Postgraduate
MSc, Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate in Applied Environmental Economics
Syllabus
C02
Economic principles
A rigorous introduction to microeconomic theory covering theories and
applications of individual and market demand, as well as production
economics. The final part focuses on welfare economics and its application
to imperfect competition and factor markets.
C121
Economics of environmental policy
Provides a theoretically rigorous
coverage of the economic concepts and principles of environmental
policy. It provides the knowledge and analytical tools needed to design
and evaluate public policies towards the environment. It covers
externalities such as pollution and public goods, exploitation of
natural resources, trade and sustainable development.
C22
Environmental valuation
Develops the theory and techniques of the valuation of non-market goods.
The course focuses on the techniques and methods for putting monetary
values on the environment and shows how these can be incorporated in
economic decision making at both the macro and project level.
C105
Natural resource economics
Examines a number of economic models of natural resource allocation
and demonstrates their application to policy making and natural resource
management to provide useful insights to both policy makers and managers.
The second part considers the economic dimension of sustainable economic
growth and development.
C05
Applied econometrics
Teaches the essential skills
required for undertaking empirical work in agricultural economics. It
covers the estimation, inference and diagnostic testing of linear
regression models, with applications of theory using software supplied
with the module.
C124
Climate change and development
Provides a
multi-disciplinary understanding of climate change processes and of
their direct and indirect interactions with development. It describes
the main climate change processes, scenarios and vulnerabilities, and
international and national policy responses. Different sectors’
contributions and sensitivities to climate change (and to mitigation and
adaptation responses) are identified, with their implications for
policies and outcomes for different economies and for people’s
livelihoods within them.
C200 Environmental
science and management
Provides an overview of the Earth
system and its main subsystems and processes. It focuses on the science
underlying the most prominent global environmental issues. Major
approaches to, and principles of, environmental management are also
examined.
C100
Ecological science and management
This module provides a
comprehensive understanding of temporal and spatial dynamics of
interacting components of natural and semi-natural environments for
their management. It deals with the theoretical and mechanistic
framework for understanding ecology, and the study of interactions of
organisms with each other and with their environments. It introduces key
concepts in ecological theory and the functioning of natural
environments, referring to the dynamics of populations and communities
and the interaction of organisms with their environment at local,
landscape and regional/global scales. It examines ecological theory
underlying models of sustainability and conservation and explains
spatial and temporal patterns observed in natural and perturbed
environments. It goes on to explore ecological processes occurring over
regional and global scales, as these are essential to the functioning of
both natural and human-dominated ecosystems, focusing specifically on
the practice of ecology in applied contexts through issues such as
biodiversity conservation, human demography, land degradation and
agriculture: four interrelated topics that are central to human culture
and welfare and are the focus of much debate and controversy.
Please note: this module
will be supplied as electronic courseware on CD Rom
C163
Ethics and Environmental Practice
Considers environmental
values in relation to ethical principles and cultural traditions.
Outlines the development of an environmentalist movement, the interface
of science and the environment and the political impact of environmental
concern.
C168
Sustainable land management
Covers the physical and
biological processes essential to understanding soil science and
processes of land degradation. It explores the causes of land
degradation and measures for mitigation and conservation in a range of
agro-climatic zones. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of physical,
economic, social, political and institutional factors in determining
land management practices.
C208 Environmental auditing and environmental
management systems
Provides an
understanding of how to identify and evaluate the environmental impacts
of an organisation or product/service. It explains how the environmental
impacts of an organisation can be managed within the context of an
environmental management system. It also explains the practical
application of environmental auditing and environmental management
systems, and it examines the range of available environmental management
tools and techniques. It also considers ways in which corporate
environmental management may respond to the challenge of sustainable
development requirements.
C207
Environmental assessment
Provides an understanding of the
processes and techniques for assessing the impacts of proposed actions
on the environment, across a range of decision levels. It demonstrates
the types of information required for assessing the impacts of a
proposal on specific environmental parameters. It provides a basis for
the practical application of environmental assessment skills; it also
gives examples and case studies illustrating key aspects of professional
practice for environmental managers.
C114
International environmental law
Covers the principles and rules
of international law which have as their primary objective the
protection of the environment. It addresses how the international
community has recognised and sought to deal with the interdependence of
the global environment through regional and international agreements.
C134
Project planning and management
Considers the planning and
management of public and private investment in the rural sector in the
context of sectoral and national level programme support. Concepts of
project identification, preparation, appraisal, and monitoring and
evaluation are explored. Methods such as logical framework, financial
and economic cost benefit analysis, and social and environmental
assessment are presented.
C126
Water resource management
Explains the key themes,
concepts, and tools associated with water management. The module covers
determinants of availability and scarcity, assessment and management
from basin to user, economics and governance, the management and
sustainability of irrigated agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, and
environmental, social and political dimensions of water use.
C185 Sustainable
forest management
Forests are important
sources of products and environmental services, and yet are disappearing
or threatened in most tropical and many temperate regions. Well managed
forests with appropriate conservation measures can deliver society’s
needs in a sustainable way. Understanding how and why is central to this
module. Beginning with an introduction to key concepts, issues and
protocols and an overview of the global forest estate, the module builds
an understanding of sustainable forest management from its foundation in
ecological principles, markets for forest products and environmental
services and local to global forest and environmental policies. A solid
knowledge of the principles and practice of forest management planning,
implementation and monitoring is developed and related to the
requirements of sustainable forest management certification.
C117
Introduction to biodiversity and conservation management
This course provides a
broad introduction to the conservation of biological diversity with an
emphasis on conservation within ecosystems. It provides an outline of
the major elements of global biodiversity: evolution and distribution,
and examines the threats to biodiversity and the imperative to conserve.
It explains some of the fundamental principles of genetic, species and
ecosystem diversity, providing an overview of the techniques available
to conserve biodiversity both in situ and ex situ. A further theme is
the role of protected areas for conservation and management of
biodiversity and the issue of conservation outside protected areas.
Social, ethical and policy issues surrounding biodiversity conservation
are reviewed at appropriate points in the course.
C106 Research Methods
Begins with a discussion of the nature and
role of research and then seeks to provide a foundation of basic skills
in research. The course covers sampling, data collection methods, basic
statistical tests, an introduction to SPSS®, and procedures for
qualitative data analysis.
Research
report - MSc students only
The research report involves desk-based
and/or field-based research. The report is assessed by submission of a
research proposal (10%) and a 10,000 word written report (90% of final
module mark). Students are individually assigned a research supervisor
for support and advice. All research topics are subject to approval by
the Senior Teaching Fellow.
