Crops for the Future

Snapshot

Overview

This one-year course is aimed mainly at students who intend to make a research career in crop plants and would particularly suit students who intend careers in the breeding, pathology and biotechnology of crop plants. We place a strong emphasis on training in research skills and a key component is our full-time research project for the last 4 months of the course in one of our top research laboratories. The MRes is therefore an excellent foundation for PhD research in crop science. This course is suitable for UK and overseas students who have obtained a good undergraduate degree in any life science or for motivated graduates in physical science who wish to move into plant biology.

Financial support is available for UK and overseas students, (see links below). Prospective students should first apply for the course then, if successful, ask about financial support

The course is based on 11 taught Course Units, together with a series of case studies where particular course aspects are covered from a detailed practical viewpoint. In addition to Units dealing with contemporary Crop Science, there will be a strong emphasis on aspects of ecology and environmental biology relevant to sustainable agriculture in the 21st Century. Teaching will be delivered by our international leaders in this scientific area and our colleagues in industry and other institutions.

Our one-year M.Res Course is based on the established partnership between the internationally renowned Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) and the University of Dundee, College of Life Sciences. Both the SCRI and the College of Life Sciences* are internationally recognised for world class research, both in the excellence of the staff and the facilities available, including state-of-the-art microscopy, molecular biology and bioinformatics capabilities, together with extensive plant breeding, controlled environment and field-scale experimental facilities. We have extensive collaborations with other institutions including the major plant breeding companies Worldwide.

Visit the course website for more information.

Programme Content

Foundation (5 weeks)
Plant Gene Expression Plant Cell Biology Plant Genes & Genomes Evolution & Biodiversity of Plants Plant Genetics
Crop Plants and the Environment	Crop Plant Improvement	Case Studies
Plant Breeding Schemes	Plant Breeding - Markers & Traits	From Model Plants to Crops
		Measuring Phentotypes
		Crop Socio-Economics
Examinations & Christmas break
Crop Plants and the Environment	Crop Plant Improvement	Case Studies
Soil, Roots and Microbes	Crop Plant Genetic Manipulation	Organic Farming
		Biofuels
Crop Plant-Environment Interactions	Crop Pests & Pathogens	Bio-Remediation
		Remote Sensing
		Crop Plant Pathogens
Examinations
Research Project

Methods of Assessment

Continuous assessment (40%) and examination (60%).

Entry Requirements

You should have, or expect to have a first class or good upper second class degree in an appropriate subject.

English Language Requirement: IELTS of 6.0 (or equivalent), if your first language is not English. Please check our Language Requirements page for details of equivalent grades from other test providers, and information about the University of Dundee English Language courses.

Research opportunities

The majority of students who attend MRes courses proceed to a career in research. Usually this involves entering a PhD programme as the first step, and first destination evidence from MRes courses already run by the University of Dundee suggests that approximately 70% of students proceed to a PhD after completion of their MRes. It has been our experience that MRes graduates are very competitive in the UK PhD market as a whole.

Sources of Funding

Information about the College of Life Sciences, School of Learning & Teaching scholarships can be found on the College of Life Sciences, School of Learning & Teaching scholarships webpage.

Other sources of funding for postgraduate students can be found on our Scholarships webpage.

Contact

Programme Administrator	Admissions Contact
Lesley Blyth School of Learning and Teaching College of Life Sciences University of Dundee Dundee DD1 4HN Scotland Telephone: 01382 388 178 (from the UK) Telephone: +44 1382 388 178 (from outside the UK) Fax: 01382 385 519(from the UK) Fax: +44 1382 385 519(from outside the UK) Email: l.c.blyth@dundee.ac.uk	Postgraduate Admissions Admissions and Student Recruitment University of Dundee Nethergate Dundee DD1 4HN Scotland Telephone: 01382 384 384 (from the UK) Telephone: +44 1382 384 384 (from outside the UK) Fax: 01382 385 500 (from the UK) Fax: +44 1382 385 500 (from outside the UK) Email: postgrad-admissions@dundee.ac.uk