Primatology and Conservation
MRes or PGCert
Key facts
Start dates
September 2025 / September 2026
Location
Course length
Full time: MRes: normal expected duration full-time 1 year, maximum possible duration 5 years. PGCert: normal expected duration 1 semester
Department
Overview
Our MRes in Primatology and Conservation is a research-intensive course. It combines the expertise of anthropologists and biologists.
You will develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to help stop and reverse the devastating destruction of natural habitats. And the loss of the species that live in them.
You will be part of an international and multidisciplinary forum. Our aims are to:
- understand ecology, evolution and conservation issues
- promote effective action
- make leading advances in research topics.
Whether working in the lab, with zoos, museums or NGOs, or in the field, you will find yourself in a collaborative and supportive environment. You'll work with international scholars in primatology, biological anthropology and primate conservation. And gain the experience to develop advances in the fields of primatology and primate conservation.
You will have regular contact with tutors and feedback from assessed coursework. And we'll encourage you to to raise issues for discussion and consider the views of others.
How to apply
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
You will normally be required to have, or be expecting, a good honours degree in anthropology, biology, ecology, psychology or an acceptable related discipline.
If you are not a graduate, or if you have graduated in an unrelated discipline, you will be considered for entry to the course if you can demonstrate in your application, and at an interview, that you are able to work at an advanced level in the discipline. You may also be asked to write a short essay and/or present evidence of original work in support of your application.
We will consider appropriate credits obtained elsewhere. Accreditation of prior learning (eg a conversion course or an advanced research training course) will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the course manager. Accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) will similarly be considered. However, it must be advised that, because the taught aspect is a key component of the course, credit for prior learning will only be given in exceptional cases.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 with 6.0 in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Application process
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
You may have the opportunity to visit a zoo or animal sanctuary in the UK or mainland Europe. |
£40-150 |
UK field trip |
Typically £150-400 |
| You will have the opportunity to visit a Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall | Typically £0 |
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £10 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
There are opportunities to apply for a scholarship which covers the fees for a student from a primate habitat country. Applicants must indicate on their application that they would like to be considered for this scholarship.
Because of the urgent need for the study of conservation, some private agencies offer scholarships with very particular eligibility criteria relating to gender, age, nationality, and domicile. Ask your local librarian for a guide to funding within your country. You could also try the following agencies:
All financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
You will gain background knowledge in primatology and conservation during the first semester. This includes the theories, methods, and practices used in the contemporary study of primates and their environments. You will use your knowledge through an extended research project during the second part of the course.
If you choose to take the Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Primatology and Conservation, you will take three compulsory modules, and choose one elective module.
Study modules
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
We use a range of teaching methods.
Lectures introduce you to relevant:
- main themes
- key theoretical approaches
- significant research findings.
Tutorials give you the opportunity to discuss recent developments in the relevant fields with your lecturers.
Seminars and workshops allow you to:
- engage in discussion with tutors and peers
- further develop your knowledge and understanding of the module content
- apply ideas and develop a range of transferable skills.
Laboratory-based classes are a common feature for primate diversity modules.
You'll receive individual help or personalised feedback on your progress throughout the year. These are usually in one-to-one sessions with your tutors during ‘office hours’. Contact time may also take a virtual rather than face-to-face form, through email, email discussion groups, virtual learning environments and other technology-aided means.
Field trips
All students across the Primatology and Conservation courses are invited to take part in field trips to:
- Apenheul in the Netherlands
- the Monkey Sanctuary
- Cotswold Wildlife Park.
These trips are optional, or are part of optional modules and therefore not included within the course fees. Please see the Additional costs section of this page for details.
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
Assessment methods include:
- written essays
- critical reviews
- short reports
- annotated bibliographies
- individual presentations
- group presentations.
You will receive feedback on your work prior to formal assessments. This includes:
- one-to-one assessment guidance
- feedback on outline plans for coursework essays
- assessment preparatory activities.
An on-going feedback dialogue forms an essential component of the research project module.
You may be assigned regular tasks on topics critical to each module. Round-table and small group discussions will give you an opportunity to share perspectives. These enable closer examination of conservation issues.
Research
Our vibrant research culture is driven by a thriving and collaborative community of academic staff and students.
Staff in the department work on a wide range of taxa, including:
- African and Asian great apes
- gibbons
- Neotropical primates
- Old World monkeys
- African and Asian lorises
- the lemurs from Madagascar.
All lecturers are active in research and publish in a wide range of journals. Over 50 students have published the results of their research in scientific journals. We aim for a significant proportion of our MRes students to be able to submit the results of their research to international scientific journals.
Our research is recognised internationally for excellence and we host the following research groups:
- the Nocturnal Primate Research Group
- the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group
- ACCEnD (the Anthropological Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development).
Find out more about the research interests of our staff.
After you graduate
Career prospects
You will be joining a supportive global network of former students working across all areas of conservation. Our graduates work in a range of organisations, from the BBC Natural History Unit through to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
They work in roles from keeper and education officer in zoos across the UK and North America to paid researcher at institutes of higher education. Some of our students have gone on to run their own conservation-related NGOs.
Typically about ten to twenty percent of our MSc graduates continue their studies by enrolling on a PhD programme in the UK or abroad.
Our Staff
Professor Catherine (Kate) Hill
Kate's research focuses on people-wildlife interactions and the human dimensions of conservation.
Read more about Catherine (Kate)Related courses
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.