Course description

MSc Environmental Impact Assessment and Management will prepare you for professional practice in environmental assessment at both the project level (environmental impact assessment) and the strategic level (strategic environmental assessment).

You will gain a thorough grounding in environmental assessment procedures and practice, and an introduction to the rapidly growing environmental management field.

In addition, you will benefit from `hands-on' sessions designed to simulate the tasks and problems encountered in the workplace, and to teach you valuable skills that are directly applicable to current practice.

We also arrange site visits to give you an insight into real-life practice.

Aims

Provide you with the opportunity to pursue particular aspects of environmental assessment or wider environmental management.

Develop your project management skills, including the co-ordination of technical specialists, decision-makers and consultees.

Develop your analytical and communication skills, thus graduating with expertise highly valued by employers.

Special features

Benefit from small-group teaching and guided one-to-one supervision for the dissertation.

Develop practical skills in design and spatial analysis software.

Enjoy fieldwork opportunities in the UK and abroad, exploring real-life issues on one-day trips, site visits, and overseas residential visits to locations including Manchester, London, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Toronto, Amsterdam, Belfast and Dublin.

Have the flexibility to mix discipline units or specialise, and choose from a wide range of optional course units.

Study in Manchester, a city where planning has been taught for more than 50 years, and urban development and environmental impacts are on your doorstep.

Teaching and learning

Part-time students complete the full-time programme over 27 months. The part-time route is not on a day-release basis and there are no evening or weekend course units available.  Therefore if you are considering taking a programme on a part-time basis, you should discuss the requirements with the Programme Director first and check the timetable to ensure that you can attend the compulsory classes. You should also seek approval from your employer to have the relevant time off.  Timetabling information is normally available from late August from the Programme Administrator and you will have the opportunity to discuss course unit choices during induction week with the Programme Director.

Coursework and assessment

Assessment methods include essays, reports and other work (eg workshop assignments), both individually and in groups. Some optional course units may involve examinations.

The taught part of the course (120 credits), is assessed by continuous assessment and formal examinations. Continuous assessment includes essays, reports, posters, oral presentations, and a major project.

A 15,000-word dissertation is prepared on an approved topic, which is discussed and chosen at the beginning of the second semester and a suitable supervisor allocated. Initial work focuses upon an overview of the chosen topic, a literature review and the design of the methodology to be adopted. During the latter part of Semester 2 and the summer vacation, you undertake the necessary research and analysis, culminating in the writing of your dissertation.