MSc Environmental Impact Assessment & Management

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2027, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £13,200
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £28,100

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

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This module will provide you with practical experience of undertaking elements of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process for a project based in the Greater Manchester area. It develops practical knowledge and skills in relation to project design and planning and undertaking environmental impact assessment.  Each student is to provide advice to a client organisation that has land holdings in the Greater Manchester area and seeks to take forward medium- to large- scale, mixed-use development of a particular site.

 

 

1. To provide experience in undertaking the early stages of an EIA to provide advice to a client.
2. To provide experience in site evaluation, project development and approaches to impact assessment.
3. To enable students to develop self-learning capabilities and to demonstrate them in small group sessions
4. To provide experience in writing reports relating to the preliminary stages of EIA.
5. To gain experience in project management and team work.
6. To present work, using a variety of means, to an appropriate professional standard.

 

 

There are three sections to this course unit based around three assignments.  The context for any development proposals is the core strategy prepared by the relevant local authority, which will guide the analysis of constraints relating to the site and potential alternatives for future development, followed by the approach to assessing the impacts of the alternative(s) identified. The brief consists of two stages: Site analysis and development of potential development options, and Identification of key impacts and outlining an approach to their assessment.

Students work initially in a group collecting and analysing data about their ‘site’, and following presentation of the outputs, move forward as an individual to focus on key impacts and the provision of guidance to the ‘notional’ client.

Introductory lectures to each stage, 

Bespoke GIS for EIA session

Workshops with practitioners on assessing various impact types

Weekly drop-in sessions (group)

Initially you will work in small groups to undertake research on the site and gather relevant materials, data, etc., for the group presentation on key site features and potential options for development. Following the group presentation, you will work as individuals, and draw on the presentation and your own further analysis to explore potential impacts and their assessment. 

Understand some of the practice-based challenges in EIA

Undertake research and data aquisition relevant to the context of a project

Present work to a professional standard in bot written and verbal formats

Prepare written reports in detail relating to the EIA process

Work effectively as a member of a group in producing work

Overcome challenges, both as a member of a team and as an individual through appropriate team management

 

Group presentation (10 minutes) 30% weighting

Group presentation (15 minutes) 30% weighting

Individual Report (1000 words) 40% weighting

Feedback on submitted work is provided within 15 working days via Turnitin

Indicative Reading List

Glasson, J., Therivel, R. and Chadwick, A. (2019) Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, Routledge, Abingdon, 5th edition.

Landscape Institute/Institute of Environmental Assessment (2013) Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment third edition, Routledge, London. Full text available online through University Library.

Morris, P. and Therivel, R. (eds.) (2018) Methods of Environmental Impact Assessment, UCL Press, London, 4th edition

Online resources

Communities and Local Government, UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/planning-system

You should explore issues relating to planning policy, guidance, etc.

Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 No. 571 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/571/contents/made

Department of Transport (nd) Environmental Assessment Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, Volume 11 (updated), HMSO, London.

http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol11/index.htm

European Commission:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/home.htm

European Commission (2001) Guidance on EIA: EIS Review, Directorate General for Environment, EC, Brussels: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/archives/eia/eia-guidelines/g-review-full-text.pdf

European Commission (2001) Guidance on EIA: Scoping, Directorate General for Environment, EC, Brussels: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/archives/eia/eia-guidelines/g-scoping-full-text.pdf

European Commission (2001) Guidance on EIA: Screening, Directorate General for Environment, EC, Brussels: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/archives/eia/eia-guidelines/g-screening-full-te