Overview 2022
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- CRICOS: 106222E
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For years prior to 2015, please view the Course and Unit Handbook Archive
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This course will provide you with the knowledge and skills required by contemporary protected area conservation professionals working in middle or senior governance or management roles. This course covers governance, planning and management practice in government, private and community-based protected areas, as well as broader landscape contexts. Terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected areas are addressed. You will apply skills in governance, planning, and management to address complex conservation problems across landscapes and within protected areas.
The course has been designed to meet international competencies for protected area planners specified by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, with a particular focus on middle and senior governance and management roles. The structure of the degree ensures that graduates have the full range of required skills for protected area planners and managers in senior roles. Experiential learning is facilitated through field components within the core units, which involve practical experience of working world activities in natural environments. Students are offered further opportunity to customize their learning through an elective facilitating exploration of conservation topics in Tasmania as well as a capstone professional placement unit in the final year of study.
Tasmania is the ideal place to undertake a degree focused on protected area governance and management. Within half an hour from the Sandy Bay campus, we access marine, coastal, heathland, wetland, grassland, woodland, dry eucalypt, wet eucalypt, rainforest, subalpine and alpine natural environments, as well as urban nature. The Tasmanian world heritage recognised wilderness is little over an hour’s drive away. Tasmanian nature is so distinctive and important that half the State is in reserves and approximately half the area of these reserves is world heritage. This makes it an imminent destination to study conservation in protected areas. You will be helped in your learning by academic staff with international reputations in their subject areas.
Learning Outcomes
Practical experience
There is practical experience through field work and other real-world activities in Tasmania's unique environments. This learning is geared around making the most of our fabulous access to world-leading protected areas, including within 15 minutes' drive of our main Hobart campus. A range of online resources are available for those unable to come to campus, and intensive units open the door to distance learners to visit for keystone experiences.
Our strong relationship with a range of partners allows us to offer a range of real-world activities and projects. Our partners include eco-tourism operators, non-government organisations and various levels of government.
You will explore Tasmania's wilderness by boat, foot, and bike, gaining an understanding from industry professionals as they share their knowledge and passion for the environment. With conservation and planning in the wilderness as the focus of the course, you will build a solid foundation in multiple disciplines with electives in business and tourism.
Work placement
Work experience is structured into this course in a few ways:
KGA709 Professional Placement is a capstone unit in the final year of study that gives you experience in working with conservation organisations to tackle real world problems. Partners such as the Tasmanian Land Conservancy work closely with you to collect, organise and analyse threatened species data.
Many of the core units involve experiential learning in Tasmania’s wild environments. This involves practical experience of working world activities in natural environments.
You will gain technical skills in relevant planning systems such as Marxan, for reserve design and open standards for management planning. These are key job-ready skills for graduates.
A choice of elective units in year 2 gives you the opportunity to customize your learning to upskill in a particular sector of the conservation, such as marine or eco-tourism.
Career outcomes
“What could be better than studying the natural environment and its management in Tasmania, with so much incredible landscape on offer to explore.”
There are diverse opportunities across government, private and not-for-profit industries. The range of knowledge and skills suit work in any landscape with natural values, including highly urbanised environments, agricultural landscapes as well as areas protected for recreation and conservation.
These include eco-tourism, natural area management, protection and interpretation, emergency management and planning, and natural resource management. Jobs will generally be advertised under the following titles:
- Environmental planner
- Environmental manager
- Environmental scientist
- Eco-tourism operator/manager
- Natural resource officer/manager
- Park ranger/manager
- Conservation manager
- Urban services manager
- Environmental consultant
- Ecologist
Course structure
The course is primarily compulsory units, with year two offering a choice in units to Explore Conservation In Tasmania. The year two elective schedule features a range of place based Tasmanian learning experiences to explore topics such as Tourism, Cultural Heritage, Marine and Antarctic Environments, and Environmental GIS.
If a student meets the requirements for entry into our independent research stream, then the units KGA742 Research Thesis A and KGA743 Research Thesis B will replace KGA703 Professional Research Methods and KGA704 Professional Research Practice. The independent research stream requires a coursework average of 75% or over in the first year of the Master of Protected Area Conservation (full-time equivalent) and approval of a research topic from both a supervisor and the Unit Co-ordinator.
Year 1
Core Units
• There are currently many environmental and social problems confronting current and future generations• To address some of these issues there needs to be a focus on issues relating to sustainable development• Moves towards sustainable development and sustainability require relevant…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
The conservation of nature needs to occur at the landscape scale as well as within protected areas. Landscapes can be wilderness areas, rural areas with highly varied land use or urban areas. Whatever their type, there are landscape processes, both…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
This unit provides students with a practical understanding of key systems for protected area planning and management. Terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected areas are considered. The global context of protected areas is analysed, including issues of definition, scope and governance.…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for KGA517 Protected Area Planning and Management Systems
Conservation efforts globally are focussed primarily on biodiversity, but geodiversity elements and features such as soils, rivers, mountains and caves provide humans with a wealth of ecosystem services and enjoyment. In this unit, you will learn about how to recognise…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for KGA527 Landscape Conservation and Recreation
This unit is essential for those working towards a career managing natural environments and people in protected areas. For those with other vocational interests, the unit is a way to learn about Australia's natural ecosystems and the principles of conservation…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for KGA530 Conserving Nature in Protected Areas
In this unit you will develop the knowledge and skills needed to undertake planning for protected area systems. We will explore the frameworks, processes and methods used to identify areas for inclusion in national reserve systems. Students will have the…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Winter school | ||||
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are becoming increasingly common in our everyday lives, even if we're not necessarily aware of it. This unit looks at how GIS datasets and processes can be used to produce mapped representations of the world around…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for KGG539 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
Year 2
Core Units
This unit provides you with the knowledge and practical skills to prepare management plans for protected areas. Particular emphasis will be given to accessing and deploying information; community engagement and collaboration; and developing plans that support an adaptive approach to…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | 5 Week Session Jan B | ||||
Students in this unit will undertake the equivalent of an unpaid, professional placementof 80 hours duration, which gives them a work integrated learningexperience – providing intended learning outcomes that could reasonably beexpected from a placement within a government, non-government or…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Exploring Conservation in Tasmania
This unit will explore the origins, elements and tensions inherent in sustainable tourism. You will explore the relevance of sustainable development to tourism, its application and the tensions that arise when theory is applied to practice. The unit will also…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
Unit Aim: To provide the student with the principles and practices necessary for the planning and management of marine protected areas. Within this unit students will study protected area management from a regulator’s perspective, covering the following broad concepts: 1.…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for JFA533 Marine Protected Area Management
This unit will give you advanced skills in the analysis and presentation of spatial data using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). There is an increasing demand for graduates with strong skills in spatial data analysis, particularly in the context of environmental…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for KGG540 Environmental Geographic Information Science B
The unit provides an overview and instruction in a broad range of topics related to the marine and Antarctic environments. In IMAS, study and research are both discipline-based and multi-disciplinary—the latter reflecting the true nature of collaboration and cooperation in…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for KSA726 Marine and Antarctic Environments
Choose from Professional or Research Pathway
Professional Pathway
Professional Pathway
This unit focuses on learning research methods to solve real problems. You will come to understand how to design research, define an argument in response to the problems, use scholarly databases, consider ethical issues in data collection, generate field data,…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
This unit provides postgraduate students with the skills and knowledge to undertake policy-based research as a key transferable employability skill. Practical skills development focuses on undertaking research to inform evidence-based policy positions for a topical real-world issue. Upon completing this…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
Research Pathway
The independent research stream requires a coursework average of 75% or over to be achieved in the first year and approval of a research topic from both a supervisor and the Unit Co-ordinator.
Research Pathway
Research and project management skills are core professional competencies. Undertaking a thesis as part of your Masters will equip you with the experience needed to undertake research independently or as part of a team, and the skills to design and…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Research and project management skills are core professional competencies. Undertaking a thesis as part of your Masters will equip you with the experience needed to undertake research independently or as part of a team, and the skills to design and…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Entry requirements
For Domestic students
Candidates for the Master of Protected Area Governance and Management shall be qualified for entry if they hold a bachelor degree in any discipline at the University of Tasmania or hold other tertiary qualification(s) deemed by the College to be equivalent for this purpose.
For International students
Admission to most postgraduate coursework courses at the University of Tasmania require qualifications equivalent to an Australian bachelor degree. Applicants must achieve the required grade in their qualifying studies, meet any prerequisite subjects, and meet English language requirements to be eligible for an offer.
English Language Requirements
For students who do not meet the English Language Requirement through citizenship or prior studies in English in an approved country, evidence of an approved English language test completed within the last 2 years must be provided. See the English Language Requirements page for more information.
Course Specific Requirements
Candidates for the Master of Protected Area Conservation shall be qualified for entry if they hold a bachelor degree in any discipline at the University of Tasmania or hold other tertiary qualification(s) deemed by the College to be equivalent for this purpose. International applicants who are nationals of and currently reside in a country where English is not the official language require an IELTS of 6.5 with no individual band less than 6.0 or equivalent.
Credit transfer
The maximum credit granted will be in accordance with the limits set down in the Student Participation and Attainment Ordinance.
Articulation
Articulation from: the Graduate Certificate of Protected Area Planning (K5J) fully articulates into the Master. Candidates enrolling in the Master who have completed K5J will be given credit for the units of the Graduate Certificate. The Bachelor of Applied Science (Professional Honours in Conservation Management) (K4E) fully articulates into the Master. Candidates enrolling in the Master who have completed K4E will be given credit for the units of the Professional Honours.
Articulation to: Graduates are eligible to apply for a Research Higher Degree program, including PhD.
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
Cost shouldn’t get in the way of you studying.
If you’re a domestic postgraduate student, you might be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place in this course. This means your fees will be subsidised by the Australian Government. You’ll only need to pay the student contribution amount for each unit you study within the course.
You may also be able to defer payment of the student contribution amount by accessing a HECS-HELP loan from the Government. If eligible, you’ll only have to pay your tuition fees once you start earning above a specific amount.
Further information is available at Scholarships, fees and costs.
Student contributionStudent contribution amounts are charged for each unit of study. This means that how much you’ll pay will depend on which units you choose. Find out more about student contribution amounts.
An important note on Youth Allowance and AustudyThe Department of Social Services has approved some accredited and professionally-oriented Master courses for student payments through Youth Allowance or Austudy. This means if you enrol in one of these courses, you may be eligible for student payments. However, please be aware that this is not the case for all Master courses. Please visit our Scholarships, Fees and Costs website for further information.
Further informationDetailed fee information for domestic students is available at Scholarships, fees and costs, including additional information in relation to the compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Domestic students enrolled in certain postgraduate coursework programs may not be eligible for student payments through Youth Allowance and Austudy. Visit the Department of Social Services website to find out more about eligibility for Centrelink support and the list of eligible courses
International students
2022 Total Course Fee (international students): $ 60,948 AUD *.
Course cost based on a rate of $29,950 AUD per standard, full-time year of study (100 credit points).
* Please note that this is an indicative fee only.
International students
International students are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the annual rate. International students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.
Scholarships
For information on general scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.
How can we help?
Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.
- Domestic
- 13 8827 (13 UTAS)
- International
- +61 3 6226 6200
- Course.Info@utas.edu.au
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