AASHE Campus Sustainability Hub

The Master of Environment and Sustainability is a forward-thinking, interdisciplinary, two-year course that integrates the knowledge needed to mitigate and adapt to global change with sustainability principles. Central to its approach is an understanding of the scale of dependence of social, economic and environmental systems for effective environmental governance. Thus, the course focuses on developing a global change knowledge base and a diverse vocational skill set, and provides evidentiary and interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving.

Students choose one of five specialisations and have the opportunity to work in real-world contexts, combining theory and practice, to respond to local and international, corporate, government and social environmental concerns. Graduates are strongly placed to provide strategic leadership in a wide range of settings, such as policy formulation, regulation, advice, management, extension and capacity building.

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that graduates will be able to:

• evaluate, analyse and integrate knowledge of global change and sustainability and the interdependence of society, the economy and the environment
• evaluate, analyse and integrate approaches to environment and sustainability within their specialisations, including environmental security, international development, leadership, policy and governance or business management
• apply expert, specialised cognitive, research, technical and communication skills to analyse and design solutions to environment and sustainability problems
• reflect and participate constructively in ethical decision making consistent with sustainability principles.

In addition, depending on the specialisation chosen:

Corporate environmental and sustainability management students will be able to:

• demonstrate advanced and integrated knowledge of global environmental, social and economic issues facing business and the key sustainability management theories, concepts and principles
• apply expert skills and specialised knowledge of the key sustainability management theories, concepts and principles to critically evaluate the global environmental, social and economic issues facing business.

Environment and governance students will be able to:

• demonstrate advanced and integrated knowledge of key environmental challenges and environmental policy and management approaches to address these challenges
• apply expert skills and specialised knowledge to critically evaluate environmental policy and management approaches and the design and implementation of fit for purpose policy and management approaches

Environmental security students will be able to:

• demonstrate advanced and integrated knowledge of the biological, chemical, and physical basis of global environmental change, its impacts on the natural environment and its implications for society
• apply expert skills and specialised knowledge to analyse and interpret the science required for policy and environmental management within the field of environmental security

International development and environment students will be able to:

• demonstrate advanced and integrated knowledge of the theory and practice of international development, and frameworks for understanding the environmental impacts of development
• apply expert skills and specialised knowledge to analyse the causes of poverty, disadvantage and environmental change, and plan and implement international development projects and programs

Leadership for sustainable development students will be able to:

• demonstrate advanced and integrated knowledge tools, mechanisms and skills required to influence and lead change processes to enhance positive environmental, economic and social outcomes for sustainability
• apply expert skills and specialised knowledge of critical drivers of individual behaviour affecting sustainability practice to analyse and to design solutions to target these drivers.

• Link: Program homepage