Information for applicants and offer holders to the MSc Marine Systems and Policies. On this page, you will find information on how to set up a meeting request with Professor Murray Roberts, upcoming event information, and further information about your chosen degree. MSc Marine Systems and Policies Our MSc programme places you right at the forefront of the fast-paced interface between marine science and policy that deals with these sustainability challenges. Meet your Programme Director and Cohort Lead Professor J Murray RobertsThe Programme Director for the MSc Marine Systems and Policies programme is J Murray Roberts, Professor of Applied Marine Biology & Ecology at the University of Edinburgh. He founded Edinburgh’s Changing Oceans research group, and led the EU Atlantic research programmes ATLAS (2016-20) and iAtlantic (2019-24). In 2022 was appointed a Sargasso Sea Commissioner and member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council to government. He studies marine ecosystems in a changing ocean focussing upon structural habitats such as cold-water corals in the deep ocean. He has published over 100 peer reviewed publications, is senior author of the textbook ‘Cold-water Corals’, a contributing author to the 2014 and 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Reports and consultant to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, amongst others. His fieldwork has taken him to sites off the UK, Norway, Ireland, the SE United States, Cape Verde off West Africa and the Pitcairn islands in the South Pacific.Before moving to the University of Edinburgh, Roberts was appointed Reader and then Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh (2009-16) where he coordinated the development of the Lyell Centre (2012-15). Before this he was based at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (1997-2009) with a period as Marie Curie Fellow at the Center for Marine Science, University North Carolina Wilmington in the USA (2007-09). Book a one-to-one meeting with your Programme Director Connect directly with your Programme Director, Professor Murray Roberts, to ask further questions, get tailored advice, and explore what your degree could look like. Get in touch via email to set up a meeting. Dr. Lea-Anne HenryThe Cohort Lead for this programme is Lea-Anne Henry. Lea-Anne is a marine ecologist with >25 years of research expertise on the impacts of human activities and climate change on marine ecosystems. She specialises in the ecology of deep-sea ecosystems including seamounts, their conservation, and sustainable use. Under the auspices of global multilateral environmental agreements, Lea-Anne works with national and international policy-makers and authorities on the identification and designation of marine protected areas (MPAs) and Ecologically or Biologically Significant marine Areas (EBSAs). She has long-established industry networks with the offshore energy and aquaculture sectors and acts on several international working groups providing fisheries and offshore energy advice. Upcoming events Sign up to the events below for further information about your chosen degree. EventDateTimeBooking LinkMSc Marine Systems and Policies Information SessionMonday 16 February, 202614:00 - 15:00 GMTBook SessionPostgraduate Student Q&AThursday 07 May, 202617:00 - 18:00 BSTBook Session Previous recorded events Introduction to MSc Marine Systems and PoliciesThis event was recorded in November 2025, during Postgraduate Virtual Open Week. Pre-arrival reading list Before you arrive with us, take a look at the suggested pre-arrival reading for your programme. This includes online resources and book recommendations provided by your Programme Director. View pre-arrival reading list Why choose the University of Edinburgh? Renowned expertsFrom the outset, you will learn how marine ecosystems are structured and how they function from research-active marine ecologists and oceanographers. PioneeringOur MSc programme was the first of its kind in the UK and has been running for 12 years. Over this time, we have sustained many strong collaborations with organisations that are also now major employers for our graduates. Real-world relevanceThe MSc centres a lot on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: "Life Below Water", but our programme’s interdisciplinarity will help you find links to all SDGs. DiverseOur MSc is also suited for you if you are eager to meet other like-minded people from all over the world with different backgrounds, training, and perspectives. Seeking to understand our oceans More information about your degree Compulsory and optional courses Please note, Degree Programme Tables will be updated in April, 2026. Please use the current edition as an example, only. Degree breakdown The future of your subject Interdisciplinary working is more important than ever in the new era of global climate change alongside human activities going further and deeper into the oceans, and calls for social justice and inequity to end. Our programme introduces you to thinking and working across these domains, an attribute that employers of our graduates celebrate. The experience you will gain will make you a stronger scientist, a more holistic, reflective and critical thinker, and an improved communicator, while helping you to find your path to working on solutions in this fast-moving front. Student publications Many of our students win prizes and publish their dissertation research in peer-reviewed journals. We are happy to mentor you in these aspects.Here are some example titles of papers our students (*) have published from their MSc dissertation research in just the last 3 years:*Hughes, A., Bonačić, K., Cameron, T., Collins, K., da Costa, F., Debney, A. et al. (2023) Site selection for European native oyster (Ostrea edulis) habitat restoration projects: An expert-derived consensus. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 2023: 1-16*Hammer AJ, Millar CM, Hennige SJ (2022) Reducing carbon emissions in aquaculture: using carbon disclosures to identify unbalanced mitigation strategies. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 96: 106816*Narganes Homfeldt T, Risch D, Stevenson A, Henry L-A (2022) Seasonal and diel patterns in singing activity of humpback whales migrating through Bermuda. Frontiers in Marine Science 9: 941793*Arnull J, Wilson A, Brayne K, Dexter K, Donah A, Gough C, Klückow T, Ngwenya B, Tudhope A (2021) Ecological co-benefits from sea cucumber farming: Holothuria scabra increases growth rate of seagrass. Aquaculture Environment Interactions 13: 301-310 Hear from our students Our postgraduate students share their experiences of life during university and after on our blog and through alumni profiles. GeoSciences blog Alumni profiles I chose MSc Marine Systems and Policies to pursue my interest in marine science and research as well as the desire to help protect the environment and create positive change through political action. The programme delivered exactly what I was looking for, a 12-month crash course that crammed in all aspects of the marine environment and scientific research, human interaction with marine and coastal ecosystems, and policy behind the governance and protection of the global oceans. The course covered a wide range of topics, which was valuable as it gave me a broad overview of everything before allowing me to narrow my research into the areas that interested me most. Trace Laskey MSc Marine Systems and Policies, graduated 2025 Featured scholarships School of GeoSciences scholarshipsSee potential funding for GeoSciences studentsScholarships and student fundingYou can find funding opportunities, tuition fees and costs of living for prospective UK and international postgraduate students on the University website.Postgraduate scholarships and student fundingYou are also encouraged to undertake your own research into the range of potential scholarships and other funding outside the University for which you may be eligible. Back to Applicant Hub This article was published on 2026-01-14
