Environmental Science

Master of Science in Environmental Biology

The Master of Science in Environmental Biology is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in environmental biology, ecology, biodiversity conservation, and environmental science. The programme combines biological science theory with practical field work, laboratory analysis, and research application.

Core areas include environmental biology, ecology, biodiversity conservation, pollution biology, environmental toxicology, climate change biology, water resources management, environmental impact assessment, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both environmental biology theory and practical laboratory and field work through coursework and research.

The programme is offered by Kenyatta University through the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the School of Pure and Applied Sciences, and JKUAT through the College of Health Sciences with MSc in Agricultural and Environmental Biotechnology. Both are public universities offering programmes over two academic years through full-time, part-time, open learning, and distance learning modes of study.

Students develop competencies in environmental biology, ecology, biodiversity, pollution biology, and environmental impact assessment. The programme includes coursework, examinations, laboratory work, field research, and a supervised research thesis.

Kenyatta University charges approximately KES 295,800/year for environmental science masters programmes. JKUAT charges similar fees for related environmental biotechnology programmes. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree with Second Class Honours Upper Division in environmental science, biology, agriculture, or related fields from a recognised university.

Graduates pursue careers as environmental biologists, ecologists, conservation scientists, environmental consultants, research scientists, and lecturers in environmental biology across environmental agencies, research institutions, NGOs, consulting firms, government agencies, and universities.

Skills Required

Environmental Biology and Ecology
Biodiversity Conservation and Management
Pollution Biology and Monitoring
Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Climate Change Biology and Adaptation
Water Resources Management
Environmental Impact Assessment
Ecosystem Analysis and Modelling
Research Methods in Environmental Biology
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Environmental Biology and Ecology
Biodiversity Conservation and Management
Pollution Biology and Monitoring
Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Climate Change Biology and Adaptation
Water Resources Management
Environmental Impact Assessment
Ecosystem Analysis and Modelling
Research Methods in Environmental Biology
Thesis Research

Certifications

NEMA Environmental Certification
IUCN Conservation Certification

Specializations

Biodiversity Conservation

Focuses on biodiversity conservation, covering species, habitats, protected areas, conservation biology, and managing biodiversity.

Pollution Biology

Examines pollution biology, covering air, water, soil pollution, monitoring, bioindicators, and managing pollution.

Environmental Toxicology

Covers environmental toxicology, covering toxicants, exposure, effects, risk assessment, and managing environmental toxicology.

Climate Change Biology

Focuses on climate change biology, covering impacts, adaptation, mitigation, carbon, and managing climate change biology.

Water Resources Biology

Examines water resources biology, covering freshwater, marine, wetlands, water quality, and managing water resources.

Ecosystem Ecology

Covers ecosystem ecology, covering structure, function, processes, services, and managing ecosystems.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 295,800
Job market: Moderate

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time, Online
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Environmental Biology and Ecology
Biodiversity Conservation and Management
Pollution Biology and Monitoring
Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Climate Change Biology and Adaptation
Water Resources Management
Environmental Impact Assessment
Ecosystem Analysis and Modelling
Research Methods in Environmental Biology
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Environmental Biology and Ecology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines environment, organisms, interactions, adaptations, ecosystems, and managing environmental biology.
Biodiversity Conservation and Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers species, habitats, protected areas, conservation biology, and managing biodiversity.
Research Methods in Environmental Biology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, environmental biology research methods, and conducting environmental biology research, preparing students for their thesis.
Pollution Biology and Monitoring
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines air, water, soil pollution, monitoring, bioindicators, and managing pollution.
Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers toxicants, exposure, effects, risk assessment, and managing environmental toxicology.
Climate Change Biology and Adaptation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines impacts, adaptation, mitigation, carbon, and managing climate change biology.
Water Resources Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers freshwater, marine, wetlands, water quality, and managing water resources.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines assessment, audit, legislation, compliance, and managing environmental impact assessment.
Ecosystem Analysis and Modelling
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers structure, function, processes, services, modelling, and managing ecosystems.
Environmental Biotechnology
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines bioremediation, bioindicators, molecular techniques, GMOs, and managing environmental biotechnology.
Wildlife and Forest Resources Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers wildlife, forests, protected areas, management, and managing wildlife and forest resources.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 29 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on an environmental biology topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and environmental biology knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Biodiversity Conservation
Focuses on biodiversity conservation, covering species, habitats, protected areas, conservation biology, and managing biodiversity.
Pollution Biology
Examines pollution biology, covering air, water, soil pollution, monitoring, bioindicators, and managing pollution.
Environmental Toxicology
Covers environmental toxicology, covering toxicants, exposure, effects, risk assessment, and managing environmental toxicology.
Climate Change Biology
Focuses on climate change biology, covering impacts, adaptation, mitigation, carbon, and managing climate change biology.
Water Resources Biology
Examines water resources biology, covering freshwater, marine, wetlands, water quality, and managing water resources.
Ecosystem Ecology
Covers ecosystem ecology, covering structure, function, processes, services, and managing ecosystems.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Environmental Biology programme combines lectures, laboratory sessions, field work, practical workshops, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover environmental biology, ecology, biodiversity, pollution biology, and environmental toxicology. Environmental biology sessions examine environment, organisms, interactions, adaptations, and managing environmental biology. Ecology sessions cover populations, communities, ecosystems, biodiversity, and managing ecology. Biodiversity conservation sessions cover species, habitats, protected areas, conservation biology, and managing biodiversity. Pollution biology sessions cover air, water, soil pollution, monitoring, bioindicators, and managing pollution. Environmental toxicology sessions cover toxicants, exposure, effects, risk assessment, and managing environmental toxicology. Climate change biology sessions cover impacts, adaptation, mitigation, carbon, and managing climate change biology. Water resources sessions cover freshwater, marine, wetlands, water quality, and managing water resources. EIA sessions cover assessment, audit, legislation, compliance, and managing environmental impact assessment. Ecosystem analysis sessions cover structure, function, processes, services, and managing ecosystems. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering research design, data collection, and analysis. Laboratory sessions provide hands-on experience with water quality analysis, toxicity testing, microbiology, molecular techniques, and analytical instruments. Field work provides hands-on experience with biodiversity surveys, ecological sampling, pollution monitoring, and environmental assessments. Practical workshops provide hands-on experience with GIS, statistical analysis, environmental modelling, and biology tools. Seminars and discussion groups provide opportunities for debating current issues in environmental biology and presenting research findings. Guest lectures from experienced environmental biologists, conservationists, and researchers provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on an environmental biology topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

KU offers flexible study modes including full-time, part-time, open learning, and distance learning.
Programme addresses critical environmental challenges in Kenya including climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
KU charges competitive fees at approximately KES 295,800/year for environmental science programmes.
Graduates are eligible for NEMA and IUCN certifications, enhancing career prospects.

Against it

JKUAT and Egerton specific environmental biology fees not independently verified.
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Career opportunities may be concentrated in government agencies, NGOs, and research institutions, with limited private sector demand.
Programme requires biological sciences or related background, limiting access for non-related graduates.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 181 environmental science courses

Public179k to 296k

179k at JKUAT296k at Kenyatta University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KU 295,800/yr (ku.ac.ke). JKUAT unverified. No private confirmed.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. KU may offer postgraduate bursaries. NEMA and some environmental organisations may offer research grants. IUCN may offer fellowships for conservation research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
KU Postgraduate Scholarship
NEMA Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
KU Postgraduate Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 100,000Kenyan
KU offers postgraduate scholarships for eligible students.
NEMA Research Grant
ScholarshipKsh 500,000Kenyan
NEMA provides research grants for environmental research.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: KU requires First Class or Upper Second in Environmental Science, Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Natural Resources, or related fields, or Lower Second with two years of relevant work experience. JKUAT requires Upper Second in Biochemistry or biological sciences, or Lower Second with three years of experience and one publication. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, laboratory reports, field reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering environmental biology, ecology, biodiversity, pollution, and toxicology.
Practical and Field Assessment
Practical30% of the mark
Practical assessment through laboratory exercises, field surveys, environmental assessments, and demonstrating environmental biology skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on an environmental biology topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and environmental biology knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Kenyatta University and JKUAT (both public) offer MSc programmes in environmental biology and related fields. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in environmental biology. Graduates are eligible for NEMA environmental certification and IUCN conservation certification.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Kenyatta University and JKUAT (both public) offer MSc programmes in environmental biology and related fields. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in environmental biology. Graduates are eligible for NEMA environmental certification and IUCN conservation certification.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Environmental Biologist
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 500,000
Conducts environmental biology research, overseeing organisms, interactions, and managing environmental biology.
Ecologist
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages ecological research, overseeing populations, communities, ecosystems, and managing ecology.
Conservation Scientist
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages conservation programmes, overseeing species, habitats, protected areas, and managing conservation.
Environmental Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 550,000
Provides environmental consulting, overseeing EIA, advisory, compliance, and managing environmental consulting.
Research Scientist
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 600,000
Conducts environmental research, overseeing experiments, analysis, publications, and managing research projects.
Environmental Biology Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaches environmental biology at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

ArcGIS
SoftwarePrimary
ArcGIS for environmental mapping, covering distribution, habitat, spatial analysis, and managing GIS for environmental biology.
R Studio
Software
R Studio for data analysis, covering environmental data, statistics, ecology, and managing biological data analysis.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for statistical analysis, covering experimental data, field data, and managing statistical analysis.
QGIS
Software
QGIS for spatial analysis, covering mapping, habitat, distribution, and managing spatial data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Environmental biology is just about studying nature.
Environmental biology covers comprehensive ecology, biodiversity, pollution, toxicology, and climate change beyond just studying nature.
This programme is only for biologists.
Environmental biology skills are valuable for agriculturalists, chemists, geographers, and environmental scientists beyond just biologists.
Biodiversity conservation is just about protecting animals.
Biodiversity conservation covers comprehensive species, habitats, ecosystems, genetics, and protected area management.
Pollution biology is just about measuring pollution.
Pollution biology covers comprehensive monitoring, bioindicators, effects, control, and pollution management.
Environmental toxicology is just about toxic chemicals.
Environmental toxicology covers comprehensive toxicants, exposure, effects, risk assessment, and environmental health.
Climate change biology is just about global warming.
Climate change biology covers comprehensive impacts, adaptation, mitigation, carbon cycling, and ecosystem responses.