Environmental Science

Master of Science in Sustainable Environment Management

The Master of Science in Sustainable Environment Management is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in environmental management, sustainability, and natural resource conservation. The programme provides specialised training in environmental governance, climate change, conservation, waste management, environmental impact assessment, and sustainable development.

Core areas include environmental management, sustainability, climate change, conservation biology, environmental law and policy, waste management, environmental impact assessment, natural resource economics, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, field studies, and research.

The programme is offered by JKUAT and Kenyatta University as public institutions, with Africa Nazarene University offering a closely related MSc in Environmental and Natural Resource Management as a private institution. JKUAT offers MSc in Environmental Engineering and Management while KU offers MSc in Climate Change and Sustainability. The programme is available in full-time and part-time modes over two years, combining coursework with research.

Students develop competencies in environmental management, sustainability, conservation, policy, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, field studies, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for environmental management, conservation, and sustainability roles.

JKUAT charges approximately KES 181,000 per year while KU charges approximately KES 130,000 per year. Africa Nazarene University (private) charges an estimated KES 200,000 per year. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Environmental Science, Natural Resources, Agriculture, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as environmental managers, sustainability officers, conservation officers, environmental consultants, climate change specialists, and lecturers across government agencies, NGOs, consulting firms, research institutions, and universities.

Skills Required

Environmental Management and Governance
Sustainability and Sustainable Development
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Environmental Impact Assessment and Audit
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Environmental Law and Policy
Waste Management and Pollution Control
Natural Resource Economics
Research Methods in Environmental Management
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Environmental Management and Governance
Climate Change and Sustainability
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Environmental Law and Policy
Environmental Impact Assessment and Audit
Waste Management and Pollution Control
Natural Resource Economics
Environmental Change and Development
Research Methods in Environmental Management
Thesis Research

Certifications

NEMA EIA Lead Expert Certification
IEMA Professional Membership

Specializations

Environmental Governance

Focuses on environmental governance, covering governance, environment, policy, law, and managing environmental governance and regulation.

Climate Change and Sustainability

Examines climate change, covering climate, change, sustainability, mitigation, and managing climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Conservation Management

Covers conservation management, covering conservation, biodiversity, management, ecology, and managing conservation and biodiversity.

Waste Management

Focuses on waste management, covering waste, management, pollution, environment, and managing waste and pollution control.

Environmental Impact Assessment

Examines environmental impact assessment, covering EIA, environment, assessment, audit, and managing environmental impact assessment and audit.

Natural Resource Management

Covers natural resource management, covering resources, natural, management, economics, and managing natural resources and economics.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 181,000
Private, up to: Ksh 200,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Environmental Management and Governance
Climate Change and Sustainability
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Environmental Law and Policy
Environmental Impact Assessment and Audit
Waste Management and Pollution Control
Natural Resource Economics
Environmental Change and Development
Research Methods in Environmental Management
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Environmental Management and Governance
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines environmental management, covering environment, management, governance, policy, and managing environmental management and governance.
Climate Change and Sustainability
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers climate change, covering climate, change, sustainability, mitigation, and managing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines conservation, covering conservation, biodiversity, ecology, management, and managing conservation and biodiversity.
Environmental Law and Policy
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers environmental law, covering law, environment, policy, regulation, and managing environmental law and policy.
Environmental Impact Assessment and Audit
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines EIA, covering EIA, environment, assessment, audit, and managing environmental impact assessment and audit.
Waste Management and Pollution Control
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers waste management, covering waste, management, pollution, environment, and managing waste and pollution control.
Natural Resource Economics
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines natural resource economics, covering resources, economics, natural, management, and managing natural resource economics.
Research Methods in Environmental Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, environment, management, and conducting research in environmental management, preparing students for their thesis.
Environmental Change and Development
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines environmental change, covering change, environment, development, impacts, and managing environmental change and development.
Sustainable Development Goals and Environmental Policy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers SDGs, covering SDGs, sustainable, development, environment, and managing sustainable development goals and environmental policy.
Environmental Project Planning and Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines environmental projects, covering projects, environment, planning, management, and managing environmental project planning and management.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on an environmental management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and environmental knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Environmental Governance
Focuses on environmental governance, covering governance, environment, policy, law, and managing environmental governance and regulation.
Climate Change and Sustainability
Examines climate change, covering climate, change, sustainability, mitigation, and managing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Conservation Management
Covers conservation management, covering conservation, biodiversity, management, ecology, and managing conservation and biodiversity.
Waste Management
Focuses on waste management, covering waste, management, pollution, environment, and managing waste and pollution control.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Examines environmental impact assessment, covering EIA, environment, assessment, audit, and managing environmental impact assessment and audit.
Natural Resource Management
Covers natural resource management, covering resources, natural, management, economics, and managing natural resources and economics.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Sustainable Environment Management programme combines lectures, field studies, laboratory work, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover environmental management, climate change, conservation, waste management, and environmental law. Environmental management sessions examine environment, management, governance, policy, and managing environmental management and governance. Climate change sessions cover climate, change, sustainability, mitigation, and managing climate change mitigation and adaptation. Conservation sessions cover conservation, biodiversity, ecology, management, and managing conservation and biodiversity. Waste management sessions cover waste, management, pollution, environment, and managing waste and pollution control. Environmental law sessions cover law, environment, policy, regulation, and managing environmental law and policy. EIA sessions cover EIA, environment, assessment, audit, and managing environmental impact assessment. Natural resource economics sessions cover resources, economics, natural, management, and managing natural resource economics. Field studies provide practical experience in environmental assessment, conservation, and waste management. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on an environmental management topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses critical environmental challenges in Kenya including climate change, conservation, and waste management.
Programme offered at multiple public and private universities with different fee options.
Graduates are eligible for NEMA EIA Lead Expert certification, a key professional credential in Kenya.
Programme combines theoretical knowledge with practical field studies and laboratory work.

Against it

No university offers this exact programme name; all offer closely related variants.
KU fee data is estimated from similar environmental programmes, not confirmed for this specific programme.
ANU fee data is estimated from general postgraduate fee range.
Programme requires multidisciplinary background which may limit direct entry for some graduates.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 181 environmental science courses

Public130k to 181k

130k at Kenyatta University181k at JKUAT

Private150k to 200k

150k at Mount Kenya University200k at Africa Nazarene University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KU 130,000, JKUAT 181,000/yr. MKU/ANU unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. UNEP and international environmental organisations may offer fellowships for environmental research and education.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
UNEP Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 181,000Kenyan
Universities may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate environmental management students.
UNEP Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
UNEP and international environmental organisations may offer fellowships for environmental research and education.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Most universities require at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant field. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant work experience. The programme is multidisciplinary and accepts graduates from diverse backgrounds. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, field study reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering environmental management, climate change, conservation, waste management, and environmental law.
Field Study Project
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through field study projects, demonstrating environmental assessment, analysis, and reporting skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on an environmental management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and environmental knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). JKUAT, Kenyatta University (public), and Africa Nazarene University (private) offer closely related environmental management programmes. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in environmental management. Graduates may interact with NEMA for environmental regulation and EIA certification and UNEP for international environmental standards. The programme aligns with NEMA and UNEP global environmental frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. JKUAT, Kenyatta University (public), and Africa Nazarene University (private) offer closely related environmental management programmes. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in environmental management. Graduates may interact with NEMA for environmental regulation and EIA certification and UNEP for international environmental standards. The programme aligns with NEMA and UNEP global environmental frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Environmental Manager
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages environmental operations, covering environment, management, operations, compliance, and managing environmental management and compliance.
Sustainability Officer
High demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000
Manages sustainability programmes, covering sustainability, environment, programmes, reporting, and managing sustainability and environmental reporting.
Conservation Officer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages conservation projects, covering conservation, biodiversity, projects, ecology, and managing conservation and biodiversity projects.
Environmental Consultant
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 450,000
Provides environmental consulting, covering consulting, environment, advisory, EIA, and managing environmental consulting and advisory.
Climate Change Specialist
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages climate change programmes, covering climate, change, mitigation, adaptation, and managing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Environmental Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches environmental management at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

ArcGIS
SoftwarePrimary
ArcGIS for environmental mapping and spatial analysis, covering GIS, environment, mapping, analysis, and managing environmental mapping and analysis.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for environmental data analysis, covering statistics, data, analysis, environment, and managing environmental data analysis.
R Statistical Software
Software
R for environmental statistics and data analysis, covering statistics, data, environment, analysis, and managing environmental statistics.
Google Earth Engine
Software
Google Earth Engine for environmental monitoring and remote sensing, covering remote, sensing, environment, monitoring, and managing environmental monitoring.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Environmental management is just about planting trees.
Environmental management covers governance, climate change, conservation, waste management, policy, and economics beyond just tree planting.
This programme is only for science graduates.
Environmental management is for professionals from economics, law, social sciences, and business backgrounds, not just science graduates.
Environmental management has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Environmental graduates are in high demand in government, NGOs, consulting firms, and research institutions.
This programme is the same as environmental science.
Sustainable environment management focuses on management, policy, and sustainability, distinct from pure environmental science.
Environmental management is only about conservation.
The programme covers governance, climate change, waste management, economics, and policy alongside conservation.
You need to work outdoors to study environmental management.
The programme prepares graduates for both field-based and office-based roles in policy, consulting, and management.