Environmental Management

MSc in Environmental Management
Expand your knowledge and skills needed for effective, informed and creative environmental management. You'll examine current local and global concerns in areas such as environmental protection, legislation and policy, and natural resource management. Develop your skills in analysing the issues and improving environmental performance in all sectors.

Key features of the course
• Develops essential skills for successfully addressing environmental issues
• A choice of professional or research routes
• Provides a rigorous approach to solving complex real world problems.

Modules
To gain this qualification, you need 180 credits as follows:
Stage 1 (120 credits)
60 credits from:
Module Credits
• Making environmental decisions (T891) 30
• Managing for sustainability (T867) 30

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module T863

30 credits from:
Module Credits
• Environmental monitoring and protection (T868) 30

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules T878 and TD866

30 credits from:
• Advance your independent learning (YXM830) 30
• Environmental science challenges (S831) Planned 30
• Making strategy through systems thinking in practice (TB871) 30
• Managing change with systems thinking in practice (TB872) 30
• Project management (M815) 30
• Technology innovation management (TB801) 30

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules D837, S825, T848, T869, T878, T889, TU811, TU812, TD866, TU870 and TUXX870

Stage 2 (60 credits)
You'll choose either:
• a research route
• a professional route

Research route
60 credits from:
• Research project (T802) 60

Professional route
60 credits from:
Compulsory module
• The MSc professional project (T847) 30

Plus another 30 credits from the Stage 1 modules.

You should note that the University's unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you. Note, in particular, you can only count the credit from one of the following modules towards a single qualification: Research project (T802) or The MSc professional project (T847).

We regularly review our curriculum; therefore, the qualification described on this page – including its availability, its structure, and available modules – may change over time.

You should normally hold a bachelors degree in a science or engineering discipline from a UK university, or the equivalent.

If you do not have a technical degree you will need to be adequately prepared for postgraduate study in this area. You will be required to write technical essays and reports at a high level, carry out calculations using logarithms and the exponential function, analyse numerical data, and understand and apply scientific principles in relation to chemical reactions, biological processes and energy conversion.

If you are unsure whether your previous study or experience will sufficiently prepare you for this qualification, please contact us for advice.

Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum overall score of 6 and minimum score of 5.5 in each of the four components: reading, writing, speaking and listening under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see the IELTS website for details.

Detailed advice about entry and preparation is given in the individual module descriptions.

Our badged open course, Succeeding in postgraduate study, will introduce you to the nature of Master's level study. It offers essential preparation for pursuing your learning at this level – and is free.

Minimum 3 years.

How long it takes
The minimum time to complete is 3 years. The maximum time to complete is 8 years.

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

The professional route, where you take the MSc professional project as your final module, is particularly suitable if you want to develop your career in industry, commerce, the public sector or the third sector. The research route is more applicable if you intend to develop a career in research or go on to undertake study leading to a PhD or other research degree.

Whichever route you follow, this qualification will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to work in this expanding sector.

Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.

Accreditation
• Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
• Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)

Both institutions offer student membership to those registered on the MSc in Environmental Management or the Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management.