Dr Simon Batterbury
Director's Welcome
Welcome!
What?
The Graduate Environmental Program (GEP) is an innovative postgraduate course offered at the University of Melbourne, Australia. We offer a Graduate Certificate in Environment, a Graduate Diploma in Environment, a Postgraduate Certificate in Environment, a Postgraduate Diploma in Environment, and the Master of Environment (M.Env) degree (1-year or 2-year), which is generally taken over one or two years, although study is available full and part time. Students are free to design their own course with our assistance, or to pursue a number of specialist streams in everything from international development to energy efficiency.
Why?
Environmental issues are the dominant concern of the early 21st century. From climate change to waste management and demand for water, they influence all fields of modern life and are reconfiguring business, public policy, primary industries, diplomacy and international development. We all live in a world dominated by environmental concerns and threats. Global climatic change, influencing everything from coastal settlements to agricultural production and tourism, increasingly affects us all. Humanity's relationship to the natural environment, and the ways in which we use natural 'resources', are both changing very fast.
Whether you are already a professional in this field or considering a change of direction, career-advancement depends upon lifelong learning and the capacity to respond to emerging social, political and environmental questions as they impact in the public and professional sphere. Postgraduate qualifications are a great way to show commitment and motivation - they have global currency. In most employment sectors there is an increasing demand for people with environmental expertise, particularly those with the skills to apply multidisciplinary insights to the problems at hand.
Where?
The University of Melbourne is consistently ranked as one of the top-ranked research and teaching universities in the world, with a truly international focus. It benefits from a stunning city-centre location in one of the world's "most livable cities", one which is also home to a variety of relevant environmental organisations and social and environmental initiatives.
Who?
The Graduate Environmental Program will build on the knowledge you gained in your first degree, broadening your perspective. The GEP crosses nine faculties at the University and allows you access to a wide range of environmentally relevant subjects (courses) taught by academics with a strong profile in environmental sustainability and other aspects of problem-solving in Australia and beyond. Our Faculty members have committed their passion and knowledge through this Program. For you, this means career enhancement, learning new skills, and learning about environmental questions in a context that engages with the complexity of 'the environment' in a trans-disciplinary manner.
Our friendly team in the Office of Environmental Programs, located centrally on the Parkville campus, coordinates courses in the GEP and helps you plan your studies. We also coordinate a range of activities, public seminars, and workshops and these enhance the opportunities for engagement with environmental questions.
Our students have come from many different disciplinary backgrounds and life experiences and bring this diversity to the multidisciplinary program. They organise the Postgraduate Environmental Network (PEN). Many graduates have already passed successfully through the program, and are making a difference in their homes, communities and careers. They contribute through their knowledge, gained in Australia and other countries, in engineering, science, social science, business and economics, architecture, medicine and veterinary science, information technology, law, communication, agriculture and more.
I look forward to welcoming you to the Graduate Environmental Program. Further information can be readily obtained from this website and by contacting us.
Dr Simon Batterbury
Director, Office for Environmental Programs