Environmental Assessment and Management - 2012 entry
MSc
/
PGDip
Accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
Overview
The MSc in Environmental Assessment and Management (EAM) is a dynamic and well-established course which attracts graduates and practitioners from around the world. It has a strong reputation for promoting best practice and innovation through links to our research expertise in the broad field of UK and international environmental policy and practice. The course adopts an integrative approach to demonstrate the complementary roles of natural resource management and planning within core areas of EAM such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as well as new and evolving fields such as mitigation banking, climate change adaptation and strategic policy making.
The course has an excellent employment record. A varied array of optional modules and practical experience of methods provide the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and experience you need to develop a rewarding career in this field.
Why Brookes?
Oxford Brookes University is a leading international centre for teaching, research and consultancy in the field of environmental assessment and management.
- Staff teaching on the MSc have published widely, including authoring the leading textbooks in EIA and SEA.
- The team have regularly undertaken related consultancy work with clients such as ERM, Royal Haskoning, and Land Use Consultants, as well as the EU, government departments, local authorities and NGOs.
- Our cutting-edge applied research has been funded by the research councils including the ESRC, NERC, EPSRC and BBSRC.
This wealth of research and consultancy experience means our teaching is always informed by the latest developments, and our contacts from industry, research bodies and government agencies provide further inputs to bring real world experience to the programme.
Professional accreditation
The MSc in Environmental Assessment and Management is fully accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This means that on graduation students can complete the Assessment of Professional Competence programme of RICS and become full members.
They can also take the exams for the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) Associate Membership.
The course is also accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
In detail
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Course content
The MSc course consists of four core modules, two optional modules and a dissertation, representing 180 master's-level credits. The PGDip consists of four core modules and two options (representing 120 master’s-level credits).
As courses are reviewed regularly, the module list you choose from may vary from that shown here.
The core modules:
- Principles of Environmental Assessment and Management (20 credits) considers the context within which EAM is carried out: the principles of sustainability, international and national policy, approaches to valuing the environment, attitudes to conservation and the role of the public in environmental decision making.
- Ecosystem Degradation and Management (20 credits) reviews the nature and extent of ecosystem degradation resulting from human activities, and considers possible methods for avoiding degradation and managing, conserving and restoring ecosystems.
- Procedures and Methods of EIA (double module, 40 credits) examines the processes and procedures in carrying out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and provides a practical introduction to methods for assessing, predicting and mitigating a wide range of ecological and socio-economic impacts. The module emphasises fieldwork and case studies.
The dissertation comprises:
- Research Methods (half module, 10 credits), which develops the skills needed to research environmental issues, including the formulation of research problems and methodology, data collection and analysis.
- Dissertation (50 credits), which is an individual research study on a topic relevant to EAM chosen by the student.
One single module generally involves one taught session per week over the 12 weeks of the semester.
Optional modules provide an opportunity for students to widen or deepen their field of study. There are three types of optional module as follows:
a) Recommended optional modules are considered to be particularly relevant to the course and include:
- Environmental Management Systems introduces environmental management, the systems and approaches which are being increasingly used in industry and commerce to meet the challenge of sustainable development and to monitor and improve environmental performance.
- GIS and Environmental Modelling is concerned with the practical application of geographical information systems (GIS) and a variety of other computer-based techniques and models (such as expert systems and spreadsheets) as tools to assist in environmental management and decision making.
- Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) examines SEA principles and SEA’s status worldwide, links between SEA, environmental impact assessment and strategic decision making, a wide range of SEA tools and techniques, and their advantages and disadvantages in various settings.
- Spatial Planning in Action presents an analysis of the structure, objectives and responsibilities underlying the practice of spatial planning from a UK perspective. It introduces the legal basis, administrative aspects and current issues in planning decision making, including development plan making, development control and the appeal process.
b) Alternative optional modules are normally selected from an approved list of courses currently running in the university, including Environmental Law and Decision Making; Globalisation, Environment and Development; and International Transport Planning. However, a student may seek approval from the programme leaders to take a suitable module that is not included in the approved list.
c) An independent study module involves individual work on an appropriate topic or set of topics, conducted under supervision and with prior approval of the programme leaders. No more than one independent study unit may be included in a programme.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching and assessment methods reflect the wide variety of topics and techniques associated with environmental assessment and management, including lectures, directed reading, workshops, seminars, and practical and project work. Some modules also include site visits and fieldwork, which provide direct experience of the more practical and current issues in environmental assessment and management.
Assessment methods include essays, seminar papers, in-class tests, project work and oral presentations, workshops, simulations and practical exercises. In keeping with the course emphasis on practical application, the majority of the assessment is based on coursework.
Quality
External examiner comments:
In their formal quality reporting the external examiners for the course have said:
'The course is of an extremely high standard, with a strong practical emphasis and fulfils a real need in terms of the jobs market, as demonstrated by the success of the graduates in readily gaining relevant employment in the environmental field'.
'I remain extremely impressed by the imaginative range of teaching approaches, the high degree of interdisciplinary, the overall marking and feedback, and the strong practical approach. '
'I was particularly impressed by the group EIAs, which are really weighty and read like real consultancy reports, with outstanding feedback.'
'The curriculum is informed by the latest research in the field.'
'[The programme]...is very strong in terms of practical application of scientific methods. As such, the students are well able to hit the ground running should they move into consultancy.'
'staff on the programmes are regarded [by students] as being highly approachable.'
Student feedback:
'Thank you very much for a fantastic master's course, we all thoroughly enjoyed it and we have learnt a lot. The course has such a good reputation that I think most of us had jobs to go straight into after our dissertations.'
'I have started at Scott Wilson and have been here just over three weeks. I'm working on four projects at the moment, and all are very interesting. There is EIA work for a desalination plant in London, a waste facility in London, and a wind farm in Cornwall. There is also some other work on a second runway for Birmingham International Airport. I have responsibility as well, and am not just doing photocopying.'
'Job hunting was really easy thanks to you guys, all the interviews I went for seemed to know you and the course.'
'I also wanted to thank you for the MSc course, which has stood me in good stead ever since. I spent my first year in asbestos consultancy, before being allowed to transfer to the EIA team working predominantly on a large (200km) gas pipeline running between Wales and England. I thought I'd bring this up, as I was delighted to have the main input into the cumulative effects section, which you may recall I covered in my dissertation.'
'Thank you for all the recruitment ads, tip-offs, recommendations, and advice that you have given not only to me, but all the group, it has been very much appreciated. What has been most apparent is the preponderance of Oxford Brookes MSc graduates who are all very successful in the consultancy business. It is a great measure of the quality of the course that you offer.'
Comments from employers:
'A number of members of staff in our department have attended various courses on planning and EIA at the University from one-day seminars on specialist topics up to degree and master's level qualifications and we have generally been very impressed with the results and the contribution this has made towards staff development.'
RWE npower
'Scott Wilson has a long history with Oxford Brookes University, in particular the Departments of Planning, School of the Built Environment and Life Sciences. Both our environmental and planning teams have recruited graduates from the Oxford Brookes MSc courses. We find that the graduates from these courses have a wide range of interests and are well rounded candidates in terms of their environmental and planning knowledge. The practical nature of the modules (such as EIA and SEA) means that once started, they can integrate and contribute to projects almost straight away. We currently have graduates from Oxford Brookes in offices around the world, from London to Brisbane undertaking projects from assessing the UK's impact on global biodiversity to assessing the impacts of major infrastructure projects.'
Scott Wilson Ltd
'Developing strong links with our nearby universities is proving important in supplying new EIA recruits for the Environment Agency's National Environmental Assessment Service. We currently employ a couple of members of staff who have passed through Oxford Brookes University and who come with considerable understanding of environmental assessment. Additionally, several of my team have attended and got a lot from the Oxford Brookes training events over the course of the past few years.'
Environment Agency, National Environmental Assessment Service
Career prospects
The course has been running for nearly 20 years and has an extensive network of more than 400 alumni, some of whom have achieved partner- and technical director-level appointments in consultancies such as EDP, ERM, WSP Environment & Energy, Hyder Consulting and URS, while others have secured high-level environmental positions within organisations such as the European Commission and the World Bank.
Career destinations include:
- Environmental consultancy, including leading IEMA EIA Quality Mark companies such as AMEC, Environ UK, Nicholas Pearson Associates, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Pegasus Planning, RPS Group, Savills, and Waterman, amongst many others
- Environmental managers and EIA / SEA officers with regulatory bodies such as the Environment Agency and SEPA, local authorities, and government departments both in the UK and internationally
- Officers with non-statutory bodies and non-governmental agencies in Europe and overseas
A number of graduates have progressed to undertake research degrees (PhD).
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
Free language courses are available to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying any course on our Headington (including Marston Road), Harcourt Hill or Wheatley Campuses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Key facts
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+44 (0) 1865 483573
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Faculty
Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment
Department
Course length
Full-time: MSc: 12 months, PGDip: 9 months
Part-time: MSc: 24 months, PGDip: 21 months
Teaching location
Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane
Start date
September 2012
UKPASS code
P015395
Apply / Entry reqs
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+44 (0) 1865 483573
planning-enquiry@brookes.ac.uk
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Entry requirements
The MSc in Environmental Assessment and Management (EAM) attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, including ecology, environmental science, planning, geography, landscape architecture, management and chemistry amongst others. Many have been working in related fields for some years and some already have experience in preparing or reviewing EIAs. This wide mix of interests and skills is especially suitable for a topic such as EAM, which is inherently interdisciplinary. Many of our students are from overseas, and bring a wealth of experience and perspectives.
Admission to the programme is normally open to applicants who fulfil one of the following requirements:
- hold a good undergraduate honours degree (upper second-class honours degree or equivalent) or other professional qualification relevant to EAM;
- have appropriate professional experience in environmental assessment and management.
English language requirements
- IELTS level 6.5 in the academic test, with a minimum score of 6.0 in reading and writing
- TOEFL score is of 79 (internet-based), with 4.5 in the Test of Written English (TWE).
Please also see the university's standard English language requirements.
English language requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Border Agency's minimum language requirements as well as the university's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Preparation courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for this course and also familiarise you with university life. You may also be able to apply for one student visa to cover both courses.
- Take our Pre-Master's course to help you to meet both the English language and academic entry requirements for your master's course
- Take our University English course to help you to meet the English language requirements of your master's course
How to apply
You apply for this course through UKPASS.
Conditions of acceptance
When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All postgraduate single modules are equivalent to 10 ECTS credits, double modules to 20 ECTS credits, and treble modules to 30 ECTS credits. A full master's course will carry 90 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Fees / funding
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TUITION FEES
UK/EU
Full-time: £6,100
Part-time: £3,260
International
Full-time: £11,140
Part-time: £5,570
Fees (part-time and full-time) are for the academic year starting in 2012 only, unless otherwise stated. Fees increase annually by approximately 4%.
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk
Scholarships and funding
The course regularly attracts scholarship candidates from across the globe, including sponsorship from the World Bank, DFID, and British Council Chevening Scholarships
For general sources of financial support, see:
Oxford
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Why Oxford is a great place to study Environmental Assessment and Management
As a student in Oxford you'll be at the heart of the UK's most successful economic region and in a centre for leading industries which provides you with a host of learning opportunities. Pressure for growth and infrastructure development in the area coupled with the internationally renowned cultural heritage of the town and the presence of some internationally recognised sites of nature conservation value all add up to make Oxford a great place to explore the challenges of undertaking work in the field of environmental assessment and management.
Because Oxford is one of the world's great academic cities, it is also a key centre of debate, with conferences, seminars and forums taking place across education, science, the arts and many other subjects.
In addition to our own excellent libraries and resource centres, our postgraduate students have access to the world-renowned Bodleian Library, the Bodleian Law Library and the Radcliffe Science Library.
Support
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How Brookes supports postgraduate students
Supporting your learning
From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.
Personal support services
We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.
Research
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Departmental research highlights
With more than 600 students engaging a wide range of research topics in our undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree programmes, including master's by research, the Department of Planning is widely recognised as a leading educator in environment, design and development subjects. With a complement of over 60 teaching, administrative, technical and research staff, the department performs a leading role in research and consultancy, with clients and projects covering subjects from local concerns to multinational organisations, government and industry.
Research excellence
Research from the Department of Planning was ranked 5th in the
Research areas and clusters
Key areas of expertise and scholarship in the Department of Planning form the research groups and units listed below. These research groups and units also comprise a substantial part of the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD).
Impact Assessment Group
The Impact Assessment Group is a designated EC Europa Centre of Excellence in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which brings together one of the largest teams of experts in this field worldwide. Our research activity was independently assessed as being of ‘international standing’ in both the 2001 and 1996 Higher Education Funding Council for England Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) amongst UK universities. Our clients include, amongst others, the European Commission, UK government/agencies, local government and the commercial sector. (Director: Elizabeth Wilson)
Spatial Planning Group
The Spatial Planning Group brings together a wide range of intellectual and policy concerns within spatial planning and cognate fields, both nationally and internationally. Much of its work falls under the heading of sustainable development, with a particular focus on three major areas of study: Planning Thought and Governance; Economic Development, Innovation and Regeneration; and Accessibility, Transportation and Migration. The group reflects a commitment to recognise and build on cross-cutting and multidisciplinary interests within the broad remit of spatial planning, as well as advancing more established research strengths in specific fields. SPG members have a strong track record in research funding, including: ESRC, EPSRC, DCLG (ODPM),NESTA, JRF, British Academy, EIB, RTPI, and SEEDA. (Director: Dr Dave Valler)
Urban Design Group
The Urban Design Group is one of the largest UK providers of research expertise in urban design and conservation matters. Our research activity was assessed as being excellent in the 2008 Higher Education Funding Council for England Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Our clients include, amongst others, UK government/agencies, local government, the commercial sector and a number of international agencies, governments and research councils. (Director: Prof Georgia Butina Watson)
The Department of Planning has links with universities worldwide, in countries including Canada, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Ghana, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Taiwan, Romanian, Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland and most EU member states. There are exciting opportunities for collaborative research, exchanges and study overseas. The department has an impressive list of funders and clients covering UK and EU government, research funding councils, industry and local government. (Director: Prof Georgia Butina-Watson).
Stong links with the Life Sciences departments are an essential part of the successful delivery of the MSc EAM programme, and the research work of the Spatial Ecology and Land use Unit (SELU) is of particular importance.
SELU aims to improve decision making by developing sustainable solutions to problems in nature conservation, landscape ecology, natural resource management and biodiversity informatics. Many of our projects involve the development of spatial solutions and we have a strong focus on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and their interaction with mobile technologies to assist in conservation management. Our research background and range of expertise ensures that we are consistently at the cutting edge of nature conservation policy and direction. SELU has been in existence for ten years and has undertaken both research and consultancy projects. Currently the Darwin Initiative, NERC/ESRC and the Ordnance Survey fund our research and we have undertaken work for the European Union, English Nature, Heritage Lottery Fund, the Leverhulme Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK Wildlife Trusts and various UK local authorities. (Director: Dr Stewart Thompson)
