Environmental Management - MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

The Masters in Environmental Management has been designed to allow you maximum flexibility regarding themes, focus and study mode: full time or part time.

You will be able to shape your own degree by selecting from a mix of water, GIS and sustainable development modules. These should build on your existing knowledge or be relevant to your own professional ambitions. You will also specialise through your choice of Masters project. This could allow you to specialise in an aspect of the environment that interests you, while also developing a range of professional skills (such as GIS).

You will study the following compulsory modules:

• Managing the Environment will allow you to step back from the process of doing environmental management to consider more fundamental ideas and questions that must be addressed in order to shape our approach to the environment, such as; Why care for the environment? and How should we respond to the challenges of modern technologies such as GM crops or nuclear power?
• Master's Project

You will then select seven optional modules.

In addition to the MSc Environmental Management, you may chose to specialise in one of our three pathways. The pathways require you to focus your studies around the named discipline by studying the modules outlined below and completing an appropriately focused Master's project.

Applied GIS

• Introduction to Applied GIS introduces fundamental concepts related to GIS and its application. It also develops the basic practical skills that are extended across the rest of the programme. The module covers the history of GIS, its issues within society, an introduction to spatial data formats and a technical introduction to ArcGIS.
• Spatial Analytical Methods focuses on developing an understanding of the underlying principles and applications of different methods of GIS analysis. This module covers topics such as vector analytical methods, raster analysis and fuzzy logic, remote sensing, spatial statistics, network analysis and dealing with error and uncertainty in spatial analysis.
• Cartography and Visualisation explores the elements and characteristics of the effective communication of geospatial information. During this module, you will learn about the history of cartography, cartographic transformations, semiotics, map design, temporal data display and 3D mapping and visualisation.

Sustainability

• Sustainable Development: Principles and Practice explores the fundamental nature, causes and consequences of sustainable and unsustainable development. Practical exercises and projects give you first-hand experience of putting key concepts, frameworks and tools for implementing sustainable development into practice.
• Creating Sustainable Behaviour Change uses case studies and examples to explore a range of different theoretical and practical approaches to understanding and influencing pro-sustainable behaviour.
• The Sustainable Organisation: Vision into Practice examines the vision of a sustainable business operating in a complex ecosystem with resource constraints and compares this with the reality of contemporary business. Case studies and project work provide an insight into the knowledge and skills necessary to help organisations achieve sustainable strategies and operations.

Water Management

• Water Management: Challenges for the 21st Century will give you a better understanding of the role of freshwater resources and their management in the contemporary world. The module considers the major political, economic and policy issues facing water managers in two broadly conceived world regions: the Western capitalist world and the so-called 'developing world'.
• Water Policy and Law provides an introduction to the legal framework and context within which water management operates.

You will also choose one of the following options:

• Catchment Hydrology will provide you with a good understanding of the components of the hydrological cycle, from precipitation through to interception, evaporation, infiltration into the soil and movement within the soil and groundwater zones, leading to runoff observed in rivers. The module will also equip you with the fundamental analytical skills of the hydrologist, including the preparation of flow duration curves and calculation of flood frequencies.
• Catchment Management provides an opportunity to apply your knowledge to the practical challenges in catchment management. Having selected a catchment near you, and on the basis of fieldwork and available spatial datasets, you will investigate and document catchment issues, problems, threats and assets. You will then formulate a catchment management plan to protect and enhance the assets and address the priority problems and threats in a structured manner.

Please also note this structure is for the full-time course delivery only. For part-time delivery, the same modules will be studied. However, the structure will differ.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

The teaching and learning methods used across the course are designed to ensure you develop a range of valuable professional skills as well as subject expertise. You learn collaboratively through practical sessions, small group tutorials and placements, and we encourage you to form independent study groups and support one another this ensures you benefit from each other's experiences as well as the taught content.

For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

We want you to realise your full potential. So we expect you to participate in debates and discussions, prepare professional reports and presentations, and write traditional academic essays. There is a strong emphasis on reflective learning, which will allow you to monitor, assess and evaluate your progress. There will be plenty of opportunities for feedback before your work is assessed more formally.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.