Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Course

This course is designed to meet the needs of graduates from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds who wish to enhance their qualifications for careers in environmental policy and analysis, planning, consulting, education, advocacy and management. It is also designed for those who wish to broaden and deepen their understanding and experience to enable societal and individual change and responsible action to support sustainability. Its comprehensive set of core units provides knowledge and skills to critically analyse problems of environment and sustainability and to propose realistic solutions in both personal and professional settings. Research projects and internships give students the opportunity to work in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary real-world contexts and to combine theory and practice in responding to local and global issues at individual, community, corporate and government levels. Electives cater for a wide range of specialised needs and interests.

Students successfully completing this course will have:

• a sound knowledge of diverse aspects of the academic discipline
• an understanding of the world view of the field of study
• a critical appreciation of the secondary literature in the field of study
• a familiarity with many of the key texts and cultural products pertaining to the field of study
• advanced reading and communication skills, both written and verbal
• advanced analytical skills
• a grasp of research methodology and ethics, and an ability to undertake a small, independent research project in one of the disciplines represented in the program.

This course consists of core units and electives and for those who qualify, either an internship or a research project. Students complete a maximum of 48 points of level four units and a minimum of 24 points of level five units. All units are worth 6 points unless otherwise indicated.

Core units

Students complete the following core units at either level four or five (24-36 points):

• APG4425/APG5425 Perspectives on environment and sustainability
• APG4426/APG5426 Environmental analysis*
• APG4427/APG5427 Frontiers in sustainability and environment
• APG4428/APG5428 Environmental governance and citizenship*

* At least one of these units should be taken at level five.

plus a final project, consisting of one of the following:

• APG5763 Environmental internship (12 points)
• APG5778 Research project (12 points)**
• APG5779 Geography major research project (24 points), or APG5780 Geography minor research project and APG5781 Major research project

In order to undertake a final project students must gain a distinction average or above in the core and elective units, and/or permission of the course coordinator. For students who have not attained a distinction average, an additional 12 points of coursework electives may be substituted.

** Students undertaking this unit should complete one of the research methodology units below.

Elective units

Students complete electives sufficient to bring the total number of points for the degree to 72 credit points. If a student has not previously studied ecology, economics and law, one or more electives in these areas must be studied and must be chosen in consultation with the course coordinator before enrolment:

• APG4430/APG5430 Ecological systems and management or APG4558 Global change and the earth system
• BTX9100 Sustainability regulation
• ECF9530 Economics or APG4429 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world

Other electives may be chosen from across the University and, if no equivalent is available at Monash, from other universities. If required, electives may be chosen from level three offerings, but only to a maximum of 12 points. Suggested electives are outlined below.

Working in the corporate and public sectors

• APG4401 Communications, convergence and public policy
• APG4433/APG5433 Corporate sustainability management
• APG4434/APG5434 Sustainability measurement
• APG4739 Stakeholder engagement and corporate environmental sustainability
• APG4740 Strategic management for corporate environmental sustainability
• APG5686 Issues in public policy
• APG5762 Environmental economics and policy
• ECC3640 Economics of climate change
• ECF9210 Introduction to international economics
• MGX5030 Corporate social responsibility
• MGX5760 International institutions and organisations
• MGX5770 Business and government
• MGX9230 Public policy
• MGX9270 Public management
• MGX9720 Managing organisational change

Communities and development

• APG4283 Sharing prosperity: Geographies of work, regional development and economy
• APG4553 Field studies in regional sustainability*
• APG4556 Urbanisation and regional development in the Indo-Pacific Rims
• APG4627 Research in political ecology
• APG4628 Doctrines of development
• APG4702 Culture and conflict in Indonesia
• APG4772 Community development in a globalising world
• APG5803 Special topics in international development
• APG5804 Environmental revolutions
• APG5805 The art and business of international development
• ATS3376 Political anthropology: Ethnic and national identities in the modern world
• ATS3378 Development and the Third World
• ATS3622 Production, consumerism and the environment in the contemporary world

Tourism

• APG4389 Tourism industry and marketing
• APG4390 Contemporary issues in tourism
• APG4708 Ecotourism management
• APG4709 Sustainable tourism development and planning

Environmental thinking and philosophies

• APG4339/APG5339 Sustainability and the sacred
• APG5804 Environmental revolutions
• ATS3411 Weird Weather: Literature, culture and climate
• ATS3427 Earthworks: Literature and environment
• ATS3709 Politics of environmentalism
• ATS3871 Environmental ethics
• ATS4303 Issues in environmental history: Images of the natural world

Environmental law

• BTX5100 Corporate environmental responsibility
• BTX5130 International law and policy
• BTX9100 Sustainability regulation
• LAW4115 Environmental law 406
• LAW5136 International environmental law 506

Geographic information systems

• APG4552 Remote sensing of the environment
• APG4755 Geographical information systems (GIS) for social science applications
• APG4758 Geographical information systems (GIS) for environmental science

Global change, environmental management and citizenship

• APG4391/APG5391 Exploring Australia: Diverse people, diverse lives
• APG4554 Resource evaluation and management
• APG4887 Designing urban futures: Urban climate, water and adaptation
• ATS3547 Cities and sustainability
• CHM3960 Environmental chemistry
• CIV4261 Integrated urban water management
• CIV5261 Flood management in urban and rural environments
• CIV5264 Management of urban water resources and related infrastructure
• CIV5314 Transport planning and policy
• CIV5316 Fundamentals of urban public transport
• ENE3048 Energy and the environment
• ENE4607 Environmental risk assessment
• ENV3022 Environmental technology

Research methodology

One of the following units is recommended for students taking APG5778 Research project or APG5779 Geography major research project:

• ATS3723 Social research methods

Some students may be eligible to obtain a second master degree in environmental science by studying for a further six months in Hungary at the Central European University. For further details email Bianca.Roggenbucke@arts.monash.edu.au.

Students may apply to exit after successful completion of:

• 24 points with a Graduate Certificate in Arts
• 48 points with course 0095 Graduate Diploma in Environment and Sustainability.

Master of Environment and Sustainability