Master of Protected Area Conservation (P7C)

Protected areas cover more than 15% of global land mass, 20% of Australian land, and 40% of Tasmania. Effective conservation and management of this significant land estate is central to achieving global conservation and sustainable development goals. Conservation professionals need to be trained in aspects of governance, planning and management in order to ensure the protected area estate effectively conserves nature and natures benefits to people.

This course will provide you with the knowledge and skills required by contemporary protected area conservation professionals working in middle or senior governance or management roles. This course covers governance, planning and management practice in government, private and community-based protected areas, as well as broader landscape contexts. Terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected areas are addressed. You will apply skills in governance, planning, and management to address complex conservation problems across landscapes and within protected areas.

The course has been designed to meet international competencies for protected area planners specified by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, with a particular focus on middle and senior governance and management roles. The structure of the degree ensures that graduates have the full range of required skills for protected area planners and managers in senior roles. Experiential learning is facilitated through field components within the core units, which involve practical experience of working world activities in natural environments. Students are offered further opportunity to customize their learning through an elective facilitating exploration of conservation topics in Tasmania as well as a capstone professional placement unit in the final year of study.

Tasmania is the ideal place to undertake a degree focused on protected area governance and management. Within half an hour from the Sandy Bay campus, we access marine, coastal, heathland, wetland, grassland, woodland, dry eucalypt, wet eucalypt, rainforest, subalpine and alpine natural environments, as well as urban nature. The Tasmanian world heritage recognised wilderness is little over an hour’s drive away. Tasmanian nature is so distinctive and important that half the State is in reserves and approximately half the area of these reserves is world heritage. This makes it an imminent destination to study conservation in protected areas. You will be helped in your learning by academic staff with international reputations in their subject areas.

Bachelor of Natural Environments and Conservation - Master of Protected Area Conservation (Double-Degree)

Looking to accelerate your career by completing two degrees? If so, this double-degree allows you to complete both an undergraduate and postgraduate degree full-time over four-years (or part-time equivalent). For information, please see the Bachelor of Natural Environments and Conservation.

Admission to most postgraduate coursework courses at the University of Tasmania require qualifications equivalent to an Australian bachelor degree. Applicants must achieve the required grade in their qualifying studies, meet any prerequisite subjects, and meet English language requirements to be eligible for an offer.

English Language Requirements

For students who do not meet the English Language Requirement through citizenship or prior studies in English in an approved country, evidence of an approved English language test completed within the last 2 years must be provided. See the English Language Requirements page for more information.

Course Specific Requirements

Candidates for the Master of Protected Area Conservation shall be qualified for entry if they hold a bachelor degree in any discipline at the University of Tasmania or hold other tertiary qualification(s) deemed by the College to be equivalent for this purpose. International applicants who are nationals of and currently reside in a country where English is not the official language require an IELTS of 6.5 with no individual band less than 6.0 or equivalent.

• All methods of meeting University of Tasmania English language requirements have a validity period of 2 years unless involving a country specific qualification as listed below.
• Each course offered by the University of Tasmania has a minimum English language requirement for entry as listed below. Applicants must also meet the academic entry requirements for each course.
• Applicants who qualify from a University of Tasmania program, and intend to gain professional registration to become a practitioner in Australia, may need to meet the relevant Professional Accrediting Agency's English language registration standard.
• In exceptional circumstances or cases not covered by the categories outlined below, multiple forms of evidence may be considered on a case by case basis by the Executive Director, Student Operations in consultation with the Director, Academic Quality and Standards.
• The University reserves the right to require that any applicant be required to undergo a test of English language.

Diverse career opportunities exist across government, private, and not-for-profit sectors. This knowledge and skillset empower you to work in various landscapes with natural value, from highly urbanised environments and agricultural areas to protected recreation and conservation zones.

The range of knowledge and skills suits work in any landscape with natural values, including highly urbanised environments, agricultural landscapes, as well as areas protected for recreation and conservation. These include eco-tourism, natural area management, protection and interpretation, emergency management and planning, and natural resource management.

Jobs will generally be advertised under the following titles:

• Environmental planner
• Environmental manager
• Environmental scientist
• Eco-tourism operator/manager
• Natural resource officer/manager
• Park ranger/manager
• Conservation manager
• Urban services manager
• Environmental consultant
• Ecologist