Tailored Specialisation

Passionate about a specific interdisciplinary niche? Design a study plan to fit your interests

Coordinator: Professor David Kennedy

Co-coordinators: Dr Stephanie Lavau, Dr Georgia Garrard, and Gab Corbo-Perkins.

Overview
Employers in the environmental sector seek graduates who are able to integrate knowledge across disciplines, collaborate effectively in cross-disciplinary teams, and translate information for different audiences.

New areas of environmental specialisation are emerging that require synthesis of knowledge from historically distinct fields – for example, combining a knowledge of environmental sustainability with business entrepreneurship, drawing on knowledge of public health to improve landscape planning processes, or pursuing practices that require advanced knowledge of both energy systems and environmental law.

  • Designed for

    The tailored specialisation is designed to support students to develop skills for integration, collaboration and translation while gaining depth of knowledge in one or more fields of inquiry. The flexible structure enables students to tailor subject selection to meet personal learning objectives, developed in consultation with an academic advisor.

View full list of Tailored Specialisation subjects in the Handbook

Example Focus: Sustainable Business and Clean Energy

Year 1

Semester 1

Environmental Sustainability

Energy  for Sustainable Development

Climate Change Mitigation

Managerial Psychology

Semester 2

Climate Change Politics and Policy

Sustainability Accounting

Environmental Policy Instruments

Public Policy Lobbying Strategies

Year 2

Semester 1

Project Management

Sustainable Business Practices

Industry Research Project

Semester 2

Partnerships for Sustainable Futures

Managing Innovation and Change

Nick Horsburgh
Nick Horsburgh,
NEW ZEALAND
Master of Environment,
2 year program,
Tailored specialisation

"I saw the Master of Environment program as an opportunity to not only build upon my existing knowledge and passion for addressing environmental issues, but also to combine this knowledge with an additional focus on sustainable business and clean energy. The flexibility within the degree structure, and particularly within the tailored specialisation, allowed me the freedom to explore these interests.

The multidisciplinary nature of the course attracts students from a board range of cultures and backgrounds, and I’ve relished the opportunity to interact with so many fascinating and knowledgeable individuals throughout my time here."

Example Focus: Sustainable Food Systems

Year 1

Semester 1

Environmental Sustainability

Political Ecology of Development

Development Special Topic

The Politics of Food

Semester 2

Nom communicable Disease and Global Health

Securing Health and Sufficient Food

Nutrition Politics and Policy

International Child Health

Year 2

Semester 1

Food Production in  Urban Landscapes

Sustainable Landscapes

Research project

Semester 2

Partnerships for Sustainable Futures

Study Abroad subject

Sophie Lamond
Sophie Lamond
PhD candidate,
University of Melbourne.
Founder: Youth Food Movement,
Melbourne

" I originally trained as a curator but as I started out on that career path I became increasingly curious about the food system, I joined the youth food movement and soon wanted more. I hunted around a lot looking for study options available to me - I settled on the Master of Environment and moved to Melbourne. The Master of Environment has allowed me to focus in on sustainable food systems while allowing me to have a truly interdisciplinary experience. I've studied development subjects, food policy and public health, got my hands dirty doing horticulture at Burnley as well as studied overseas and undertaken a major research project. Taking such a broad view allowed me to understand the complexity of food systems and helped me identify my research interests. I'm about to start my PhD here in a topic I didn't even know existed when I started - nutrition politics. It has been a really rich experience studying with students from such different backgrounds and I'm sure the networks established during my time here will stay with me through life. Already with some of my student colleagues I've founded an organisation, The Fair Food Challenge - lobbying Australian Universities to adopt comprehensive food policies."