Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences MSc

You will be taught by leading national and international specialists from a wide range of research fields.

Your programme will be delivered through:

• lectures
• seminars
• tutorials
• practical work, including computer- and laboratory-based tasks

Additionally, we offer a variety of student-focussed learning activities that will help you to develop:

• independent learning skills
• critical thinking skills
• skills in collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data

You will also have access to unique research equipment and instrumentation which you may use to complete your dissertation.

Dissertation

As well as the taught component, you will complete a three-month research project leading to a dissertation.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

By completing this programme you will gain a solid understanding of astrobiology and planetary science. This includes understanding of:

• methods
• missions
• instruments

This will allow you to contribute to contemporary debates on these matters and to view life in the universe from a new perspective.

Professional opportunities

The MSc in Astrobiology and Planetary Science will help you develop into a confident professional. We will equip you with the key skills you will need and help you identify and target suitable professional opportunities.

The programme provides a grounding for many potential career paths. This may include scientific research in areas of:

• planetary sciences
• astronomy
• geology
• biology and associated fields

You may also be able to pursue careers in:

• science
• pedagogy (teaching)
• outreach
• reporting
• media
• the civil service

Academic opportunities

Due to its focus on concepts and methods that cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries, this programme is useful if you want to pursue an academic career.

Our approach will equip you with excellent research skills and position you to be a competitive PhD applicant.

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a natural science or related discipline.

We expect candidates to be highly numerate, with good results in quantitative subjects; and to be familiar with university-level concepts in at least two of the following subjects: physics (including geophysics, astrophysics, or biophysics), biology (including astrobiology, microbiology, molecular biology, palaeontology or evolution), chemistry (including geochemistry or biochemistry), planetary/geoscience, and astronomy.

In addition to explaining your interest in both planetary science and astrobiology, your personal statement should summarise your scientific background, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinarity: how have you engaged with areas of science that were outside the main focus of your undergraduate programme (or major).

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 62 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Higgs Scholarships

The School of Physics and Astronomy is offering twelve scholarships to applicants who have applied to study full-time on any of the following programmes of study for the 2024-2025 academic session:

• MSc Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences
• MSc Mathematical Physics
• MSc Particle and Nuclear Physics
• MSc Theoretical Physics

Higgs Scholarships

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