It’s easy being green – postgrad environmental options

Interested in the environment but confused about which area to study or the differences between the many courses offered? Read on.

Macquarie University’s Graduate School of the Environment (GSE) in the Division of Environmental and Life Sciences offers a number of postgraduate coursework options ranging from short certificate courses and diplomas to a Masters degree.

Postgraduate certificate programs

Certificate programs such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Environmental Management are for those people who are probably already employed in an environmental field and are looking to gain expertise in a specific area, says Joy Monckton, Postgraduate Administrator at the GSE.

“They could come from all areas of government such as the Department of Environment and Conservation, local councils, the non-government sector or even the private consultancy or corporate sector,” she says. 

On satisfactory completion of the Certificate course, they then have the option of transferring into a higher level program such as the Postgraduate Diploma or Masters.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Environmental Economics is one of the most popular certificates offered by the GSE, according to Monckton.

“It’s a specialist area suitable for people who are interested in both conservation and the economics of managing natural resources,” she says.

Postgraduate diploma programs

Another well-attended program is the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Studies, being the most generic program offered. There are four interdisciplinary core units to be completed but an additional four elective classes can be selected from any of the huge range of environmental subjects on offer. This permits graduates from the entire range of discipline backgrounds to apply for admission. Articulation into a Masters program is possible if students attain a satisfactory standard in the Diploma.

The Masters program

At the Masters level there is a suite of specialist named programs in such areas as Environmental Education, Management, Planning, Wildlife Management and Sustainable Development for those who want to study a specific area in more depth. However, a more general Master of Environmental Studies allows for taking a mixture of units after completion of the four core units.

The most popular options within the Masters suite of specialist programs is Environmental Management, Monckton says. A wide variety of projects are covered during the program and the focus is on being able to cooperate within or manage a team of people working from different discipline perspectives and areas on finding solutions to environmental problems. The course takes one-and-a-half years full-time or equivalent part-time.

On completion, the Masters of Environmental Management offers a wide range of career choices covering planning, infrastructure and resource management. Potential employers include the federal, state or local governments or non-government organisations (NGOs), the corporate sector and community organisations. There are also a growing number of consultancy firms which require the skills of an environmental management graduate.

How to apply

The closing date for applications is 31 October 2005 for first semester enrolment in 2006. All Australian citizens, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens must apply via the UAC website. External and distance applications must be received by 16 December 2005 while the late closing date for internal or on-campus applications is 13 January 2006.

More information on the GSE and its courses can be found at www.gse.mq.edu.au

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