• Surface Water Hydrology
• Groundwater Hydrology
• Ecology of Grazing Lands Systems
• Soil and Plant Relationships
• Advanced Range Ecology
• Advanced Non-Game Ecology
• Geography of Arid Lands
• Regional Analysis
• Weather, Climate and Applications
• Environmental Toxicology
• Ecological Risk Assessment

Teaching

• Lectures
• Fieldwork
• Seminars
• Reading groups
• Workshops

Assessment

• Coursework assignments
• Project work
• Field work
• Dissertation

Fees and funding

A number of departmental bursaries are available for masters students. Further funding may be available. Please contact us for details.

Financial information for postgraduate taught courses

Any questions?

If you'd like to know more about any aspect of our courses, contact us:

Laura Pitts
E: geog-pg-applications@sheffield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)114 222 7902

Where your masters can take you

We offer a range of courses, including a new development-focused course which includes a work placement, and an MSc in Social and Spatial Inequalities. You'll develop the skills to work in private or public sector research, or join the civil service. Recent graduates have started careers in consulting or with organisations like CAFOD, the Environment Agency and the British Library. Many of our graduates stay on to do research. We have a high success rate in securing funding for those who wish to study for a PhD with us after finishing a masters. 

Study with the best

We're high up in the top ten of UK geography departments. Established but forward-thinking, our research is internationally significant and our teaching is excellent. You'll discover a vibrant postgraduate community, enthusiastic staff and strong links with international organisations.

Our research partners are global, from UK universities to institutions in southern Africa, Denmark, Iceland, Australia and the USA. Our teaching is invigorated by work from several interdisciplinary research groups, like the Sheffield Centre for International Drylands Research (SCIDR) and the Urban and Regional Policy Research Institute.

Our research partners are global, from UK universities to institutions in southern Africa, Denmark, Iceland, Australia and the USA.

Facilities and equipment

A new £1m Sediment-Solute Systems lab enables geochemical analysis of aqueous and solid phases, especially in the context of biogeochemistry. We have equipment for chromatography, UV spectrometry and flow injection/auto analysis.

Our sample preparation facilities enable digestion, pre-concentration by evaporation under vacuum, and tangential flow filtration. There are alpha and gamma counters, a laser particle sizer and a luminescence dating lab. Field equipment includes automatic water samplers, weather stations, data loggers and environmental process characterisation sensors.

Our EROSION lab provides state-of-the-art rainfall simulation. We have high-quality petrological microscopes for examining geological samples. We have labs for spectrometry and for palaeontological preparation, and you'll also have access to specialist facilities in other departments at the University.

Laptops, camcorders, tape recorders and transcribers are available for your fieldwork. Our postgraduate computer labs have networked workstations for GIS research and climate modelling, ARC/INFO, ERDAS software and specialist software for remote sensing. GIS facilities are also provided by the £5m Informatics Collaboratory for the Social Sciences.
Our recently refurbished building has brand new study areas for postgraduate students and a café.

Apply now

You can apply for postgraduate study using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It is a quick and easy process.

Postgraduate Online Application Form