2022/23 Msc Environmental Economics and Environmental Management Programme Design Document

	A	C	F	I	J	N	R	T	AB	AH	AI	AK	AR	AT	AX
1	1. Admissions/ Management Information
2	Title of the programme – including any lower awards Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award. See guidance on programme titles in:
3	https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
4	Masters			Environmental Economics and Environmental Management
5	Postgraduate Diploma									Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					N/A
6	Postgraduate Certificate			Environmental Economics and Environmental Management						Please indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Exit
7	Level of qualification			Level 7
8	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:							2022/23
9	Awarding institution								Teaching institution
10	Unversity of York								University of York
11	Department(s): Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department								Board of Studies
12	Lead Department		Environment & Geography						Environment & Geography
13	Other contributing Departments:		n/a						Environment & Geography
14	Route code (existing programmes only)							PMENVSEEM1
15	Admissions criteria
16	A 2.1 or equivalent degree in an area of Environmental Science, Geography or Economics (Will consider applications with an equivalent of a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant field and relevant work experience). English Language requirement, one of the following: IELTS: at least 6.5 with at least 6.5 in writing and no less than 6.0 in each other component; PTE: 61, with no less than 55 in each component; TOEFL: 87, with no less than 21 in each component; Trinity ISE: level 3 with Merit in all components; or, successful completion of a recent undergraduate degree at a UK University. Other English Language tests may also be accepted.
17	Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
18	Programme				Length (years/ months)	Status (full-time/ part-time) Please select	Start dates/months (if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
19									E
20									Face-to-face, campus-based			Distance learning		Other
21	Environmental Economics and Environmental Management				n/a	Full-time	n/a		Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No	n/a
22	Language(s) of study
23	English
24	Language(s) of assessment
25	English
26	2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
27	2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
28	Please Select Y/N:		No	if No move to section 3 if Yes complete the following questions
29	2.b. Name of PSRB
30	n/a
31	2.c. Please provide details of any approval/ accrediation event needed, including: timecales, the nature of the event, central support / information required:
32	n/a
33	2.d. Are there any conditions on the approval/ accreditation of the programme(s)/ graduates (for example accreditation only for the full award and not any interim award)
34	n/a
35	3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
36	Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
37	Please Select Y/N:		No	if Yes, provide details
38	n/a
39	4. Programme leadership and programme team
40	4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
41	Paul Hudson (EEEM Programme Leader and main contact), Adrian Gonzalez (Director of Learning and Teaching); Sylvia Tote / Katherine Brookfield (Chair of the Board of Studies)
42	5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
43	5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the Masters programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective masters student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
44	The MSc in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management will equip you with skills in both disciplines that will enable you to evaluate existing and emerging environmental problems and develop your own practical solutions. Areas which will be covered include the causes and effects of climate change, flood management, natural resource use, pollution, land and biological resource management and sustainability from both physical, social and economic viewpoints. To facilitate this, you will be trained to critically review relevant literatures in your field, and to apply the techniques and methods you have learned to determine the impacts of environmental change and to solve problems. By taking a multidisciplinary overview of environmental issues you will understand how economics can be both a cause and a solution for environmental degradation and how to assess and monitor environmental and ecological change. You will learn how to objectively evaluate quantitative information and take an evidence-based approach to determine the likely impact and practicality of any management. Your dissertation, with the option of a placement with an industrial partner, will allow you to focus on real-world problems and develop solutions and recommendations that have relevance to business and policy. Through studying for the MSc you will develop the key employability skills that will allow you work in a range of organisations that operate within the environmental sector such as consultancies, the public sector, charities and non-governmental organisations.
45	5.a.i Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Diploma programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective diploma student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
46	n/a
47	5.a.ii Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Certificate programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective certificate student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
48	n/a
49	5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme will be able to do. If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
50	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
51	1	Debate, interpret and explain the economic and ecological principles and human interactions which underlie environmental management at a range of scales using appropriate methods and norms, and engage critically with theory, knowledge and emerging issues in environmental economics, ecology and environmental management [knowledgeable]
52	2	Independently identify key and engage critically with research questions in specialised areas of ecology, economics and environmental studies by obtaining, synthesising and critically evaluating information from a wide range of reliable sources, [Independent learner]
53	3	Work across disciplinary boundaries to link knowledge and experience from a wide range of research areas to understand the complex interactions between humans and natural environments, and the management of economic, business and social pressures on the health and sustainability of our complex global environment [Interdisciplinary thinker]
54	4	Develop novel hypotheses and plan, design and execute research in economics and enviornmental management to create new ways of viewing and addressing envrionmental issues. [Creator of new perspectives]
55	5	Design and undertake critical analyses of qualitative and quantitative data using appropriate tools to draw conclusions from advanced research on the ecological and economic implications of human interactions with the environment [Analytical and Critical]
56	6	Effectively and professionally communicate knowledge, complex ideas and persuasive arguments to professional and non-specialist audiences using verbal, written, visual and digital media [Professional communicator]
57	7	Recommend sustainable solutions to environment and development problems that consider broader social, political, economic and environmental contexts, and the ethical implications of their application by applying knowledge, theories and approaches from ecology, economics and policy studies and make an important contribution to understanding and reducing the pressures that economic development, population growth, poverty, and globalisation place on the natural environment and its resources [Problem solver]
58	5.b.ii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Diploma Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Diploma programme will be able to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
59	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
60	1
61	2
62	3
63	4
64	5
65	6
66	5.b.iii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Certificate Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Certificate programme will be able to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
67	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
68	1
69	2
70	3
71	4
72	5
73	6
74	5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
75	i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
76	Through achieving our programme outcomes you will be equipped with the abilities and confidence to improve our understanding of the world around us and work towards developing sustainable solutions to today’s environmental problems. Our outcomes require you to be critical in terms of the information you use and the research tools you employ, persuasive and clear in the ways in which you communicate and interdisciplinary in your approaches towards understanding the environment and recommending solutions to problems. These are all characteristics that we will help you to develop through our MSc in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management and will enable you to be successful in your future career. (max 500 words)
77	ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
78	The programme outcomes capture the key employability skills that graduates of an Masters in Environmental Economics and Envrionmetal Management will be asked to demonstrate when applying for successful and rewarding careers in this field of work. By providing you with a clear pathway towards achieving these learning outcomes through core skills training and plentiful opportunities to use and practice these skills you will be able to draw on specific examples of work that you have undertaken to evidence your accomplishments to potential future employers. This skills training will build on your learning at undergraduate level to help you to become a creator of new perspective, an innovative problem solver and creative and critical. Through interactions with external environmental and industrial organisations you will see how the skills embedded in our programme outcomes can be used in the workplace. (max 500 words)
79	iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
80	The programme has four compulsory themes as a basis: biodiversity and ecological management; envrionmental economics; current research and statiatical methods. These four themes will allow students who have entered via pathways in economics, ecology or environmenal science to understand all the other areas in the multidisciplnary programme. Additional optional modules will allow studenst to specilise and build on these foundations. Our online Skills Hub provides you with guidance, activities and resources that will allow you to develop generic skills in your own time.
81	iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills, [add link to QAA masters characteristics doument].
82	The programme has strong core skills training and an online skills hub that allow you to develop comptenece and confidence in key employability and professional skills. You will undertake practical activities that are in line with those undertaken in a professional setting, and have interactions with employers that will show how the skills you are developing through this programme can be used in the workplace. Core modules are specifically designed to prepare you for undertaking an advanced piece of research in the dissertation.
83	v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classroooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
84	a. Digital literacy - Through our MSc in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management you will develop the key digital skills needed for effective communication, finding and using reliable sources, and analysing quantitative and qualitative datasets. You will receive training in the use of the relevant digital tools at key points throughout your studies and be provided with opportunities to use them in a range of applications. This will ensure that when you graduate you are ready to effectively apply these tools in a work-based setting; b. Technology-enhanced learning - We are developing an online site for MSc students (the Environment Department Skills Hub) that you can use to develop key skills, and improve and progress throughout your degree. The online Skills Hub complements the teaching you will receive during contact hours and gives you the tools and flexibility to work on key skills development in your own time. (max 500 words)
85	vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)? The programme's employablity objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
86	http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
87	The programme outcomes capture the key employability skills that graduates of an Environmental Economics and Environmnental Management masters degree will be asked to demonstrate when applying for successful and rewarding careers in this field of work. By providing you with a clear pathway towards achieving these learning outcomes through core skills training and plentiful opportunities to use and practice these skills you will be able to draw on specific examples of work that you have undertaken to evidence your accomplishments to potential future employers. Through interactions with external environmental and industrial organisations you will see how the skills emedded in our programme outcomes can be used in the workplace. A key feature of this programme is that it offers students the option of undertaking a dissertation with an external organisation. In addition to this University Careers services offers workshops on preparing CVs and job applications and general career planning that are open to students studying on this MSc programme. We encourage students to attend these sessions from early in the programme to get a good sense of what is required to boost their employability. (max 500 words)
88	vii) Consultation with Careers The progamme proposal should be discussed with Careers (tom.banham@york.ac.uk, ext. 2686) Please provide details of Careers' comments and your response.
89	Careers provied us with detailed feedback on this programme design document at the sense check stage. These comments have been taken into consideration in preparing this final version of this PDD. Careers noted that a good range of employability skills are referenced through the programme but that more emphasis could be made on careers early in the programme to help students make use of the autumn term. We have responded to this comment in Section 5cvi. Comments were also made about how students are helped to transiiton out of the programme. We have made it clear how the programme prepares students with key employability skills and they should use the opportunities to provided within the programme as evidence of their abilities in these skills when applying for jobs (Section 5cvi). There was also a question regarding the anticipated destinations of the students. These are detailed in the SoP.
90	viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
91	We are a research-active department and share our latest research findings and methods with you through our teaching. Throughout your studies you will be actively involved in designing and performing research projects aimed at both understanding the world around us and solving environmental problems. All of our courses include examples of current research that allow you to see how the theory and knowledge you have been taught in lectures apply in a range of national and international settings. Through tutorials and seminars you will gain experience in discussing cutting-edge research and develop key communication skills. Lectures are supplemented by guest speakers from the environmental think-tank the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and a range of external environmental and industrial organisations, exposing you to potential areas of future employment throughout your studies. (max 500 words)
92	5.d. Progression For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one. Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
93	On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to: If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
94	In order to graduate with a PG Cert the student should have passed the 50 credits of core modules and one 10 credit of optional module. This will ensure that the student has a solid grounding in the core principles in EEEM and has started to epxlore the wider subject area. The student will have achieved all aspects of PLOs 1, 3 and 6 but will not have achieved all aspects of the other PLOs.
95	On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to: If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
96	6. Reference points and programme regulations
97	6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design:
98	https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
99	http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
100	http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements