Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Area of Study

Geography and environmental science is concerned with understanding dimensions, complexities and relationships of the physical, human and environmental world. The school has an active research program that provides research training and the foundations for interactions across a range of government, non-government and industry sectors. There are a number of broad research strengths within the school including:

• urban and regional sustainability - associated with social, cultural, economic, environmental and political change across a range of scales (global to local); dealing with a range of activities (housing, economic development, resource management, sustainability) and contexts (Australia, Africa and Indo-Pacific Region)
• short and long-term changes in climate, vegetation and the physical and human landscape
• the socio-political structures shaping human interactions with the biosphere and the exploration of the community governance of environmental and ecological change at the local, national and international scale
• specialisation in the archaeology of Aboriginal Australia and the Torres Strait
• geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, with strong emphasis on scientific applications to environmental and resource management, GIS for mapping and modelling in local government, transport and land use planning applications.

Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research)

Students complete a 24-point research project and 24 points of coursework units. Units are worth 6 points unless otherwise indicated.

Core units

• APG4425 Perspectives on environment and sustainability
• APG4427 Frontiers in sustainability and environment
• APG4737 Research project part 1 and APG4738 Research project part 2

Elective units

• approved elective unit(s) to the value of 12 points

If the student's previous background does not provide knowledge in particular areas, elective(s) would be chosen from:

• APG4429 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world
• APG4430 Ecological systems and management
• APG4558 Global change and the earth system
• BTX9100 Sustainability regulation

Course coordinator

Dr Stephen Legg

Further courses

For a list of units studied or course outlines, refer to the relevant courses.

• 3937 Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research)
• 2702 Masters of Environmental Science by research and coursework
• 3902 Master of Environmental Science*
• 0020 Doctor of Philosophy*

* By research.