CeHuNews 231/03

LINCON UNIVERSITY

Canterbury - New Zealand

 

Master of Environmental Policy (MEP)

Introduction

This programme, introduced in 2001, sharpens the environmental policy orientation of its predecessor, the MSc (Resource Management), which was established in 1978. The course prepares graduates for positions as environmental policy analysts in the public and the private sector, at all levels (local and regional, national, and international). Students with a variety of first degrees (for instance, in science, the humanities, engineering, law, forestry and commerce) can apply.

The course progresses from mostly prescribed subjects in the first year, designed to familiarise students with a range of disciplines and subjects essential to policy analysis, to a more flexible programme in the second year that allows students to further develop and apply their skills to a variety of areas, such as local & regional environmental planning, comparative and international environmental policy, and to more defined policy sectors or topics, such as energy, bio-technology, environmental reporting, strategic environmental assessment, nature conservation, and gender, development and environment.

Core subjects of the programme are taught by a multi-disciplinary team of experts with a long-standing experience in their field, with input from other specialised staff in the Environmental Management & Design Division. The teaching style is interactive, demanding a high level of commitment from students, and a willingness to operate in teams.

Programme Structure

The structure of the programme is as follows:

Year	Semester 1	Semester 2
1	ERST 630 Environmental Policy and Planning (1 unit) ERST 631 Environmental Sciences in Environmental Policy (1 unit) ERST632 Economics in Environmental Policy (1 unit)	ERST 633 Integrated Environmental Management (1 unit) MAST 603 Mana Kaitiaki (1 unit) Optional Subject (1 unit)
2	Dissertation (2 units) OR Two Optional Subjects to be selected from Schedule (2 units total)
	ERST 635 Group Case Study (1 unit) Optional Subject  (1 unit)	ERST 634 Applied Policy Analysis (1 unit) Optional Subject (1 unit)

Students who do not wish to write a dissertation, are required to do instead two optional papers (2 units in total) from a Schedule of subjects with a substantial environmental policy component. Subjects included in the Schedule are:

ECOL 612	Wildlife management
ECON 606	Natural Resource and Energy Economics
ENGN 628	Engineering Planning and Management
ERST 604	Advanced Urban, Regional and Resource Planning
ERST 610	Bicultural Management of Environmental Disputes
ERST 620	Advanced Environmental Management Systems
ERST 621	Principles of Environmental Impact Assessment
ERST 622	Comparative Environmental Policy
ERST 623	International Environmental Policy
LASC 615	Advanced Landscape Planning and Policy
LWST 601	Environmental Law
LWST 602	Advanced Resource Management Law
MGMT 606	Project Appraisal
PHIL 610	The Philosophy and Ethics of Biology
RECN 634	Tourism Policy, Planning and Development
RECN 635	Community Recreation Policy and Planning
RECN 639	Policy and Planning for Protected Areas
SOCI 604	Interactions of Gender, Environment and Development
TRAN 601	Transport and Environment A

All students are required to do three optional subjects (3 units in total) which can be selected from all the 600-level subjects offered at Lincoln University, conditional upon the approval by the examiners (special conditions may apply, for instance, if the standard prerequisites are not met). Postgraduate subjects offered at Canterbury University may also be taken, but special conditions do apply and students must consult with the co-ordinator of the MEP prior to enrolling for subjects.

NZPI Accreditation

Students who successfully complete ERST 604 and LWST 602 (as well as the compulsory subjects of the programme) are eligible for membership of the New Zealand Planning Institute, which offers professional benefits to those who aspire to a career in environmental planning.

Applications

Admission to the programme is conditional upon approval by the course co-ordinator and Lincoln University’s Academic Administration Committee, and is dependent on demonstrated academic ability at the undergraduate level (in any discipline). Applicants should be aware of the demanding nature of the programme, and of the special features that distinguish this degree from most other (research based) degrees, among which requirements associated with team-based study. Some applicants may be required to successfully complete a bridging programme as a condition for admission to the course.

Applications should be lodged before 30 November. Applicants who apply after that date cannot be guaranteed a place in the programme in the following year.

For More Information

The Environment, Society and Design Division Postgraduate Students topics lists dissertation and thesis topics for students currently studying in the division.

For general enquiries about this study programme contact the academic co-ordinator:

Ton Bührs: buhrst@lincoln.ac.nz

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