News 2012
Environmental Management degree accredited
Wed, 16 May 2012
The UCC evening BSc Hons Environmental Mangement Degree has become the first degree programme in Ireland to be accredited by the UK-based Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).
The programme is the only evening science degree in UCC, specifically for mature students. It was developed from the original and very successful evening BSc Environmental Studies degree that began in 1997 and involved 16 different Departments within UCC. Today the BSc Env Man degree retains its truly inter-disciplinary nature involving Schools and Departments from all four Colleges in UCC.
Accreditation for the degree was successfully sought from the UK based Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) because the degree programme has competences relevant to CIWEM membership and because the Insitution is recognised worldwide.
Graduates of the degree programme will automatically be entitled to graduate membership of CIWEM and once they progress to full membership they will become Chartered Water and Environmental Managers.
Co-ordinator of the Environmental Management Degree Programme Dr. Debbie Chapman from the School of BEES says the course has been constantly improving: "Many students graduating from the Env Studies programme have been very successful in obtaining employment in various aspects of the Environmental sector, particularly consultancy and industry. Feedback from them encouraged us to modify the programme slightly in order to shorten the course to four years with a greater emphasis on self-directed learning, to provide a more applied focus and and to rename it BSc Environmental Management in order to reflect more accurately the learning outcomes."
"Many graduates have been finding employers looking for evidence of professional development and recognition of their skills. Professional accreditation of a degree programme serves this purpose by providing peer reviewed recognition that the programme provides students with a suite of professional competences relevant to the accrediting body and it associated profession."