MSc Environmental Assessment and Management (Part time)

There has been a rapid growth in Environmental Assessment (EA) requirements around the world, at both project and strategic levels, which has generated a need for additional personnel. In Europe thousands of environmental assessments are carried out annually, and new legislation has placed obligations on many organisations to carry out strategic environmental assessments of their plans and programmes without the trained personnel to do so.

EA places demands upon those involved in both planning and authorising development proposals. Scientists must use their technical expertise to provide inputs into EAs; lawyers must establish and operate the procedures; developers must formulate their proposals within the legislative framework; agencies must review the adequacy of EAs; and decision makers must learn how to respond to the increased breadth and depth of information on potential impacts.

The focus of environmental assessment has shifted from the project level, where the implications of individual project proposals are assessed, to the strategic level, where the implications of policies, plans and programmes are assessed. Strategic EA Practice varies around the world and at different levels of decisions making. Some jurisdictions focus on environmental aspects only, whereas others undertake sustainability appraisal which balances the environmental impacts alongside social and economic (including health) impacts. Whatever the focus, there is a need to establish groundrules for the scope of the assessment, and a need to apply suitable assessment methods to fully understand the potential outcomes of policy, plan or programme development.

To meet the demand for skilled personnel in these areas, this is a vocational course designed to provide a rigorous and professional training in the broad range of skills required. It combines theory, much of which has been developed by internationally renowned staff based in the School, with practice through collaboration with local businesses.

Recent Dissertation Titles

• Waste management in offices: a case study of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital
• An evaluation of perceptions of barriers to the utilisation of crop biomass as a source of renewable energy
• Determining significance in environmental impact assessment: A review of impacts upon the socio-economic and water environments

“My MSc was recognised as a big advantage when I was applying for my first job in Environmental Consultancy. Being taught in a specialist department meant I gained directly relevant knowledge and skills which are invaluable in my working life.”

Frances Kirwan Former Student.

Course Organiser:Dr. Alan Bond

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Entry Requirements Degree Subject: This programme is open to students with a first degree in a related discipline and/or relevant work experience. Related disciplines cross the sciences, social sciences and arts.Please contact us if you are unsure about the suitability of your background. Degree Classification: Good first degree (minimum 2.1 or equivalent) Students for whom English is a Foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all components)
TOEFL: Internet-based score of 88 (minimum 18 in listening, 21 speaking, 19 writing and 20 reading)
PTE (Pearson): 62 (minimum 55 in all components)

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests such as TOEIC and the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English are also accepted by the university. Please check with the Admissions Office for further details including the scores or grades required.

INTO UEA and INTO UEA London run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk (INTO UEA Norwich) or pseuealondon@into.uk.com (INTO UEA London).

• 95% of research activity classified as internationally leading, excellent or recognised in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
• Teaching of the highest quality; rated “ Excellent” in the most recent Teaching Quality Assessment.
• With 62 faculty members, the School is the largest interdisciplinary Environmental Science department in the UK.
• Extensive recent investment in buildings and laboratories provide excellent facilities for research.
• A large community of researchers, including more than 150 research students, 72 research staff and 27 technicians.
• “The School of Environmental Sciences is the strongest in the world” Prof Sir David King, UK Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, 2005.

Come and Visit Us

Our Open Days will give you the opportunity to experience the University of East Anglia's unique campus atmosphere.

Fees and Funding Tuition Fees 2013/14

• UK/EU £5,000
• International £12,500

Funding

• The Simon Wharmby Postgraduate Scholarship of £3000 is available to one student annually. Please view the full terms and conditions or contact the Environmental Sciences Admissions Office for more information.

International Students

• International applicants applying to this course can be considered for one full fees Commonwealth Scholarship, one Faculty of Science half fees scholarship, or up to two £1000 scholarships. The deadline for the Commonwealth Scholarship is 15th March 2013 and for all other scholarships the deadline is 1st April 2013.

Commonwealth Scholarship
Students applying for the Commonwealth Scholarship are not required to submit an essay. All eligible candidates to whom the school has made an offer are automatically considered for nomination. The successful candidate and a reserve will be notified by 31st March 2013. If you have not been contacted by this date then unfortunately you have been unsuccessful. The appropriate application forms will be sent to the successful student.

Faculty of Science Scholarships
Students wishing to apply should submit an essay answering the following question in 1000 words: 'The rationale for Environmental Assessment is that better information leads to better decisions on whether proposed projects should be allowed. Provide two examples of environmental problems which have been caused by poor decision-making and explain how advance warning of the problems could have changed the environmental outcome without simply stopping the project going ahead'. Essays should be emailed to the Admissions Office. Please ensure you include your full name, the course you have applied to, and your applicant number in your email.

For more information please contact the Environmental Sciences Postgraduate Admissions Office (env.pgt.admiss@uea.ac.uk).