Master in Environmental Management and Audit

Program Presentation

The increasing importance in environmental management in state policies and, therefore, in business, is demonstrated by the extensive and increasingly strict legislation enacted in this regard. That is why a specialized position in environmental management within the companies is frequently required.

The globalization of markets has led to increased competition among organizations and the breakdown of many of the business paradigms. Today, an organization cannot afford a one-dimensional view of the production process, but must take into account many environmental, social, economic and ethical factors.This means that not only must it produce quality outcomes at a lower cost, but must also do so while respecting the environment and social conditions, of both the workers themselves and the community where it is manufactured or where the product is destined to go.

In this regard, training is essential to acquire the skills and strategies, systems, processes, tools and methods that allow the projection of managing organizations, mainly SMBs, as far as sustainable development is concerned.

The Master in Environmental Management and Audit presented here is an ideal solution for those organizations with the need to train integrated specialists in environmental management, understanding sustainability as a business opportunity and not as an associated cost.

Who is the programme for?

The proposed training methodology, coupled with the clarity, scope, and didactics of the content’s design, allows the Master in Management and Environmental Audits to be directed at university graduates from middle grade or higher who wish to receive training in environmental management and environmental audits to improve their employment prospects.

Diploma

Successful completion of the Program will enable you to be awarded the degree in Master in Environmental Management and Audit.

After successfully completing the Program, the student will receive the degree as awarded by the University where they have enrolled.

Program Structure

The credit structure of the Master in Environmental Management and Audit program is shown in the following table. It should be noted that the duration is merely indicative, as the methodology followed integrates the knowledge and skills to be acquired in each part through integrative exercises of knowledge acquisition and internalization of project practices:

  CREDITSa
TOTAL 90-100-110
1st part: Environmental Consultancy (Required) 40
2nd part: Specialization (Optional) 30-40-50
3rd part: Scientific Research Methodology Final Project or Degree Thesis (Mandatory) 20

a. The equivalence in credits may vary according to the university where he/she has enrolled. One (1) ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit is equivalent to 10 + 15 hours. If the student is enrolled in a university that does not belong to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the relation between credits - hours may vary.

Duration

The Master in Environmental Management and Audit has 90 credits.

The duration of the Master in Environmental Management and Audit varies between 12 and 24 months, depending on the student's commitment. During this period, the student must have successfully passed all the corresponding evaluations as well as the Final Project.

Objectives

General Objective

  • The purpose of the Program is for student’s acquisition of advanced training in a specialized and multidisciplinary nature, oriented to the professional specialization. Under this premise, the overall objective is to train professionals in the environmental area, who can work in multidisciplinary teams in the research and consulting fields.

Specific Objectives

  • Analyze the economic, social and environmental implications of sustainable development, realizing the importance of the concept in its reality.
  • Recognize the importance of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, discussing the best way to preserve them.
  • Deploy, with the help of case studies, an environmental management system in the company according to ISO 14001.
  • Design, with the help of examples and case studies, acoustic screens to isolate areas of leisure or highways.
  • Diagnose, through the use of an audit manual, the proper functioning of a company’s environmental management system.
  • Develop a waste water purification system and evaluate the different options for water treatment, to achieve a lower impact on the environment within the framework of the existing legislation.
  • Identify the current environmental legislation applicable to the company.
  • Make better use of local natural resources at all times, thereby contributing to sustainable development.
  • Question the externalities that occur in the area where one resides and how to internalize them.

Career Opportunities

Some of the professional opportunities for the Master in Environmental Management and Audit are the following:

  • Independent environmental consultant.
  • Organizational consultant for the environment.
  • Environmental technician in municipalities.
  • Environmental specialist.
  • Advisor for the introduction of Environmental Management Systems in the company.
  • Teaching.

Study Plan

The Master in Environmental Management and Audit has a curricular structure based on 3 sequential training parts:

  • 1st PART: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANCY

The first part allows one to know and understand, first, the theoretical, conceptual and historical foundations involved in environmental issues and, secondly, its organizational, social and technological implementations.

The aim is to get students to acquire an overview of the Environmental field, through the different but related multidisciplinary themes.

The subjects and the corresponding credits that make up the first part are shown in the following table:

1st PART: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANCY
# SUBJECTS CREDITS
TOTAL 40
1 Introduction 1
2 Ecology 2
3 Water Treatment 5
4 Waste Management 4
5 Air Pollution 3
6 Climatology and the environment 2
7 Noise Pollution 3
8 Natural Resources 4
9 Soil contamination 4
10 Business Environmental Management 4
11 Environmental Audits 2
12 Environmental Impact Assessment 4
13 Economy and the environment 1
14 Environmental Law 1
  •  2nd SPECIALIZATIONS

The specialization allows the student to deepen themself into the disciplines of the environmental sector, both professionally and personally, which are of greater interest to them.

The student must choose between a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 400 hours of the specializations offered, with the only exception being also opting for the courses on Integrated Management of Integral Water Management and Environmental Engineering: Industrial Wastewater Treatment, whose global computation is 500 hours. In any case, the student must choose a maximum of three specializations.

The objective is to achieve the maximum degree of specialization in the environmental field, achieving a complete, comprehensive and current training in this sector.

The specializations and the corresponding credits that make up the second part are shown in the following table:

2nd PART: SPECIALIZATIONS
# SUBJECTS CREDITS
1 Integrated Water Management 30
2 Waste Management 30
3 Application of Renewable Energies 30
4 Conservation and Management of the Natural Spaces 30
5 Environmental Engineering: Solid Residue Treatment 20
6 Environmental Engineering: Industrial Water Residue Treatment 20
7 Environmental Education 20
8 Mining and the Environment 20
9 Marine Contamination 10
10 Environmental Engineering: Gaseous Effluents Treatment 10
11 Environmental Engineering: Energy Valuation 10
12 Recovery of Contaminated Soil 10
TOTAL 240
  • 3rd PART: SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND FINAL PROJECT - DEGREE THESIS

The last phase of the Program is directed at the study of the Scientific Research Methodology subject and to the preparation of the Master’s Final Project.

3rd Part: SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND FINAL PROJECT - DEGREE THESIS
  SUBJECTS CREDITS
1 SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND FINAL PROJECT 20
Total 20

Note: The contents of the academic program may be subject to slight modifications, depending on the updates or the improvements made.

Management

Academic Administration

  • Dr. Eduardo García Villena. Director of the Environment Area in the International Ibero-American University (UNINI)

Teaching staff and Authors

  • Dr. Ángel M. Álvarez Larena. Dr. in Geology. Prof. at the Autonomous University of Barcelona
  • Dr. Roberto M. Álvarez. Prof. of the University of Buenos Aires.
  • Dr. Óscar Arizpe Covarrubias. Prof. at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, Mexico
  • Dr. Isaac Azuz Adeath. Prof. at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, Mexico
  • Dr. David Barrera Gómez. Doctor from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia
  • Dr. Brenda Bravo Díaz. Prof. of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico
  • Dr. Rubén Calderón Iglesias. Prof. of the European University Miguel de Cervantes
  • Dr. Leonor Calvo Galván. Prof. of the University of León. Spain
  • Dr. Olga Capó Iturrieta. Dr. Industrial Engineering. Prof. of the Research Institute in Agropecuarias, Chile
  • Dr. Alina Celi Frugoni. Prof. of the International Ibero-american University
  • Dr. José Cortizo Álvarez. Prof. of the University of León. Spain
  • Dr. Antoni Creus Solé. Dr. in Industrial Engineering
  • Dr. Juan Carlos Cubría García. Prof. of the University of León. Spain
  • Dr. Raquel Domínguez Fernández. Prof. of the University of León
  • Dr. Luís A. Dzul López. Prof. of the International Ibero-american University
  • Dr. Xavier Elías Castells. Director of the By-product Exchange of Catalonia
  • Dra. Milena E. Gómez Yepes. Dr. in Project Engineering. Prof. of the University of the Quindio, Colombia
  • Dr. Ramón Guardino Ferré. Dr. in Project Engineering. Prof. of the International Ibero-american University
  • Dr. Emilio Hernández Chiva. Dr. in Industrial Engineering. Spanish National Research Council, CSIC
  • Dra. Cristina Hidalgo González. Prof. of the University of León
  • Dr. Francisco Hidalgo Trujillo. Prof. of the International Ibero-american University
  • Dr. Víctor Jiménez Arguelles. Prof. of the Autonomous Metropolitan University. Mexico
  • Dr. Miguel Ángel López Flores. Prof. of the National Polytechnic Institute (CIIEMAD-IPN)
  • Dra. Izel Márez López. Prof. of the International Ibero-American University
  • Dr. Carlos A. Martín. Prof. of the National University of the Littoral, Argentina
  • Dra. Isabel Joaquina Niembro García. Dr. in Project Engineering. Prof. of the Monterrey Institute of Technology
  • Dr. César Ordóñez Pascua. Prof. of the University of León
  • Dr. José María Redondo Vega. Prof. of the University of León. Spain
  • Dr. Gladys Rincón Polo. Prof. of the Simón Bolívar University, Venezuela

FUNIBER Training Scholarships

The Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER) allocates periodically an extraordinary economic item for FUNIBER Training Scholarships.

To apply, please fill out the information request form that appears in the web of FUNIBER or contact directly the Foundation’s headquarters in your country that will inform you if you need to provide some additional information.

Once the documentation is received, the Evaluation Committee will determine your application's eligibility for the FUNIBER Training Scholarship.