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Environmental studies

What’s on offer for postgraduates?

Environmental studies postgraduate student profile

Many students are drawn to the environmental studies field by their commitment to the values of environmentalism and conservation. Consider also the intellectual appeal of working across fields as diverse as the biological sciences and ethics, cultural heritage and management theory.

In addition, most postgraduate envrionmental studies programs are available to graduates from a range of disciplines. They open up or relate to an unusually wide range of occupations stretching from the tourism and hospitality industry through public policy and management to science and engineering.

There are some research students in environmental studies, but competition for places and scholarships can be tough. The prominence of issues such as water and climate change has resulted in extra funding for research at some universities.

If you are shopping around for a research degree you might take this into consideration, but your main concern should be with the extent of the research activity in your areas of interest and with the emphasis placed on research training. Location might also be a relevant factor and, in some cases, the opportunities for field-based projects will be important.

The experience and rewards

Visit the University Ratings section for environmental studies course ratings or to see how environmental studies rates in the Fields of Study Compared table.

The national Course Experience Questionnaire survey suggests that graduates in this field are quite happy with their course experience and the teaching quality. Salaries were above average and job prospects were about average for graduates in 2009.

For more information

If you are interested in the environmental studies field you might also look at fields as diverse as architecture (particularly landscape architecture and environmental design), built environment , education and training , engineering , agriculture , humanities and social sciences , business and management , the sciences , and sport and leisure studies .

Rob Law — Masters in Tropical Environmental Management

Why did you decide to pursue postgraduate studies?
After finishing my bachelor of science I still felt there was a lot to learn about environmental issues, and that having a postgraduate qualification would help me in my career and to get a good job where I could have an influence on environmental decision-making.

How do you balance your study and other commitments?
I never felt out of balance, if study got too much then I would just force myself to take a break. I still manage to continue on with all of my hobbies and work commitments. This was especially easy living in Darwin as there is very little travel time between places and lots of sun and daylight hours!

Are postgraduate qualifications a requirement in your chosen field?
Not a requirement but definitely an advantage. Most of the jobs that I am interested in prefer some postgraduate qualification. From my experiences, another advantage of studying in Darwin is that it is also a little easier to gain good quality work experience in the environmental field than in the big cities like Melbourne and Sydney.

Would you recommend postgraduate studies to someone in a similar position to you, i.e. someone working in your field, or wishing to enter your field?
I would recommend postgraduate studies as a way to deepen your own level of knowledge about environmental studies and pursuing your own research topic can be very rewarding.

What do you hope to gain from your postgraduate studies?
A more solid understanding of a wide variety of topics related to environmental studies as well as increased confidence of my own ability for future employment.

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