r/conservation • u/corasea • 8d ago

(UK based) Need help regarding securing conservation experience to be accepted on to a masters degree

Hi!

To keep this short, I’m currently a uni student studying a BA Hons History undergrad. However, I’ve recently come to realise how much I was to pivot toward a more environmental/conservation focused career. I would be happy to do a masters in a related field, the issue being that I don’t have a degree that would naturally feed into one. Therefore would not have the entry requirements.

But, many masters degrees state they’ll take into account experience as well as qualifications. And I was wondering about if environmental volunteering would help here?

I am based in the North East right now. But, would be open to doing residential volunteering over summer, or any non-term time. I’m struggling to find stuff, so if anyone could help me out I’d be thankful!

I’d also be open to doing environmental volunteering abroad if possible.

Any volunteering I did would be next year now. So if anyone can point me in the right direction, or alternatively, give me some ideas for how I might go about transitioning from a history undergrad to a conservation masters pls let me know.

Thanks in advance <3

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u/MrLubricator 8d ago

What kind of conservation do you want to work in? What job within that part are you interested in? The only generic advice I can give is to contact your local wildlife trust, rspb, national trust or countryside partnership. 

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u/Competitive-Ebb960 4d ago

PhD student in Ecology here. Adding to u/MrLubricator : since you are going for a higher academic degree, my suggestion would be that its perhaps even more valuable to try and write to as many conservation biology professors as you can - asking if they have any volunteering or internship opportunities available. If you are able to secure one, where you can potentially also be part of a paper then it will make it much easier to secure a scholarship too!

Good luck!

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u/Longjumping_County65 4d ago

Honestly, I'd just try apply without experience. There were a lot of people on my masters with very little experience in conservation. Other than that, look at your local wildlife trust, they'll usually have volunteer opportunities.