How you learn

This interdisciplinary course prepares you to tackle grand global challenges alongside other graduate students from a broad range of backgrounds..  

Applied teaching and learning outcomes are strongly aligned to the development of professional competencies for a career in the water and environmental management sector. Our syllabus is set within the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the latest environmental policy frameworks at international, national and local levels. 

You’ll explore and critically assess the core skills, tools, ethics and practices of environmental management. Your learning will be assessed through coursework in a wide and accessible range of forms.

You learn through:

• large group lectures to introduce core themes
• expert practitioner guest speakers
• smaller group seminars and workshops
• IT laboratories and field visits
• practical exercises
• professional skills portfolios
• academic essays
• presentations
• a published book chapter
• a major independent project 

Key Themes

You’ll explore primary and secondary data gathering, processing and analysis using Geographical Information Systems. You’ll present and interpret spatial data and its integration in decision-making processes. You’ll also examine modern environmental management case studies from around the world, exploring the ethics, values and motivations that drive action.

You’ll extend your practical skills to core areas of environmental management practice, such as environmental management systems, habitat assessment, water safety planning, life-cycle assessment and multi-hazard disaster risk reduction. You’ll develop your understanding of the major global environmental challenges that environmental managers face, identifying solutions through systems-level change, underpinned by the cultures and dynamics of human-environment relationships. 

The course is strongly aligned to environment sector professional standards and competencies. Critical self-assessment, reflective practice and continuous professional skills planning are developed and assessed as a core component of every module. You’ll also complete an independent project – identifying, designing and undertaking research on a subject related to the course material and the range of academic expertise in the department. 

Course support

You’ll be supported to gain the applied skills and knowledge to work at the cutting-edge of environmental management across a wide range of sectors – from government to private sector. Our curriculum teaching is supported by a dedicated academic adviser and project supervisor, as well as a wide range of online and in-person study skills support services. 

You’ll also be supported to conceive, design, implement and write up a significant piece of independent research work – supervised by professional and academic experts with extensive research experience – with the opportunity to tackle real-world environmental problems posed by practitioner partners.

Course leaders and tutors

Dr Jonathan Bridge

Associate Professor in Environmental Geoscience

I am an environmental geoscientist, researching the ways in which human activity affects the physical environment and try to find solutions to the ways in which the … Read more

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Applied learning

Work experience

The MSc Environmental Management (Work Experience) course includes the opportunity to undertake a 12-month ‘sandwich’ work placement between the programme of taught modules and your independent project. 

A sandwich placement is recognised as the gold standard opportunity to apply your knowledge within an industry of your choice. The ‘Work Experience’ course is designed to give you the knowledge, confidence and readiness to secure and succeed in your placement. You’ll have access to various support activities, resources, employer events and opportunities from our careers & employability team – helping you make the most of your work experience opportunities. 

Live projects

Our course is intrinsically international in scope, with a historically diverse student body bringing experience from around the world, plus a network of academic partnerships which enable us to engage with live projects and case studies in a wide range of contexts. You’ll have opportunities to work collaboratively alongside cohorts of students in other parts of the world.

Field trips

We work closely with local partners managing environmental projects throughout the Sheffield region, with opportunities to visit sites, understanding management issues and collecting data for analysis in your assessed work. Field classes and site visits have included local nature reserves and urban sites managed by our partners Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Yorkshire Water and Sheffield City Council. 

Many of our students build on these opportunities and develop independent projects with these partners, which involve more extended fieldwork campaigns to answer a detailed research question. 

Networking opportunities 

All our modules offer components delivered by guest lecturers from our practitioner partner organisations. You’ll have opportunities to present your work and network with these partners in winter and summer events, which you’ll co-produce with our academic research groups. 

You’ll complete short-course style training in industry-standard techniques. You’ll also take part in fieldwork and site visits alongside professional practitioners, offering extensive network-building and short work experience opportunities. 

MSc Environmental Management is embedded within our partnership with five major regional environmental organisations involved in long-term management of the Sheffield landscape. Our applied teaching draws on this relationship with Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Sheffield City Council, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency, offering opportunities for co-curricular conservation volunteering, technical research projects and professional placements. 

Future careers

This course prepares you for a career in the professional environmental management sector, for example as: 

• an environment and sustainability consultant
• a conservation project manager (with suitable extra-curricular experience)
• an environment officer in local or national government
• a sustainability lead in the private sector 
• It also provides a solid base for progressing to further research or teaching in environmental disciplines. 

Recent graduates of this course have gone on to work for: 

• the Environment Agency
• wildlife trusts 
• the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 
• AECOM 
• renewable energy consultancy 
• Derbyshire County Council 
• university research departments
• international government departments

Where will I study?

You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Collegiate campus

Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.

Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities 

Location

Collegiate Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2BP

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Collegiate library

Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

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Entry requirements

Fees and funding

• Home students
• International students

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £12,120 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. For this work experience route, your fees will be payable over two years, divided into two annual payments based on credits studied. The fee includes dedicated employability support to help you prepare for and secure work experience. It does not guarantee you a placement and if a placement is not secured the work experience fee will still be charged. If a placement is not secured you will transfer to the standard version of the course to complete your remaining credits, where the balance of your course fees will be due in year one in line with completing the course.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £19,225 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. For this work experience route, your fees will be payable over two years, divided into two annual payments based on credits studied. The fee includes dedicated employability support to help you prepare for and secure work experience. It does not guarantee you a placement and if a placement is not secured the work experience fee will still be charged. If a placement is not secured you will transfer to the standard version of the course to complete your remaining credits, where the balance of your course fees will be due in year one in line with completing the course.

Postgraduate student loans

Up to £12,471 is available in 2024/25 for home students on most masters courses.

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Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences (PDF, 154.4KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.