Our world-leading environment and sustainability research underpins a wide range of postgraduate programmes. In our Meet our Students series we look at the journeys taken by those studying MSc courses within the Graduate School of Environment and Sustainability, explore why they have chosen to study with us and learn about their experiences at the University of Exeter, Cornwall. Today we hear from Dylan Kramer, an MSc Marine Environmental Management student!
Name: Dylan Kramer
What course are you studying? MSc Marine Environmental Management
Where do you call home? Somerset
Where did you complete your undergraduate course? UCL
What was your undergraduate course? MSCi IT and Business
Did you work or volunteer before starting your MSc programme? If so, in what roles?
Dive Intern, Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club May 2023- September 2023
Assisted/ Led PADI DSD, OW, AOW, Rescue candidate dives
Assisted with wreck and reef clean ups
Attended Coral Symposium
Boat captaining
What attracted you to your MSc course? Why did you choose the University of Exeter?
I spent a lot of time in Cornwall when I was younger on holidays and visiting friends. I also grew up abroad in many coastal areas. I was missing the sea and countryside having studied in London for 4 years. Most people flock to London after university and I have done the reverse which was nerve racking but the best decision I have made.
The MSc attracted me as it is taught by renowned lecturers, and it combines field and lab work with classroom work. With target 3.0 in full flow, it is a great time to be studying at a centre of Ecology which is very impactful. I wanted a change and an active career, one based in the field, actively helping our environment. My initial degree prepared me more for a business managerial role, so I knew I needed to pivot. I was concerned at first that I would not be accepted coming from a more technology-based background, but my computer skills proved very transferable into a field of science and statistics. I have found through speaking to other students that if you are passionate but have gone a more unorthodox route you should still apply to Exeter as they will try and accommodate you.
Exeter Penryn as a campus attracted me as I was looking to study marine science in an environment where I could immerse myself with my learnings daily and see my newfound marine knowledge in practice, therefore I had to be on the coast. I remember visiting friends here during my undergraduate and being jealous of the lifestyle. The park-based campus so close to the sea.
The university has always generated solid research and I have many friends who have now graduated between the main and Cornwall campus, who have all gone on to do great things as the teaching is well structured.
What do you like about living and studying in Cornwall?
Studying at Penryn has enabled me to meet a lot of likeminded individuals, who have a passion for sustainable living, exploration and the outdoors. We all say we should have done our undergraduates down here, but better late than never!
Living down here on the Duchy allows me to be involved in new adventures daily from dolphin spotting to free diving to surfing every day after my lectures. There are many charities and local conservation groups to get involved in.
The smaller cohort at the Penryn campus allow true and personal interactions with professors.
The symbiosis between Artists at Falmouth and Scientists at Penryn also allows for a more dynamic lifestyle filled with rich conversation. International students also add to this rich tapestry. It is fascinating that there is all this diversity on the southernmost tip of Britain surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.
What are you looking forward to most about your course?
I will be heading to the Maldives in the months of April and May 2024 for my dissertation research on ‘Minimising the environmental impacts of sea cucumber waste-water disposal in the Maldives’. I look forward to having Julie Hawkins as my supervisor and exploring the Atolls, reefs and lagoons.
What skills and experiences are you hoping to gain from your course?
I hope to gain skills in Statistics, R, Marine Protected Area Management, Fisheries Management and in leading conservation projects. As well as gain assistance with PHD applications and experience working in the field. Specifically learning diving and surveying methods.
What have been the highlights so far?
The biggest highlight so far are the friends I’ve made down here and that I get the opportunity to hang out with them daily, with the two universities combined, there is scope to meet many people and broaden your horizons. Other highlights include wearing boardshorts to class every day. Surfing with seals, diving with sharks and eels, and spotting blue fin Tuna and Dolphin. The occasional free lunch is also a bonus as there are so many fresh fish to catch and turn into ceviche on sunny days, and even if the weather turns you can always rely on a Cornish Pasty.
What are your career aspirations?
I will be Interning at a marine consultancy in Oman called 5OES from September through to December 2024, getting involved in diving, field surveying and consulting on projects around the Middle East, which I look forward to. This company was founded by an alumnus of my degree, indicating the database of connections Exeter provides you with.
After this, I would like to spend the rest of my 20s involved in scientific research in the field, hopefully as a scientific diver in extreme environments such as offshore locations and Antarctica.
I also have prospects of enrolling in a PHD either at Exeter Penryn or in the Middle East.
The Graduate School of Environment and Sustainability brings together experts from across the spectrum of earth and life sciences, engineering, humanities, social sciences and business. Our programmes are all designed with a focus on developing solutions to global challenges and creating a better future for our planet and its people. Help lead a global Greener, Healthier and Fairer revolution by studying one of our world-leading, interdisciplinary Masters degrees here at the University of Exeter, Cornwall. See our Masters programmes here.