“Pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Sciences and Management at USJ is a strategic step in my career. With a background in Environmental Science and hands-on experience in the waste management industry, this program deepens my technical knowledge while expanding my leadership and policy skills. The curriculum’s focus on regional challenges in the Greater Bay Area, combined with global sustainability practices, equips me to address complex environmental issues with a broader perspective. Key skills such as environmental impact assessment and waste treatment technologies directly enhance my professional capabilities. The program also strengthens my ability to communicate across sectors and lead sustainability initiatives. This degree not only advances my career but also empowers me to drive meaningful change in environmental management and policy.”
Bernadette Lo, 2019
“Before pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences and Management, I had already been working in the sustainability department of an integrated resort, where I gained practical experience in related issues. This academic journey further solidified my professional positioning in this field and deepened my theoretical understanding and strategic thinking of sustainable development. The curriculum covered various aspects such as environmental science, policy and law, and technological applications, enabling me to examine environmental challenges and opportunities in the tourism and leisure industry from a more comprehensive perspective. Through interactions with professors and classmates from diverse backgrounds, I also expanded my understanding of sustainable practices in other industries, further strengthening my competence and confidence in cross-disciplinary environmental management.”
Nerissa Hoi, 2023
“As a graduate of both the MESM and DSC programs and a practitioner in the environmental services industry, I wholeheartedly recommend these exceptional postgraduate programs. In today’s highly competitive landscape, standing out professionally and making meaningful contributions to society requires robust knowledge and strong problem-solving abilities—including establishing sound research methodologies, collecting and analyzing data, developing models, and delivering unique insights. These programs provided me with invaluable guidance from dedicated supervisors, knowledgeable professors, and experienced field experts. Through their mentorship, I systematically acquired all the necessary skills and developed the professional mindset needed to excel in my field. Both degrees are highly respected within the industry and have significantly accelerated my career advancement and elevated my professional standing. I am confident that these programs will provide the same transformative experience for future students.”
Warren Li, 2017/2023
Modules
Year 1
Students are required to complete four elective modules to obtain 12 credits
Environmental ethics reflects systematically on responsible interactions of people with the non-human nature (ecological justice) on the individual (micro), the institutional (meso) and the socio-political level (macro). Accounting for long-term effects and aiming at the good life, it fosters ethical principles for individuals and institutions underpinning both the need to equitably and ecologically balance the need of those alive today (intragenerational justice) as well as with generations yet to be born (intergenerational justice).
This module deals with the concepts and principles in ecology, the physical and biological factors that influence the distribution and dynamics of organisms in the various terrestrial and aquatic environments, processes and dynamics of interactions within and among populations of organisms, communities and ecosystems (from populations to ecosystems). Specific examples of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in Macao such as the forests in Coloane, the wetlands in Taipa and mangrove forest in the Coloane-Taipa area will be discussed and compared to other ecosystems in the world. The ecological, economic and social benefits given by these different ecosystems are also valuated. This is followed by identification of approaches and strategies in ecosystems conservation, primarily relating these to the various services that the natural ecosystems provide. Emphasis is given on current issues on conservation, especially in the Macao context. Students will experience practical field activities to the different ecosystems in Macao, Hong Kong and nearby areas and are expected to develop conceptual conservation proposals for the ecosystems in Macao.
The development of new environmental technologies is of paramount importance to fight global environmental challenges such as global warming or energy supply and to face the increasing population pressure on urban areas. The module will start by describing the established technologies available for environmental management, including water treatment, solid waste disposal, gas emissions and energy production. New technologies being developed in these areas will also be studied and their potential discussed. The module includes laboratory training in some analytical techniques (e.g. determination of physical-chemical parameters in water samples) and field visits to relevant facilities such as solid and water treatment plants.
This module provides students with a basic understanding on the major coastal processes and systems with relevance to coastal zone management and their relationship with climate change. Topics include the coastal geomorphology and morphodynamics (genesis and evolution), coastal landform classification (estuaries, deltas, beaches, barriers, dunes etc), the complex coastal processes (wind, tides, currents, waves and climate), sea-level fluctuations (causes and consequences on the costal zones) and human-coastal interactions.
Climate change is predicted to influence the frequency and magnitude of coastal hazards and how to manage phenomena related with sea-level rise, erosion, storms, tsunamis and other natural hazards will be discussed.
This module will focus on the understanding of the effects and risks of pollutants to natural ecosystems and human populations. It will begin by studying the major classes of pollutants that can impact health, the environmental sources of these substances, their transport and resilience in the environment and the routes for human and animal exposure to these chemicals. Basic concepts of toxicology will be reviewed, including dose-response relationships, chemodynamics and chemokinetics. The potential impact on human health will be addressed by reviewing common negative effects on health (e.g. organ toxicity, carcinogenesis, endocrine disruption, neurodevelopmental effects, etc).
The module will also review the existing procedures for monitoring environmental pollutants in different countries. Finally, a strong emphasis will be given to risk assessment and to the analytical procedures available for measuring environmental pollutants and for testing the potential negative effects of new pollutants in animal and human health. Simple laboratory experiments in ecotoxicology will be run in order to provide hands-on training to students in a number of relevant techniques.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a key instrument for environmental policy and decision making. The module provides an overview of the EIA process, including of the tools most commonly applied for environmental assessment and management. A particular focus will be given to the EIA framework at a regional level (Macau, Hong Kong and Mainland China) but good practices in EIA at an international level will also be discussed. The module also aims to give practical training to students on EIA via hands-on analysis of local and international case-studies. Students will go through all the practical steps of an EIA process, including data collection, data analysis, EIA reporting and monitoring.
This module introduces Students to tools and methodologies to think and generate Business Models that could be validated by potential Clients that should be discovered and developed.
Business Models describe the way of how an organization create, deliver and capture value. So they are at the core of any Entrepreneurship project and are enhanced by Creativity and Innovation.
This Module proposes different approaches to promote Creativity, adding value to the process of Business Models Generation.
Technology Innovation will be presented as a stronger driver for changes in the markets and to be the basis of powerful Business Models.
This module aims to introduce students to the different topics and issues related with the Environmental Sciences. They will receive an introductory overview about ecossystems and the importance of natural resources, main pressures facing the global environment, sustainability and sustainable development. Students will learn the main categories of environmental problems as well as understand and discuss the relationship between environment, ethics and economy. Finally, the module will focus on demographic and sociological differences between developed and developing countries. Students will discuss scientific papers, reports and documentaries throughout the module by oral presentations and team work. A field trip to Coloane (Macau) will be conducted at the end of the module where students will experience hands on real data collection for a final project.
Law and political structures play an important regulatory role towards the goal of sustainable development. Still, worldwide environmental degradation is a reality. The module will thus focus in the effectiveness and limitations of law and its enforcement as tools for environmental protection.
The module will begin by reviewing the major international agreements in the environmental area. The local legislation on environment will also be reviewed and compared with relevant international legislation. The role of the institutional and political structures in the process of decision-making concerning the environment will be analysed using particular case-studies as examples, whenever appropriate.
This interdisciplinary module will provide training in the most common methods and tools used in environmental projects. The module will start by covering the basic principles of experimental design, data collection and data analysis in different environment-related frameworks. Students will then receive training in common analytical techniques in geo and biochemistry and in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). An enphasis will be put into GIS as their application crosses many fields of Environmental Sciences. The theoretical/practical concepts related to GIS design, development and management and the features of existing GIS software regarding its capability of analysis of spatial data will be presented. Students will be trained in space modelation and surveillance of spatial error, geo-databases concepts, vector/raster representation, 3D/network analysis, geostatistics and remote sensing.
This module focuses on issues and concerns regarding pollution and waste management in today’s cities. It includes topics on sources, identification and characterization of pollutants, effects of pollutants on the physical and natural environment and on public health, abatement techniques, control and management of pollution. Different sources and types of wastes and the corresponding methods of management will be assessed and compared. This will be complemented by visits to facilities such as the Macao Incineration Plant and Macao Waste Water Treatment Plant. Environment-friendly waste management strategies such as reduction, recycling and reuse are evaluated in terms of their use/application in the region. Existing rules and regulations in Macao, Hong Kong, China and other countries, regarding pollution monitoring and control, environmental sanitation, solid and liquid waste management, quality control and standards are also included. Students are expected to develop a conceptual plan or proposal for pollution and waste management in Macao, Hong Kong or a city of their choice at the end of the module.
It is consensual that we all benefit from a sustainable use of the Earth’s resources and from environmental amenities, such as a clean environment or high biodiversity. However, the economic incentive for individuals or companies to contribute towards these goals is low. To overcome this problem, and in the failure of conventional approaches, governments have been increasingly using market-based instruments to drive benefits for environmental protection. In addition, examples of companies that have been taking extra steps in incorporating environmental strategies as a tool to increase competitiveness have been growing.
The module will start by analyzing the costs and benefits of environmental protection and sustainable development. The fundamentals of the driving forces that influence different human activities and policies, within the context of environmental protection, will be analyzed and discussed. The traditional role of governments, companies and NGOs in environmental protection will be compared with the latest strategies adopted by the different players in different markets (Europe, USA, Asia). The analysis of particular market-based strategies, such as tradable pollution credits, will be used to demonstrate the economic rationale behind using markets for environmental protection. The success of these strategies will be debated and compared with traditional centralized approaches.
Case-studies on corporate environmental strategies will be presented in order to understand how companies can use environmental management to gain advantage over direct competitors.
Throughout the module it will be highlighted how the interaction between the government, the private sector and the civil society shapes environmental decisions and how this interaction varies in different systems.
Year 2
The master dissertation consists of a one-year individual research project or internship with report on any area of Environmental Studies and Management. Students will apply the concepts learned in the first year to a specific issue in Environmental Sciences and Management. Each student will be assigned with a thesis supervisor (co-supervision is also possible).
