Programme: MSc Environmental Education (Coursework)

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Code Faculty
02250531 Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Credits Duration
Minimum duration of study: 2 years Total credits: 180

Programme information

The Centre for Environmental Studies is a graduate school for multidisciplinary training and research focusing on the environment. Training aims to satisfy the need for environmental professionals for implementing current environmental legislation as well as industry-driven environmental management systems.

This programme is coordinated by the Faculty of Education.

The purpose of this focus area is to train environmental graduates who specialised in careers in environmental education. On completion of the training, candidates should be conversant and be able to partake in, or render advice concerning, all aspects involved in the transfer of environmental principles by education. This includes the transfer of relevant ethical, social and ecological principles to learners, the roles of the NQF and outcomes-based education for approaches towards environmental education, the roles of facilitation, engagement, meta-learning, creative problem solving, cooperative learning and feedback in the learning task.

The MSc degree is conferred on the grounds of a dissertation and such additional postgraduate coursework as may be prescribed.

Renewal of registration
As long as progress is satisfactory, renewal of the registration of a master’s student will be accepted for the second year of the study. Registration for a third and subsequent years will only take place when the Student Administration of the Faculty receives a written motivation that is supported by the relevant head of department and Postgraduate Studies Committee.

General
Candidates are required to familiarise themselves with the General Regulations regarding the maximum period of registration and the requirements on the submission of a draft article for publication.

Additional requirements

Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in the English language up to the level required by either the TOEFL test (www.ets.org/toefl) or the IELTS language proficiency test (www.ielts.org).

Other programme-specific information

At least one additional elective module must be selected in consultation with the Director of the Centre and the Head of the Department of Curriculum Studies, Faculty of Education. Choices will be based on the academic background and/or anticipated career of the candidate.

Promotion to next study year

The progress of all master's candidates is monitored biannually by the supervisor and the postgraduate coordinator. A candidate's study may be terminated if the progress is unsatisfactory or if the candidate is unable to finish his/her studies during the prescribed period.

Subject to exceptions approved by the Dean, on recommendation of the relevant head of department, and where applicable, a student may not enter for the master's examination in the same module more than twice.

Pass with distinction

The MSc degree is conferred with distinction to candidates who obtain a final average mark of at least 75% and a mark of at least 75% for the dissertation/mini-dissertation from each of the members of the examination panel. Where a member of the examination panel awards a mark of less than 75% for the dissertation/mini-dissertation, that member of the examination panel must offer, in writing, support for his/her decision, or indicate in writing that he/she supports the examination committee's decision to confer the degree with distinction.

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Environmental philosophy and ethics, environmental ecology, environment, society and development, environmental economics, environmental management, critical resources management: water utilisation, air quality control, land-use planning: soil characteristics, biodiversity planning, critical resource management: determinism vs co-evolutionary environmental frameworks, research methodology and practice.

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  • Module content:

    Legislation for sustainable development within the framework of international agreements, the different acts affecting water quality and water use, the SEMAs within the NEMA framework, the NEMA EIA regulations, legislation pertaining to hazardous substances, interaction between mining development and NEMA, energy law, strategic environmental legislation, marine and coastal management.

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  • Module content:

    The student needs to conduct a research project under the supervision of an academic member of staff associated with the Centre for Environmental Studies. This project needs to be of a sufficient quality to be publishable in the open scientific literature. The research report is examined as a manuscript for a suitable journal.

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  • Module content:

    The purpose of this course is to:
    -  Be exposed to the discipline  of Educational Research
    -  Understand research concepts, principles and methods
    -  Obtain skills such as:  the formulation and definition of a research problem, the use of literature to obtain an in depth understanding of a problem, the design of the research protocol, the interpretation of research results to draw conclusions about a research problem.

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Core modules

  • Module content:

    Environmental philosophy and ethics, environmental ecology, environment, society and development, environmental economics, environmental management, critical resources management: water utilisation, air quality control, land-use planning: soil characteristics, biodiversity planning, critical resource management: determinism vs co-evolutionary environmental frameworks, research methodology and practice.

    View more

  • Module content:

    Legislation for sustainable development within the framework of international agreements, the different acts affecting water quality and water use, the SEMAs within the NEMA framework, the NEMA EIA regulations, legislation pertaining to hazardous substances, interaction between mining development and NEMA, energy law, strategic environmental legislation, marine and coastal management.

    View more

  • Module content:

    The student needs to conduct a research project under the supervision of an academic member of staff associated with the Centre for Environmental Studies. This project needs to be of a sufficient quality to be publishable in the open scientific literature. The research report is examined as a manuscript for a suitable journal.

    View more

  • Module content:

    The purpose of this course is to:
    -  Be exposed to the discipline  of Educational Research
    -  Understand research concepts, principles and methods
    -  Obtain skills such as:  the formulation and definition of a research problem, the use of literature to obtain an in depth understanding of a problem, the design of the research protocol, the interpretation of research results to draw conclusions about a research problem.

    View more


The information published here is subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information. The General Regulations (G Regulations) apply to all faculties of the University of Pretoria. It is expected of students to familiarise themselves well with these regulations as well as with the information contained in the General Rules section. Ignorance concerning these regulations and rules will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression.

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