Certificate In Environmental Studies

DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE -ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

Study ecology, environmental assessment, wildlife management, environmental restoration and electives including earth science, botany and environmental waste management.

• Get experience as well as knowledge -network, observe, learn.
• In this industry, getting a qualification is not as important as what many people think.
• There are lots of opportunities; BUT there are also lots of unemployed environmental science graduates
• What is important is....a/ Get the sort of skills that employers (or clients) want; b/ Be prepared to do anything at first to break into the industry and get some experience; c/ After study, continue to develop extra reasons for people to employ you (such as communication and management skills, networking with industry, plant and animal identification skill, etc)

This is an excellent foundation course for understanding key environmental principles and issues. This course may provide an entry point to getting a job or a first step towards the higher qualifications needed to work as an Environmental Manager or Consultant.

Modules

Note that each module in the Certificate In Environmental Studies is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

MODULE CONTENT

INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY (BEN101)

This subject has 7 lessons as follows:

1. Ecosystems and Populations
2. The Development Of Life
3. Animals, Parasites and Endangered Species
4. Fungi, Tundra, Rainforests and Marshlands
5. Mountains, Rivers and Deserts
6. Shallow Waters
7. Ecological Problems

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT (BEN205)

The course is divided into nine lessons as follows:

1. Introduction To Wildlife Management
2. Wildlife Ecology
3. Wildlife Habitats
4. Population Dynamics
5. Carrying Capacity
6. Wildlife Censuses
7. Wildlife Management Techniques
8. Wildlife Management Law And Administration
9. Wildlife Management Case Study Research Project

CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (BEN201)

This course has 8 lessons as follows:

1. An Introduction To Ecology
2. A Perspective On Environmental Problems
3. Pollution and Industry Effects On The Environment
4. Water and Soil
5. Vegetation Conservation and Management
6. Animal Conservation and Management
7. Marine Conservation and Management
8. The Future

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (BEN 301)

There are 8 lessons in this course as follows:

1. Types of Employment for Environmental Scientists
2. Introduction to Environmental Assessment
3. International Environmental Law
4. Domestic Environmental Law
5. Types of Environmental Assessments
6. The Design and Process of Environmental Assessment
7. Writing Environmental Reports
8. Research Project - The student will carry out a small environmental assessment and write it up as a professional report.

TREES FOR REHABILITATION (BHT205)

There are ten lessons are as follows...

1. Approaches To Land Rehabilitation
2. Ecology Of Soils And Plant Health
3. Introduction To Seed Propagation Techniques
4. Propagation And Nursery Stock
5. Dealing With Chemical Problems
6. Physical Plant Effects On Degraded Sites
7. Plant Establishment Programs
8. Hostile Environments
9. Plant Establishment Care
10. Rehabilitating Degraded Sites

BOTANY I (Plant Physiology and Taxonomy) (BSC104)

The course is divided into 10 lessons as follows:

1. Taxonomic Classification of Plants
2. Cells and Tissues
3. Specific Vegetative Parts of a Plant
4. Flowers and Fruit
5. Seed and the Developing Embryo
6. Photosynthesis and Growing Plants
7. Respiration
8. The Role of Water
9. Movement of Water and Assimilates through a Plant
10. The Effects of Tropisms and Other Growth Movements

EARTH SCIENCE BEN204

There are nine lessons in this module as follows:

1. Structure and Forces
2. Rocks and Minerals
3. Surface Changes
4. The Oceans
5. Air and Weather
6. The Greenhouse Effect
7. Global Weather Patterns
8. Geological Time
9. Modern Environmental Issues

FINDING WORK IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRIES

People are increasingly more environmentally aware and job opportunities are expanding rapidly in this and related industries.

Despite this fact, many graduates from environmental courses can find it difficult to obtain employment.  Often this may be attributed to the type of course they have undertaken, or the level at which they have studied.  Many environmental courses also begin with general study and finish off with study in a specific and narrow field. This is important if you are to become an expert in a specialised field, but it can mean that your job opportunities become limited due to high competition between applicants for a limited number of available positions.

You can increase your chances of gaining employment however, by taking the following factors into consideration:

• Choose a general environmental course to begin your studies as this will give you a broad foundation of environmental skills and knowledge with which to apply to your environmental employment;
• Supplement your environmental studies with study in subject areas that will provide you with additional skills that you can use in your environmental employment such as study in management, computing and writing; and
• Try to obtain work experience within your chosen field of employment while you are studying. This will allow you to acquire specialist skills while gaining contacts as well as valuable content for your resume.

If you seek a career in this industry, our advice is to look carefully at the courses you undertake and be prepared to embrace every opportunity to obtain valuable experience, whether paid work or voluntary.

Other Environmental Courses we offer: