Master's in Applied Coastal & Marine Management

University College Cork: University College Cork (UCC) is a prestigious public research university located in Cork, Ireland. Established in 1845, UCC is known for its academic excellence, innovative research, and vibrant campus life. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various fields, including arts, sciences, business, engineering, medicine, and law. UCC is committed to providing a supportive learning environment, fostering critical thinking, and preparing students for successful careers and global citizenship.

Applied Coastal & Marine Management focuses on the science (including the social sciences) of Coastal and Marine management and policy-making today. Designed and presented in close collaboration with the state-of-the-art Beaufort Institute and the University’s Coastal and Marine Research Centre, the programme is designed to give our students professional competency to make sound, scientifically-informed, strategic, and operational decisions regarding sustainable governance, use and protection of coastal and marine environments. In addition, our Applied Coastal & Marine Management programme also provides training in applied practical skills, with an emphasis on geospatial techniques relevant to coastal and marine data capture, analysis, integration, and visualisation. On this programme you will also receive training in important transferrable skills including principles and practice of scientific research, effective communication and presentation techniques, and sound project management The MSc Applied Coastal & Marine Management degree offers a combination of theory, practice and technical skills relevant to the needs of environmentally sustainable coastal and marine governance. Topics include different models of governance, marine spatial planning, and the basics of coastal and marine law; the physical functioning and key processes controlling coastal and marine environments; the biological components of coastal margins and the ecosystems they are part of, at varying spatial and temporal scales, and especially the interactions and exchanges between these; and the approaches available in coastal management and physical protection techniques. In addition, training will be provided in the application of core technologies, including geographical information systems (GIS), remote sensing and Earth observation, and hydrographic survey and mapping from ship-borne platforms. A unique feature of the programme is that our students spend time at sea, onboard the Irish research vessel Celtic Voyager (or equivalent), at no additional cost, so that they may experience marine surveying and other techniques in a working research environment. Upon successful completion of this programme, you will have a clear understanding of the theory, principles and concepts that underpin the management of coastal and marine spaces; will have practical skills to equip them for making policy, and for taking management-level decisions, regarding the strategic and operational use of coastal and marine spaces; will know how to work with coastal and marine data originating in a range of scientific disciplines (physics, biology, geology, oceanography, etc.); and will have a good scientific understanding of the physical, environmental and human processes that affect, and are impacted by, the world’s oceans. The frame of reference will range from the global to the local, but with particular emphasis on the sustainable development and management of Ireland’s coastal and marine territories and resources