MSc Conservation Leadership (Online)
Progress your career in wildlife conservation with our online MSc Conservation Leadership, designed to equip you with the skills to design, lead and manage impactful conservation projects. Developed through nearly two decades of collaboration between UWE Bristol and Bristol Zoological Society, the course draws on real-world conservation expertise and active programmes across the UK and internationally.
This programme is aimed at conservation professionals who want to move into leadership roles and take responsibility for delivering complex, high-impact conservation and sustainable development projects.
Designed for employability and leadership
This MSc has been built specifically to address a recognised skills gap in the conservation sector: the need for strong, confident project leaders. Rather than focusing solely on ecological theory, the course emphasises practical leadership capability, strategic thinking, and applied project delivery.
You will develop expertise in:
Project management frameworks tailored to wildlife conservation, including planning, adaptation, risk management and team leadership
Designing, implementing and monitoring conservation and sustainable development projects with measurable impact
Financial management for complex conservation programmes, including budgeting, forecasting and sustainable funding mechanisms
Leading culturally aware initiatives that balance conservation goals with real-world social, political and economic contexts
Leadership-level communication skills, including stakeholder engagement, partnership working and professional conservation communication
All teaching is grounded in real conservation case studies and delivered by practitioners actively working in the sector.
Programme structure
The MSc can be studied full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months. Core modules include:
Conservation Leadership in Practice – a six-month placement working with a conservation project team, developing skills in strategy, decision-making, reporting, fundraising and stakeholder engagement
Conservation Project Management – planning and delivering projects from concept to completion, including managing teams both in-person and remotely
Conservation Impact – designing impact pathways using Theory of Change and developing evidence-based objectives and indicators
Conservation Business and Finance – building financially viable and sustainable conservation projects, managing risk, and working with funders and partners
Conservation Communication and Marketing – professional communication, stakeholder analysis, governance, ethics, and working effectively across cultural and political contexts
This course can be studied both full-time and part- time, providing a flexible approach that meets your needs.
If you study full time, you'll take all the modules in one year. If you study part time you'll study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.
Standalone CPD modules (online)
All taught modules on the MSc Conservation Leadership are also available as standalone, credit-bearing Continual Professional Development courses. These fully online modules are designed for conservation professionals who want to upskill in specific leadership areas, with the option to stack credits towards the full MSc at a later date.
Conservation Project Management (CPD)
Develop the practical skills needed to plan, deliver and adapt conservation projects. This module focuses on project lifecycles, team leadership, risk management and real-world problem solving in conservation contexts.Conservation Impact (CPD)
Learn how to design and measure meaningful conservation impact. You’ll explore situation analysis, Theory of Change, indicator development and evidence-based approaches to evaluating conservation outcomes.Conservation Business and Finance (CPD)
Build confidence in the financial management of conservation programmes, including budgeting, forecasting, risk management and sustainable funding mechanisms essential for long-term project success.Conservation Communication and Marketing (CPD)
Strengthen your leadership-level communication skills, focusing on stakeholder engagement, strategic messaging, governance, ethics and working effectively across cultural and political contexts.
Fieldwork
While the MSc Conservation Leadership is delivered fully online, students are invited to attend an optional residential trip at the start of the programme. The residential is designed to build cohort identity, support networking, and provide an opportunity to meet the programme leads, module leads and conservation programme staff before continuing the course online.
The trip will include time at Bristol Zoo Project, with opportunities to visit the zoo, meet the animals, and take part in informal, engaging activities with Bristol Zoological Society’s native species team. The residential will include camping and is intended to be both welcoming and collaborative.
Participation is not mandatory. The exact location will be confirmed nearer the start of the course and will be based close to the Bristol Zoo Project site.
Learning and Teaching
The MSc Conservation Leadership is delivered entirely online, allowing you to balance study with professional and personal commitments. Teaching combines live and recorded sessions, interactive workshops, guided activities and applied assessments.
As a distance-learning student, you will have full access to UWE’s online library resources, alongside additional study support from Bristol Zoological Society’s specialist librarian/administrator.
Placements
A defining feature of the MSc Conservation Leadership is a six-month work-based placement, embedded within the programme. You will work remotely with an active conservation project team, taking on leadership responsibilities and contributing meaningfully to ongoing work.
Placements are aligned with your interests and may include areas such as community-based conservation, conservation breeding programmes, protected area management, or biodiversity monitoring and enforcement. This experience allows you to apply theory directly to practice while building a strong professional portfolio.
"Being involved in various aspects of a real-time conservation project has given me a deeper, more practical understanding of how an ex-situ program operates. This hands-on experience will be invaluable as I grow into a leadership role in conservation." - Ellie Kilby
Study facilities
Our online teaching resource offers a rich, interactive learning experience. You'll have access to UWE Bristol's extensive online library, with materials such as research journals and ebooks that can be accessed remotely. You will also have access to the Bristol Zoological Society's librarian, who can provide you with remote study support.
Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.
Reduced fees and flexible learning options
In line with our commitment to widening access to conservation training, fees have been reduced and levelled for UK and international students.
Course fee: £9,100 (UK and international students)
This is considerably lower than the average UK MSc.
Want to find out more?
Contact the Programme Leads:
aimee.oxley@uwe.ac.uk
cjohnson@bzsociety.org.uk
Studying with Bristol Zoological Society
We offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in partnership with various universities and colleges. Take a look at how we can help you create a career in conservation.