Why Study/Key Benefits

• The Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management (PGDipEnvMgmt) is a Level 8 postgraduate qualification designed for graduates who want to develop advanced knowledge and practical skills in environmental management.
• The programme examines how natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals can be managed in a balanced and sustainable way.
• Students develop an understanding of current environmental challenges and how societal values, needs and attitudes can be reconciled with the protection of ecological systems.
• Key learning areas include environmental assessment, environmental economics, environmental policy, environmental sociology/anthropology, environmental management principles, research skills and project evaluation.
• The programme allows students to build technical capability in areas such as GIS, remote sensing and Life Cycle Assessment, alongside broader environmental-management knowledge.
• Massey describes the programme as interdisciplinary, drawing on expertise from science, agriculture, business, social science and fundamental sciences.
• Graduates may progress to the Master of Environmental Management, subject to meeting the master's entry requirements.
• Massey states that its environmental sciences subject area is ranked in the world's top 350 universities.

Programme Structure and Subjects/Topics

The 120-credit structure is flexible. Students complete 30 credits of compulsory study, at least 60 credits from the Schedule, and up to 30 credits of electives.

Core courses:

• 188764 Advanced Environmental Management I – 15 credits
  • Project and programme management
  • Advanced natural-resource knowledge
  • Integration of management and natural-resource concepts.
• 188765 Advanced Environmental Management II – 15 credits
  • Current environmental issues
  • Alternative environmental-management approaches
  • Case-study analysis
  • Human-environment interactions
  • Critical thinking and potential solutions to environmental problems.

Students then choose at least 60 credits from approved courses. Current options include:

• 176718 Environmental Sociology – 30 credits
  • Society-environment relationships
  • Consumerism
  • Population growth
  • Resource limits
  • Development
  • Environmental politics and conflicts
  • Environmental groups and values
• 178742 Environmental Economic Issues – 15 credits
  • Economic analysis of natural-resource use
  • Climate change
  • Environmental policy and management
• 188707 Environmental Management Principles and Practice – 15 credits
  • Contemporary environmental issues
  • Environmental-management principles
  • Applied case studies
• 188708 Land System Change – 15 credits
  • Land use and land-cover change
  • Measurement and management of land information
  • Environmental implications of land-system change
• 188751 Advanced Zero Waste for Sustainability – 30 credits
  • Life-cycle and environmental issues of material resources
  • Zero Waste
  • Resource management
  • Sustainability policy, technology and practice
• 189730 Sustainable Land and Water Management – 15 credits
  • Soil, water and greenhouse-gas science
  • Sustainable land and water management
  • Nutrient and contaminant pathways
  • Mitigation technologies and practices
• 232701 Conservation Biology – 30 credits
  • Biodiversity
  • Threats to biodiversity
  • Conservation actions
  • New Zealand case studies
• 233712 Environmental Geographic Information Systems – 15 credits
  • Cartographic modelling
  • Spatial data
  • Geostatistical analysis
  • Database queries
  • Environmental and resource-management applications
• 235701 M?ori Values and Resource Management – 15 credits
  • M?ori concepts and values
  • Indigenous approaches to natural-resource management
  • Sustainable resource management
  • Applied case studies
• 238700 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Footprinting Principles – 15 credits
  • Life-cycle thinking
  • ISO 14040 and 14044 principles
  • Life Cycle Assessment
  • Carbon and water footprinting.

Elective options of up to 30 credits can include areas such as:

• Nutrient Management in Grazed Pasture Systems
• Topics in Agricultural Extension and Consultancy
• Advanced Farm and Horticultural Management
• Emergency Management
• Sustainable Development
• Reframing Human-Nature Relationships in Environmental Planning
• Consumption Matters: People, Place and Practices
• GIS Principles and Applications
• GIS Programming and Practice
• Business and Sustainability
• Advanced Contemporary Issues in Sustainability
• Project Management
• Location Systems: Spatial Databases, Tools and Applications
• Location Data: Mapping, Analysis and Visualisation
• Psychology and Culture
• Sustainable Livelihood
• Climate Change Economics and Policy
• Advanced Studies in Soil Science
• Ecology
• Energy-Efficient Building Design
• Wildlife Management
• Environmental Remote Sensing
• Advanced Geoscience Techniques
• Environmental and Geological Hazards.

Disciplines/Specialisations

• The PGDipEnvMgmt is awarded without a formal specialisation.
• Students nevertheless have considerable flexibility to develop a study focus through their course selection.
• Potential academic focus areas include:
  • Environmental management
  • Environmental policy and economics
  • Sustainable land and water management
  • Conservation and biodiversity
  • Environmental GIS and spatial analysis
  • Remote sensing
  • Life Cycle Assessment and environmental footprinting
  • Sustainability and sustainable development
  • Climate-change economics and policy
  • Natural and environmental hazards
  • Maori values and natural-resource management
  • Ecology and wildlife management.

Programme Highlights

• NZQF Level 8.
• 120-credit postgraduate diploma.
• One year full-time, with part-time study available.
• Manawat? campus and distance/online delivery.
• International students can study on campus in New Zealand or online from outside New Zealand.
• Interdisciplinary environmental-management curriculum.
• Flexible course selection rather than a formal specialisation.
• Technical exposure to GIS, remote sensing and Life Cycle Assessment.
• Coverage of environmental economics, policy, sociology, conservation, sustainability and land/water management.
• Opportunities to apply environmental knowledge through case studies and practical/field-oriented learning.
• Potential progression to the Master of Environmental Management.

Career Outcomes

Massey describes environmental management skills as increasingly relevant in New Zealand and internationally and states that organisations beyond traditional environmental sectors are increasingly recognising the need for environmental expertise.

Potential employment areas supported by the programme include:

• Environmental management
• Environmental consultancy
• Sustainability
• Environmental policy
• Resource management
• Conservation
• Biodiversity management
• Land and water management
• Environmental planning
• GIS and spatial analysis
• Environmental assessment
• Climate and sustainability work
• Environmental research
• Local and central government
• Private businesses and consultancies

Latest Updates/Special Requirements

• The current programme remains a 120-credit Level 8 qualification.
• The programme is awarded without specialisation.
• A relevant bachelor's degree or equivalent is required.
• Official transcripts are required for prior study at universities other than Massey.
• Massey's current postgraduate English-language requirements apply.
• Not all courses are offered every year, so students should verify the availability of their intended course combination before enrolment.
• Individual courses can have prerequisites or restrictions.
• The programme may allow progression to the Master of Environmental Management after successful completion, subject to master's admission requirements.
• The supplied IPU programme link in the request is currently a different IPU programme page rather than a PGDipEnvMgmt page, and searches did not identify a current IPU PGDipEnvMgmt listing. Therefore, IPU-specific information for this programme is Not publicly specified – please confirm with IPU.

International Student Visa Requirements

For an international student travelling to New Zealand to undertake the campus-based PGDipEnvMgmt, the relevant visa will generally be the Fee Paying Student Visa.

Current Immigration New Zealand requirements include:

• Cost: from NZD 850
• Maximum stay: up to 4 years
• Processing: 80% within 8 weeks
• Online application required.
• Immigration New Zealand recommends applying at least 3 months before planned travel.

Applicants generally need:

• An offer of place from an approved education provider.
• Sufficient funds to pay tuition fees or an applicable scholarship.
• Sufficient funds for living expenses or an acceptable sponsor.
• Acceptable medical and travel insurance.
• Evidence of good health and character where required.
• A genuine reason for coming to New Zealand to study.
• Evidence that they can leave New Zealand at the end of their stay.