Overview 2020
Location
This course may not be available to international students. Please see the list of distance courses (i.e. online and taken outside Australia) that are offered to international students
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For years prior to 2015, please view the Course and Unit Handbook Archive
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“I moved to Tasmania to do this course because of the wonderful natural environments, the interesting mix of industries, and the hands on experience, while giving me at the same time the necessary knowledge, tools and experience I needed to better understand how natural systems work and to improve the sustainability of our environmental management .”
More recently, it has an emphasis on biodiversity management and sustainable practices because of the strengths of our key teaching staff. We specialise in giving students deep connections to Tasmania’s unique history in environmental management through nationally recognised staff, such as multi-award-winning ecologist, Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick, and industry connected environmental planner, Dr Emma Pharo.
Our experience in creating, managing and exporting best-practice environmental management policies over half a century will give you the skills and knowledge the world needs to move to a sustainable future. This engaged, practical approach informs our teaching, and ultimately the industry and field experience we deliver help set our graduates apart.
Environmental managers work around the world tackling a wide range of challenges with global relevance, and local impacts. This can include threatened species management in both developed and developing countries, creating practical solutions and best-practice policy for waste management issues, and addressing complex problems like climate change through a myriad of practical, community-based initiatives.
Small class sizes and an intimate connection with both our environment and local environmental management agencies provides significant flexibility to customise your study experience and projects towards your desired environmental management path. Before you start your course, you meet with the course coordinator to tailor a degree that builds on your individual interests and strengths in the environmental management sector.
"Is this the degree for me?"
The degree attracts people who are refreshing or upskilling their environmental management credentials, as well as those who do not have a background in the field but who would like to work in environmental management. You can study on campus, online, or a blend of both, and practical experiences can be flexible to work around your professional and personal commitments.
Course objectives
We educate management professionals who are evidence-based and adaptive in their efforts to enhance the cultural, Indigenous, natural and physical values in landscapes. We do this through a broad, interdisciplinary approach that includes science, politics, policy, social science and spatial science knowledge and skills.
The course encourages you to apply your existing skills as well as reinforces aspirations to develop new skills and modes of thought in order to tackle environmental problems, You will have the opportunity to expand your knowledge of natural and cultural values; approaches to managing ecosystems; the social, cultural and institutional contexts in which environments are managed; and methods used to address issues associated with biodiversity conservation and sustainability.
Emphasis is placed on integrating contributions from the bio-physical and social sciences, and our graduates have practical environmental management skills and knowledge to make a real difference in the world as part of collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams.
Practical experience
To prepare you for the collaborative nature of your future career, this course provides several opportunities to interact with professionals from council, state government, industry or not-for-profit organisations, all who contribute practical expertise and advice to your learning experience.
Engagement with sector professionals
Tasmania offers a unique opportunity to engage across sectors, government, private and public, at all levels, to learn practical methods for environmental management. No solution is created in isolation, and take a combination of disciplines from geography, chemistry, engineering, business, politics and more, everyone having input.
Close connections with major conservation groups like the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, and others across NGOs, private operators, and government departments like Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Learning from the people who do this day to day, giving both an unmatched realism to what you’re learning, as well as building networks that you will leverage far into the future.
Unmatched professional engagement and career preparation
An important component of the course is several opportunities to undertake work that is highly practical, often through engaging with a real client. The capstone experience of this practical focus is the professional placement with an environmental management partner. However, many parts of the unit involve current case studies and work in the sector, often with a professional from council, state government, industry or a not-for-profit contributing expertise and advice.
You can engage through distance and online learning, and both modes require a high level of personal, academic, intellectual and professional engagement. Reflective of the careers in this sector, we support our students to work autonomously, as well as in diverse teams with people who are likely to have a different academic and personal backgrounds.
This team work is enhanced by the strong involvement of Tasmanian environmental management professionals. Student diversity and external engagement are both important features because they mimic the challenging professional environment where graduates need to be able to communicate at a high level with people who may not share their values and perspective.
Tasmania is literally a living laboratory
The University of Tasmania has with six diverse ecosystems all within 30 minutes of the Sandy Bay campus, and the world’s second largest temperate rainforest only an hour away. We’re the gateway to Antarctica and, as the birthplace of the green movement, celebrate our biodiversity and environmental sustainability.
Many of your classes will be conducted outside in this natural environment, and your proximity to a wide range of pristine, diverse environments, and the researchers who travel from around the world to work in them, give you unparalleled practical field experience while you study. Plus, it makes Tasmania an amazing place to live!
Work placement
Our emphasis on work integrated learning means that both classroom and practical field experiences have been designed with employment and authentic learning in mind. The Professional Placement experience is a core component of the degree where you spend at least 80 hours getting some firsthand insights in what it’s like to work for one of our local environmental management partners. In additional to valuable practical industry experience, this can lead to local opportunities for students who are seeking employment in Tasmania.
Long standing collaborations with Tasmanian environmental management professionals mean that you will meet experienced environmental managers and work through case studies and local issues as part your entire degree. This includes both in the classroom, as well as in the field reviewing and contributing to ongoing environmental management practices right here in Tasmania.
We are also associated internationally with organisations such as the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand that are actively working to upskill emerging professionals across multiple countries, providing connections and networking that can help in your future career.
Career outcomes
Environmental management is a global concern, and the practical, sector connected skills and knowledge you develop here in Tasmania can be applied to any community around the world.
We use the strengths of our diverse student cohort to understand environmental management challenges in other places, leveraging both from our own living laboratory and diverse student experiences to make your learning real and applicable to the real world. This is done through case study work that allows students to tap into their own experience and motivations
The degree attracts people who are refreshing or upskilling their environmental management credentials, as well as those who do not have a background in the field but who would like to work in environmental management. As a result, our graduates gain employment in all areas of the environmental management sector, including all levels of government, private consultancy, not for profits, and community organisations. This is because Tasmania’s diverse landscapes deliver practical skills and an ability to understand complex landscapes in ways that are transferrable across industries, and to locations around the world.
Students completing the thesis pathway (KGA742/743) of the Master can apply to undertake a PhD in environmental management related fields.
Course structure
Entry requirements
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
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
Scholarships
Scholarships for domestic students
Each year, the University offers more than 900 awards to students from all walks of life, including those who have achieved high academic results; those from low socio-economic backgrounds; students with sporting ability; students undertaking overseas study; and students with a disability.
For information on all scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.
Applications for most awards commencing in Semester 1 open at the beginning of August and close strictly on 31 October in the year prior to study.
Scholarships for international students
There is a huge range of scholarships, bursaries and fee discounts available for international students studying at the University of Tasmania. For more information on these, visit the Tasmanian International Scholarships (TIS) 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
- Online
- Online enquiries