Environmental Studies
What is Environmental Studies?
The contemporary world benefits from a growing international economy, rapid communications, and technological advances. But it also suffers security threats, social and political injustice, unpredictable hazards, persistent poverty, and many inequalities.
At the root of many of these contemporary trends lie humanity's changing relationship to the natural environment, and to the natural 'resources' that we need and use. Contemporary political disputes, for example, have much to do with long-held worries over energy supplies, water, land, and food. National wealth may be won or lost on the basis of available mineral or timber resources. Global climatic change, affecting everything from coastal settlements to agricultural production and tourism, increasingly affects us all, and is an ever-present reminder that we live towards the end of the fossil fuel age. Natural hazards, like the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina of 2005, exact a huge toll on human life and property. The life of the world's major cities depends on efficient handling of water supply, wastes, energy, and clean air, while technological advances to address these problems are rarely free of environmental costs.
Policy resonses include everything from vigourous environmental regulation backed by 'Green' states and advocacy groups, to inaction or conflict over worsening human-environment relations.
Environmental Studies at the University of Melbourne focuses on these issues, and more. The key arguments for interdisciplinary study of the above issues is their eclectic nature, and their complexity.
How to study Environmental Studies
Our undergraduate Major in Environmental Studies combines scientific knowledge of natural environments with an understanding of how human societies relate to the natural world, whether this is through exploitation, worship, or fear. Students tend to specialize in their choice of courses, tailoring them to their interests and career aspirations.
Environmental Studies can be taken as an undergraduate major in Arts (Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a co-major within Science (Bachelor of Science) and as a minor sequence in many interdisciplinary programs such as Asian Studies, Australian Studies, Development Studies and Australian Indigenous Studies.
Graduates in any discipline can complete a Graduate Certificate or Diploma in Arts (Environmental Studies). Students with the equivalent of a major in environmental studies, may complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Environmental Studies). Students with the equivalent of an Honours degree, are eligible to apply for the Master of Arts (by research) in Environmental Studies or PhD candidature.
We offer PhD degrees, a Masters by Research, and postgraduate diplomas. Students visiting from other universities or other Environmental Studies programs may enroll to take our courses. (Taught Masters in Environment are administered separately by the Office of Environmental Programs, a cross-university initiative). SSEE has a large PhD program, and students have excellent facilities for doctoral study.
The Program is, by nature, interdisciplinary. We are based in SSEE, which means staff have a strong teaching and research background in anthropology, physical and human geography, development studies and politics. SSEE also offers a research cluster on water management issues as part of a Cooperative Center. We also have direct connections with Australian state and federal agencies and non-profit organisations.
By majoring in Environmental Studies you can expect to:
The University of Melbourne, an international research and teaching institution, is one of the world's top universities, ranking in the top two in Australia and rivalling many of the large research universities in North American and Europe. It benefits from a stunning city-centre location in the 'world's most livable city', one which is also home to a variety of relevant organizations and environmental initiatives. Our program has a long history, and many graduates are now working in environmental positions or have gone on to higher study.
Melbourne graduates benefit from:
Please select from below for further information.
Teaching staff in Environmental Studies
Structure of the undergraduate major (Link to official University Handbook) and undergraduate information
Honours (Link to official University Handbook) and honours information
Websites of relevance to Environmental Studies