Environmental Management

Environmental management is becoming increasingly important to everyone, whether at work, in the community or at home – from complying with environmental legislation to addressing the global challenges of climate change and energy conservation. This course addresses the everyday concerns of environmental protection, natural resource management and rapidly changing environmental legislation and policy. You will explore biophysical, social, political and economic factors from local to global level, and develop the skills you need to participate creatively in the process of improving environmental performance in your own context.

Key features of the course
• Widens your knowledge of the environment and develops your skills in making informed decisions about environmental issues
• Approaches environmental decision making from a systems viewpoint
• Considers how to assess and manage sustainability in an organisation and work towards a more sustainable future.

This postgraduate certificate is the same as the first half of our Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management (E79) and the first third of our MSc in Environmental Management (F65).

To gain this qualification, you need 60 credits as follows:
60 credits from:
Module
• Making environmental decisions (T891) 30 Credits
• Sustainable organisations: theory and practice (T892) 30 Credits

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules T863 and T867.

You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 20 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

For module details please see "Course Web Page".

There are no entry requirements for this qualification.
Although this qualification has no entry requirements, we recommend you have:
• A UK honours degree (or equivalent) in a science or engineering discipline.
• Minimum IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores of:
o Reading: 5.5
o Writing: 5.5
o Speaking: 5.5
o Listening: 5.5
o Overall: 6.0.

Our free course, Succeeding in postgraduate study, helps you develop the skills and confidence to manage the requirements and demands of postgraduate study.

You’ll also need the skills and knowledge to:
• Write technical essays and reports at a high level.
• Carry out calculations using logarithms and the exponential function.
• Analyse numerical data.
• Understand and apply scientific principles in relation to chemical reactions, biological processes and energy conversion.

Minimum - 1 year

See Course Web Page link for next start date.

Career relevance
Our environmental management programme is for people who are interested in designing, managing and participating in more effective environmental decision-making processes. For example, if you are involved in setting up or responding to environmental or integrated management systems, planning new development projects or are trying to understand or manage sustainability.

Students on our environmental management programme are drawn from industry, commerce, local government, consultancies, non-governmental organisations and communities. They include people already involved in environmental management and those who wish to be – both personally and professionally.

You can select modules that are most relevant to your interests and career aspirations as your study builds from postgraduate certificate through diploma to our MSc.

This qualification will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to work in this expanding sector.