Environmental management is of growing importance in the daily operation of private and public sectors. Throughout the past few decades, new environmental tools have emerged to enable policymakers and decision-makers to deal with environmental challenges presented in their planning and operation, including environmental accounting, environmental risk assessment and environmental management system certification. At the same time, the establishment of environmental regulation in different jurisdictions makes it necessary for different sectors to comply with different legal and regulatory requirements. This multidisciplinary programme is catered for students who have a strong interest and dedication in environmental management and sustainability.

The BSc in Integrated Environmental Management [BSc(IEM)] programme offers our next generation a multidisciplinary and comprehensive training encompassing science, computing, socioeconomic and regulatory dimensions, enabling graduates to deal with environmental issues from different perspectives. 

The programme aims to provide students with a solid training in both scientific inquiry and social sciences inquiry so that they can understand the nature and complexity of the environmental challenges faced by the humanity.  This also enables them to consider and tackle different environmental problems systematically using an evidence-based approach.  Importantly, they will also be able to communicate their views and arguments on environmental issues to convince different stakeholders (including the general public and policy makers).  Upon the completion of the programme, students will be able to apply professional knowledge to manage a broad range of environmental issues in the real world.

* Not applicable for Senior Year Admissions.

Notes for Year 1 Admissions only:

1. Students admitted into this programme are required to join the Overseas Field Trip (“Contemporary Environmental Issues”) and contribute 18% of the estimated cost of the trip in order to complete the programme.
2. Students admitted into this programme starting from the 2023/24 cohort are required to visit the Greater Bay Area (GBA) for a short trip (e.g. 1-day or 2-day 1-night trip) in order to complete the Cross-Faculty Core Course. While the GBA trip is heavily subsidised, students are still required to contribute 18% of the estimated cost of the trip ("student contribution"), whereas personal entertainment, meals expenses, travel document fee and personal insurance costs will not be supported. The estimated cost of the GBA trip for students admitted to the 2024/25 cohort is not available yet as it is subject to a variety of factors such as changes to the cost of the GBA trip as a result of inflation, trip duration, traveling expenses, the exchange rate, etc. The exact amount of student contribution is thus not available.

The major core courses of BSc(IEM) equip students with essential concepts, theories and advanced understanding related to environmental management and studies, in which the Internship provides real-life platforms for students to integrate and apply their knowledge and skills on environmental management acquired in other courses of the programme. The major elective courses offer students an opportunity to further develop their interest. The major interdisciplinary course is designed to develop students’ understanding on the major issues affecting sustainable development in the global community.

The Cross-Faculty Core Course (CFCC) will comprise 3 individual components with 1 credit point each and separately assessed with the aim to widen students’ horizon and look beyond Hong Kong. In Component I, lectures with topics related to Basic Law / National Security will be arranged; in Component II, students will have the opportunities to undertake visits in Greater Bay Area; in Component III, a variety of themes which are linked to the University’s development niche areas will be offered by Faculties.

Contemporary Environmental Issues

Held in the summer between Year 2 and Year 3, this course provides students with first-hand experience on the occurrence of, and application of concepts relevant to environmental issues in global context. The course involves a series of seminars to allow students understanding of selected environmental issues; along with an overseas field trip. The course is designed with an aim to enhance students’ connection of theories to their practices using authentic examples. Through visiting university’s partners, organisations, companies, urban sites and natural attractions, the course creates an interactive learning environment where students combine knowledge acquired from site visits, field activities, seminars and lectures to investigate real-world problems.

Internship

Held in the summer between Year 3 and Year 4, the internship course aims to provide students with real-life integrated environmental management experiences strongly linked to their future career. This allows students to apply, practise and integrate their knowledge and skills acquired in the other courses of the programme in solving authentic environmental problems. Through the internship course, students are able to apply the knowledge and skills they learnt from the programme to gain authentic job experiences, critically reflect and get inspired on a potential future career in environmental management.

Students of the BSc(IEM) programme are encouraged to adopt “Science for Environmental Management” or “Sustainable Tourism” Minors. These two Minors are developed in view of the professional and career needs of the students.

• “Science for Environmental Management” Minor (15 cps) comprises more skill-based courses which can further provide students with knowledge in the areas of environmental science and enhance their professional skills and practical capacity for engaging in the environmental and industrial sectors.
•  “Sustainable Tourism” Minor (15 cps) will be useful for students who wish to apply their environmental knowledge in the tourist sector.  More specifically, this minor equips students with knowledge and perspectives in understanding the multiple connections between contemporary tourism practices and environmental management. By completing the courses in the minor, students will be able to understand the theoretical underpinnings and best practices of sustainable tourism.

Alternatively, students can freely take courses offered by any academic departments of the university as Second Major (applicable to Year 1 Admissions only), Minor(s) and/or electives to suit their career aspirations and interests.

The programme will mainly be conducted in English. All Major courses will be taught in English. For some non-Major courses, Putonghua or Cantonese will be adopted as the medium of instruction when the language is considered to be most effective for teaching.

Graduates can find employment across a wide range of fields, including Environmental Consultancy, Non-government Environmental Organisations, Public & Private Sectors in Environmental Management, Environmental Testing, etc.