Study a highly topical subject in a truly unique location for marine and environmental biological research
Faculty:
School of Marine and Environmental Sciences
Study Options:
Full Time
Start Date:
Sept 2026
Level:
Postgraduate
Course Length:
1 Year
Qualification:
MSc
Fees:
All Students: £9,225
*Fees are for the academic year 2026/27 and are subject to indexation.
Apply:
Applications are now open.
Designed and delivered by expert academics and scientists, this full-time interdisciplinary programme blends theoretical study with practical, field-based work. You will cover specialist subject areas and gain the skills required to tackle the complex issues associated with the sustainable development of marine ecosystems.
As well as access to cutting-edge facilities and learning resources at our Europa Point Campus, the iconic Straits of Gibraltar, a unique location for marine biological research, provides a natural laboratory for your studies. The Straits, and their surrounding area, have long been recognised for their marine biodiversity.
You are able to choose full, or part-time study and have the freedom to choose your exit award (Post Graduate Certificate, Post Graduate Diploma or full Master’s Degree). Take a look at our past Dissertation abstracts and list of Research topics on The School Of Marine and Environmental Sciences page.
Our graduates have gone on to embark on PhDs, work for Government Departments, environmental NGOs and marine consultancies.
“The programme is perfectly balanced in terms of timings, building levels of proficiency and training for the research project”. – MSCC Alumni 2021
Designed and delivered by expert academics and scientists, this full-time interdisciplinary programme blends theoretical study with practical, field-based work.
You will cover specialist subject areas and gain the skills required to tackle the complex issues associated with the sustainable development of marine ecosystems.
Read what our two most recent Valedictorians had to say about their experience on the Master in Marine Science & Climate Change programme and at the University of Gibraltar.
Jule Buschmann, School of Marine and Environmental Science Graduate
Bethany Louisa Lesley Wilkinson, School of Marine and Environmental Science Graduate
An enrolled UniGib Masters MSc Marine Science and Climate Change student (after a rigorous selection process in October) will have the opportunity to work as part of a wider research network, GAME – hosted by GEOMAR. GAME is an international research and training program for students of biology and environmental sciences. Since its founding in 2002 at GEOMAR’s predecessor institute, GAME has offered young scientists the opportunity to study the effects of global change on coastal seas.
GAME projects have a sandwich structure: a) Preparation at GEOMAR in Kiel (4 weeks in March); b) practical research work at UniGib (April – September); c) Joined meta-analysis of the global data set at GEOMAR in Kiel (October-December).
The successful student will partner up with a corresponding GAME German student counterpart to undertake the research project.
Interested in gaining research experience or conducting a research placement abroad?
The School of Marine and Environmental Science at the University of Gibraltar can host visiting research students currently enrolled on a marine or environmental science degree (or equivalent).
This internship opportunity provides students with a comprehensive training programme to provide participants with hands-on experience, knowledge, skills, and research opportunities in marine or environmental science.
The MSc Marine Science & Climate Change teaching team brings together a multi-disciplinary group of internationally-recognised specialists in the area of Marine Science and Climate Change who have extensive expertise in developing and delivering academic programmes in the marine sciences.
The programme is based on a series of modules in increasing levels of specialism.
You will undertake your research project working directly with researchers at the University of Gibraltar and potential external specialists. It may be possible to carry out your research project abroad.
It examines climate adaptation and mitigation from a range of perspectives and types, and offers a range of solutions to overcoming barriers preventing adaptation and mitigation.
It includes practice in integrating knowledge of the interactions and processes that determine the form, function and well-being of social-ecological systems, and appreciation of their vulnerabilities and resilience to a changing climate.
It presents concepts and approaches, both scientific and community-based, and requires analysis of contemporary case studies.
*Please note there are shared modules and content between the Marine Science & Environmental Science programmes and as such students will engage in Peer-2-Peer learning strategies learning about concepts and topics with shared interests and applicability.
| Exit Award level | Module | Credits |
| Marine Biology, Ecosystems and Conservation | 15 | |
| Oceanographic Processes | 15 | |
| Research Skills and Methods | 15 | |
| PGCert | Coastal Zone Management: Area-based Marine tools | 15 |
| Marine Ecosystems and Sustainability | 15 | |
| Climate Change Adaptation | 15 | |
| Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction | 15 | |
| PGDip | Capstone project | 15 |
| Master’s | Research-based Project | 60 |
CATS = Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme where 1 CAT = 10 notional (contact + individual) hours of study
The MSc in Marine Science and Climate Change programme has been designed blending elements of Marine Science programme whilst dedicated to promote understanding and advanced skills relating to marine and coastal Climate Change Adaptation and Ecological Disaster and Risk Reduction. The programme provides insights in to ‘real-world’ applications as well as maximising the skills of students to produce highly-skilled graduates with the specialist skills required to tackle ecological scenarios of the 21st Century.
Explore previous cohorts dissertations via the drop-down menu below:
| Name | Dissertation title | In collaboration with | Outputs |
| Andras Gyetvai | Elucidating the presence of microplastics in the gills of Open Sea Caged farmed (market-sold) and Recirculating Aquaculture System raised Salmo salar. | ||
| Celine Meylemans | Establishing the impact of physical wave exposure and drag force on structural complexity in Rugulopteryx okamurae in Gibraltar. | ||
| Floor H.G. van der Marck | BRIDGE – Bridging Knowledge Divides for Marine Conservation: A Case Study of Gibraltar’s Marine Research Environment. | ||
| Jette Ida Damminger | Exploring Ecosystem Health: Assessing structural complexity and habitat function of fringing mangrove ecosystems for mobile species in Inhambane Bay, Mozambique. | ||
| Zoe Morgan | Assessing Fish Health: A Baseline Study in the Bay of Gibraltar. | ||
| Viviane Wiedecke | Coral Comeback Feasibility of Restoration of Astroides calycularis within British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. | ||
| Thomas Wendt | SEABRIDGE I FROM ECOLOGY TO POLICY – An assessment of sandbank biodiversity from macro- to micro-level and analysis of their protective policies. | ||
| Saratha Naiken | A Baseline for the Blue Economy: Assessing the Morphological trends of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the Western Indian Ocean. | ||
| Nell Cava | An Investigation of the Antimicrobial Potential of Rugulopteryx okamurae using Escherichia coli as a Model System. | ||
| Michelle Cardoso Calheiros | Tagging Sharks, Informing Policy, and Conservation: Streamlining Best Practices for the Isle of Man’s Tagging Initiatives for Sustainable Shark Management. | ||
| Luisa Suarez | Development of a fish assemblage baseline and trophic level structure using Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) sampling in Isla Grande, Cartagena Colombia. |
| Name | Dissertation title | In collaboration with | Outputs |
| Jule Buschmann | Giants on the reef: Using remote underwater video to assess cleaning station use by reef manta rays. | – | – |
| Nadine Mauch | Global Analysis Of Shark Bite Risk Mitigation Measures And Their Implications For Shark Conservation. | – | – |
| Tess Beckwith | Marine citizenship: Expanding the criteria for belonging. | – | – |
| Frances Miranda Soler | Maritime Traffic Impact on Dolphin Behaviour in the Bay of Gibraltar. | – | – |
| Rachelle) Hannah Hicks | Understanding the knowledge of divers on seagrass ecosystems: Assessing vulnerability, threats, and diver perception for improved awareness and protection in Abades. | – | – |
| Jasmijn Gase | On track to hit Aichi Target 11? Identifying best practices in OECMs and applicability for marine conservation. | – | – |
| Eszter Fónagy | Functional Ecology of Reefs in Gibraltar: Impacts of Different Protection Levels. | – | – |
| Mariela Perez Ponzanelli | Towards Socio-Ecological Sustainability: An Assessment Of Cabo Pulmo National Park. | – | – |
| Teagen Miller | Assessing habitat vulnerability to marine debris on Tobacco Caye, Belize. | – | – |
| Patricia Vidal Geraldino | Zooplankton: an important link for the trophic web of the Submarine Canyon of the Bay of Gibraltar. | – | – |
| Fiona Féval | Applicability of SfM Photogrammetry for Gorgonian Population Assessment in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. | – | – |
| Guilherme Rosado | Spearfishing for Science: A collaborative approach to marine research in Portugal. | – | – |
| Natascha Jaspert | Beyond Marine Paper Parks? Evaluating the Success of German Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the North Sea. | – | – |
| Evi Kaasik | Increasing Habitat Availability for O. vulgaris in a No-Take Zone MPA through the Deployment of ‘Octohotel’ Artificial Habitats. | – | – |
| Lucy Darby | Utilising digital imagery and environmental survey techniques to provide a health assessment of Gibraltar’s sandbanks. | – | – |
| Nhut Hoang-Don | CETACEAN MASS STRANDING: Global Databases and Insights into Hypotheses, Patterns, and Distribution. | – | |
| Leslie Schär | The provision and utilisation of cover of the invasive macroalgal species Rugulopteryx okamurae (E.Y. Dawson) by cryptic species. | – | – |
| Arianna Talas | Greening the Grey: Artificial Rock Pools and their potential role in increasing the biodiversity of mobile species. | – | – |
| Name | Dissertation title | In collaboration with | Outputs |
| Carol Baily | A survey of the richness and abundance of fish species in and around the Arch, Barranco Seco, Los Gigantes, Tenerife. | Research Profile | |
| Alice Bruemmer | The Alice Project: Assessment of Litter-fauna Interactions in submarine Canyon Environments. | – | |
| Paolla Cerqueira | First marine litter assessment in Gibraltar: low-cost and easy to replicate methodology. | – | |
| Yasmine Charrak | Evaluation of Environmental and Anthropogenic Drivers of Selected Limpet Populations in Gibraltar: Featuring the Effects of Oestrogenic Hormones. | – | |
| Eleanor Clay | Investigating the use of artisanal style shelter fishing pots for Octopus vulgaris as artificial dens to increase habitat availability and the abundance of Octopus vulgaris in Gibraltar. | Research Profile | |
| Natalie Coles | Review of Marine Management in UK Overseas Territories: A Roadmap for Gibraltar. | Research Profile | |
| Sid Dewfall | Shooting the Stars: ’An Ecological Assessment of the Distribution and Health Status of Astroides calycularis in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. | – | |
| Peyton Dryer | Rays of hope: The first study conducted on the species richness and conservation of batoid populations in the British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). | – | |
| Francesca Gagliardi | Recreational fishing impact on dolphins in the Bay of Gibraltar. | – | |
| Sarah Goh | Mind the Gap: Bridging the biodiversity framework gap in effectiveness evaluation for micro Marine Protected Areas. | – | |
| Laura Hinze | The Effects of Hypersaline Desalination Effluence on Benthic Communities in Gibraltar’s Camp Bay. | – | |
| Chynara Kamalova | Investigation of Policies and Best Practices for the Implementation of the Reduction of Ship Emissions and Low Emission Areas Via Operational and Technical Measures. | Research Profile | |
| Hajnalka Kiss | Implication for coastal water quality and human health: the potential for colonisation of epiphytic faecal bacteria (Escherichia coli) on Rugulopteryx okamurae. | – | |
| Linda Mazza | Cetacean-Vessel Interactions in the Strait of Gibraltar. | – | |
| Natalie Muirhead-Davies | Defining healthy rocky reefs: Conservation tools to provide advice for effective, sustainable marine management. | Research Profile | |
| Baptiste Orsoni | Assessment of Dentex dentex abundance and prey trophic structure in a Corsican Marine Protected Area using Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) sampling. | Research Profile | |
| Daphne Pezij | Health status and characterisation of Gibraltar’s maerl. | – | |
| Jasmin Plummer | Climate change and coastal tourism: Pioneering a metric for hotel environmental sustainability, in Gibraltar. | – | |
| Kellie Rana | Conversations about Conservation: Strengthening Marine Protected Areas through Decentralised Governance Approaches and the Scaling-up of Human Dimensions. | – | |
| Aviad Reed | Investigating mussel farming in Gibraltar waters: A circular, cost-effective, nature-based solution for wave energy attenuation and food security. | – | |
| Laurent Righetti | Assessing the Presence and Abundance of the Finger-Shaped Sea Pen (Veretillum cynomorium) Within the Bay of Gibraltar. | – | |
| Samantha Slisarenko | The effects of climate variability on a top pelagic predator assessed through stable isotope and stomach content analyses. | Research Profile | |
| Ingrid Tissot van Patot | A Description of Prokaryotic Picoplanktonic Communities and their Relationships with the Physio-Chemical Environment in PRODIGIO’s Wastewater Algae Raceway. | Research Profile | |
| Xavier Villar Buzo | Assessment of marine recreational fishing effort pressure at Europa Reef; Southern Waters MCZ. | Research Profile |
| Name | Dissertation title | In collaboration with | Outputs |
| Adrianna Proetta | Recreational fishing impacts on Dolphins: A study on prevalence in Gibraltarian waters and public perceptions on fishermen-dolphin interactions. | Department of Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage
MMRIC |
Research Profile. |
| John Antony Yañez Dobson | Jellyfish: A potential coastal threat?; Assessment of Public Perceptions and Integration of Citizen Science to aid global gaps in knowledge of Spatial and Temporal distribution of jellyfish (Cnidaria & Ctenophora). | Universidad de Alicante | – |
| Julian Koplin | The zooplankton community in the Bay of Gibraltar under tidal influences and recommendations for future monitoring studies. | Department of the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research |
Research Profile. |
| Lilli Marie Blume
|
Form follows function?: The influence of algal architecture on epifaunal assemblages in the invasive algae Rugulopteryx okamurae in Gibraltar. | – | Research Profile. |
| Lívia Lang | Methodological framework to assess the health status of gorgonian species. | University of Plymouth | Research Profile. |
| Lucinda Rosheuvel | Community structure and its role within ecosystem artificial reef The Ark. | University of Plymouth
Gibraltar Sub Aqua Association Department of Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage |
Research profile. |
| María Renee Contreras Merida | Characterisation of the underwater noise caused by marine traffic in the Bay of Gibraltar. | Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas, UK) | Research profile. |
| Riccardo Fornasari | The concept of Green Port as a driver of positive change for both local and international level and possible implementation in Gibraltar. | Ramboll | Research profile. |
| Ambroise Albert | Quantification of pelagic and benthic fish using baited remote underwater camera in Gibraltar. | – | |
| Amy Swift | PROJECT MIS: Investigating the presence of non-native species in Mid Harbour Small Boats Marina, assessing recreational vessels as vectors, and exploring stakeholder engagement in implications for marine management. | Research Profile | |
| Bethany Wilkinson | Microplastic survey of abundance and characterisation across the shores of Gibraltar: A marine management issue. | Research Profile | |
| Michael Simmons | The Use of Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) to Assess the influence of habitat complexity and Anthropogenic Activity on the abundance and Behaviour in Coastal Fish (Labridae & Sparidae): Implications for Marine Management. | Department of the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage. |
Research Profile |
| Name | Dissertation title | In collaboration with | Outputs |
| Clive Crisp | Understanding the specific pressures and methodologies of marine recreational fishing and impact to demersal fish species in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters and mapping marine recreational fishing hotspots | Department of Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage. | – |
| Albert Gonzalez | A review of the vector, pathway, distribution and management of Invasive marine species | – | – |
| Luisa Haasova | Identifying the importance of cultural ecosystem services (II-CES): non-monetary valuation | Cardiff University | Poster presentation to the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum conference; 9th March 2021. |
| Ivan Hernandez
|
Marine litter in submarine canyons:
A case study of the SW Approaches |
University of Plymouth
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS). |
Invited talk to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC); 9th Sept 2020. |
| Ken Ruiz | Nature-based solutions for increasing marine biodiversity in Gibraltar | – | Poster presentation to the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum conference; 9th March 2021. |
| Petros Dimitriou | Patella ferruginea distributions at the Western side of Gibraltar, the future threat of sea level rise and a novel method for morphotype identification | Department of Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage. | – |
| Emma Hall | Evaluation of citizenship attitudes and attachments towards the marine environment in Gibraltar with a view to informing sustainable marine governance practices | University of Malta | Research Profile |
| Maite Kesteleyn | Assessing the use of the underwater camera in Gibraltar as a marine monitoring tool, to improve conservation practices, increase awareness and monitor biodiversity | Department of Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage. | – Poster presentation to the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum conference; 9th March 2021. – Runner-up Poster Prize – UKOTCF conference 2021. – GBC interview. |
| Francine Pons | Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Straits of Gibraltar: from historical to recreational fisheries, and recommendations for implementing a catch-and-release fishery via stakeholder engagement. | Department of Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage. | – Poster presentation to the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum conference; 9t |
The University is delighted to have achieved global accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK’s independent quality body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education.
“In achieving QAA’s global accreditation, the University has displayed its compatibility with international best practice.”
Vicki Stott, UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Chief Executive.
Typically, all applicants will have:
English Language Requirements:
Offers are based on a combination of qualifications or predicted grades, the applicant’s personal statement and references. For guidelines on personal statements and references please click here.
| Programme | Fee (per annum) | Year |
| Home, International and EU | £9,225 | 1 |
Note: the above fees are for the Academic year 2026/27 and are subject to indexation.
Applications are now open. The application deadline for visa-requiring students is 30th June 2026.
Contact us via the enquire button for more information.
The University of Gibraltar hosts or directly offers a limited number of scholarship programmes to support your studies. These scholarships are highly competitive; they are available to support undergraduate, Master’s degree and PhD programmes and are made available to students based on certain criteria.
If you have been resident in Gibraltar for more than five years then, once you receive your offer letter from the University of Gibraltar, you can apply to the Department of Education for funding.
You can also call us and speak to one of our team on +350 200 71000.
Accommodation for University of Gibraltar students is available at the purpose built Europa Suites, located just a two-minute walk from our Europa Point Campus.
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