Preparing the next gen of environmental specialists

Sustainability is a key driver of economic policy, and while the word is often used casually in conversation, it involves numerous stakeholders all interacting and influencing each other and policy. There is a need for specialists across business, government and the community in the field of environmental management to help navigate these relationships and protect our fragile environment, with strong job growth forecasted over the next decade.

At the University of Newcastle, the Master of Environmental Management and Sustainability aims to develop these specialists. The program is one of few nationally that incorporates sustainability theory and practice in environmental management tuition.

“The program has a very good reputation with alumni and current students, scoring highly on student satisfaction of teaching,” said program convenor Geoff MacFarlane.

“It is also accredited by the United Nations in teaching sustainable development goals in the curriculum.”

The core and directed courses are certified by both the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Newcastle’s International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL), the only CIFAL centre in Australia and the Asia–Pacific region. These courses ensure graduates have been taught best practice skills that can be immediately applied to their career.

“The career destinations of graduates are diverse, with many entering government roles at the local, state and federal level in sustainability and environmental management,” MacFarlane said.

For alumna Poppy, a desire to pivot her career led her to the Master’s degree where she was able to jump straight into her dream job — securing a role as Environment and Sustainability Manager at Transport for NSW on the Sydney Light Rail project halfway through her studies.

“My role combines environmental management — something I have lots of experience in — with sustainability. This role is the ideal launch into the sustainability field and fulfils my need to see tangible community benefits come to life through the urban renewal aspects of the project,” Poppy said.

Students can tailor their learning with the option to study two of three specialty areas: business management, natural resource management and spatial science. Suitable for people from a range of backgrounds and experience, the degree caters for both suitably qualified graduates from related fields and mid-career professionals wishing to gain postgraduate qualifications in the field. There are study pathways from 80 units to 160 units depending on your level of experience. Students can study at a time that suits with the program offered 100% online with multiple intakes per year.

For recent graduate Mitchell, he highlighted multiple key benefits of the degree.

“[They] include meeting industry professionals and lecturers, learning how to apply my theoretical knowledge to solve real-world problems, gaining access to a world-class library to study and meeting a range of people with different backgrounds and professions that helped shape my own professional journey,” Mitchell said.

The structure of the degree also helped Mitchell excel with online study.

“It allowed me to work full-time and study full-time and achieve great marks throughout my degree due to the flexibility of the program and the fact I could study anywhere.”

Current student Tambalyn echoes Mitchell’s sentiments about online study.

“For someone who works full-time and often remotely, it was perfect,” Tambalyn said.

“Much of the course material has been relevant to my current career and has helped my overall career progression.”

There is also a shorter Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management and Sustainability, a 40-unit 100% online program that provides core knowledge and is designed to provide credit into the Master’s program, completing two degrees in less time.

2023 applications are now open.

Visit newcastle.edu.au/enviro-sustainability for more information.