Environmental Management for Business - MSc

Management of the natural environment is increasingly important in all sectors from business to public policy. This course will equip you to critically evaluate environmental issues and contribute to the economic and policy decision making process in organisations of any size.

Who is it for?

This course provides students with the necessary up-to-date knowledge and understanding of environmental issues as they impact on the public, private and voluntary sectors. It also provides students with the ability and skills to critically appraise alternative environmental measures and develop the ability to identify and recommend suitable solutions for effective environmental management.

Core modules develop a range of knowledge and skills including environmental principles (such as the ecosystem services framework), economic and financial methods, and social, policy and governance viewpoints. Electives allow further development of economics and strategic thinking methods, or other skills including risk communication, environmental life cycle analysis and environmental auditing.

This course will equip you to critically evaluate environmental issues and contribute to the economic and policy decision making process in organisations of any size. It will give you the skills and experience required to monitor and critically evaluate business practice through the environmental auditing and other assessment methods, or to participate in economic and policy decision making.

Why this course?

• Employment prospects – our reputation and links with employers ensure outstanding opportunities to secure excellent positions.
• Flexibility – Five core modules and three pairs of electives allow you to emphasise business issues or economics and policy. A wide choice of topics for your personal project means that you can choose your own specialism. The course is available on a full-time or part-time basis.
• Excellence in teaching – In the last Teaching Quality Assessment our courses were rated as “excellent”. Eighty percent of the staff are members of the Registered Practitioners with the Higher Education Academy.
• Track record – we have been providing Masters-level training for over 20 years.
• Professional recognition – We regularly consult with senior representatives of key industries on questions of course and curriculum design to ensure that the programme continues to reflect the changing needs of the various sectors in which our students aim to work. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).
• Postgraduate level – Cranfield University is entirely postgraduate. Many of the students on the course have considerable professional experience.
• Expert staff – The course is designed and delivered by experts in the field of environmental management.
• Practical focus – We believe in giving you as much hands-on work as possible so that you are learning by doing.

Accreditation

This degree has been accredited by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).

Course details

This course comprises eight modules, an individual project and a group project. Part-time students normally complete individual dissertations in place of the group project.

Group project

Group projects, which run between February and April, enable you to put the skills and knowledge developed during the course modules into practice in an applied context while gaining transferable skills in project management, teamwork and independent research. Group projects are usually sponsored by industrial or public sector partners who provide particular problems linked to their businesses. Projects generally require the group to provide a solution to the operational problem. Potential future employers value this experience. The group projects are across the MSc courses in the environment programme, giving the added benefit of gaining new insights, ways of thinking, experience and skills from students with other backgrounds.

During the project you will develop a range of skills including learning how to establish team member roles and responsibilities, project management, and delivering technical presentations. At the end of the project, all groups submit a written report and deliver a presentation to the industrial partner. This presentation provides the opportunity to develop interpersonal and presentation skills within a professional environment. The project is assessed through a written report and an oral presentation by the group. In addition, a poster exhibition provides the opportunity to develop presentation skills and effectively handle questions about complex issues in a professional manner.

Part-time students normally complete individual dissertations in place of the group project.

Individual project

The individual research project allows you to delve deeper into a specific area of interest. As our academic research is so closely related to industry and public sector organisations, it is very common for our partners to put forward real-world problems or areas of development as potential research topics.

The individual research project component takes place between April/May and August for full-time students. For part-time students, it is common that their research projects are undertaken in collaboration with their place of work under academic supervision, given the approval of the Course Directors.

Individual research projects undertaken may involve a wide range of techniques from qualitative analysis to quantitative modelling.

Assessment

Taught modules 40%, group project 20% (dissertation for part-time students), individual thesis project 40%

Your career

Successful students develop diverse and rewarding careers in government ministries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), environmental and business consultancies, public sector organisations such as environmental protection agencies, and the manufacturing and service industries in the private sector. 

The international nature of the course means that career opportunities are not restricted to the UK. Cranfield graduates develop careers around the world. 

We have been providing Masters level training for over 20 years. Our strong reputation and links with potential employers provide you with outstanding opportunities to secure interesting jobs and develop successful careers. The increasing interest in sustainability and corporate and social responsibility has also enhanced the career prospects of our graduates. 

Cranfield's applied approach and close links with industry mean 93% of our graduates find jobs relevant to their degree or go on to further study within six months of graduation. Our careers team support you while you are studying and following graduation with workshops, careers fairs, vacancy information and one-to-one support. 

Visit the Environmental Management for Business - MSc page on the Cranfield University website for more details!