{"id":10016,"date":"2026-03-27T09:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T09:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/humanities-blog\/?p=10016"},"modified":"2026-03-27T09:01:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T09:01:05","slug":"my-experience-studying-in-the-planning-property-and-environmental-management-department","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/humanities-blog\/2026\/03\/27\/my-experience-studying-in-the-planning-property-and-environmental-management-department\/","title":{"rendered":"My Experience Studying in the Planning, Property and Environmental Management Department"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I was nervous about starting the MSc Environmental Impact Assessment & Management (EIA&M) program at the University of Manchester, a programme that brings together planning and management with different aspects of environmental assessment. Having taken a few years after my undergraduate degree in the United States to work, I felt ready, but uncertain about how the pace and structure of postgraduate study in the UK would feel, especially with the thought of completing my taught masters (including a dissertation) in one calendar year. That uncertainty faded quickly in thanks to the clear direction from my professors and the support of my peers.<\/p>\n

EIA&M may sound like a very specific program, but it has been extensive, filled with a great variety of topics and people. I am grateful to be among my peers, who come from backgrounds spanning architectural design, ESG, geography, and environmental science; this academic diversity put me at ease and highlighted how this program and topic is multi-disciplinary. The program offerings have genuinely been integrated; not only do we get to explore environmental impact assessment, but cover health impact assessments and social impact assessments, each with their own frameworks that can complement one another.<\/p>\n

Before starting the program, most of what I knew about the program came from reading the online program details. I was drawn to the variety of course offerings, particularly on topics I did not have the opportunity to explore in my undergraduate studies. For example, I started a Climate Change and Development course this semester and was pleasantly surprised with the depth and newness the course had brought to this topic, especially coming in thinking I already had a solid founding on the topic; the course challenged that in a unique, welcoming way. From mineral extraction to environmental activist movements, these lectures brought in new perspectives and aspects I had not considered or studied before. Overall, my courses have taught me to not come into the lecture room close-minded, and to truly embrace new perspectives on topics academically and with the way I engage with the world around me.<\/p>\n

One of the greatest things I have valued the most during my studies is the connections I find myself making across courses when topics overlap. In my Environmental Law course, we examined the different justice dimensions of environmental decision-making, asking whether a process or policy is efficacious, but also whether it is equitable. Going back to the Climate Change and Development material, I was able to draw on those justice frameworks and apply them to a different assignment I had. The frameworks that were laid out in one course showed that it could intersect with another course.<\/p>\n

Now being more than halfway through my programme I have more confidence in my EIA&M studies and going into my dissertation writing. With a solid amount of EIA&M coursework completed, I feel more well-equipped to bring together concepts and frameworks from across the program and integrate them into my dissertation. No matter how much I thought I knew before starting this programme, I have come out of my courses and coursework with a greater knowledge and depth on a plethora of topics, learning how to be more critical and analytical of what is placed in front of me. This is what I believe to be one of the greatest values of pursuing higher education.<\/p>\n

Written by Katera, a current postgraduate student in SEED.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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