Environmental management and sustainable development. Which master to choose?

Last updated on 22 April 2022

In the search for their future job, young people are increasingly guided by the need to give meaning to their journey. This is not entirely new, but the trend has increased in recent years, marked by the health crisis and alarming reports, in particular from IPCC, on environmental issues.

Recruitment needs in this area are very real.. Local and regional authorities, but also more and more companies engaged in CSR approaches, are looking for experts capable of understanding the environmental challenges of tomorrow.

Young people who want to engage in a professional approach by integrating an environmental and societal dimension must choose the right path in higher education. It is not always easy. Master's level courses in environment are the right entry point for these professions. They are very numerous in university or in high schools. Some stand out for their good results and offer masters with double courses or years of specialisation, as is the case for schools such asESI Business School who proposes here a Master’s degree with a double curriculum in Management and Environment – Sustainable Development. State-of-the-art training or success rates are very important (92% for the ESI).

What is a Master’s degree?

The Master is a national Bac + 5 level diploma. It corresponds to 120 ECTS credits organised in 4 semesters after obtaining a licence (Bac + 3) in the same field. The selection to enter this program can be selective. Some masters are prepared in apprenticeship, but the training also includes theoretical courses combined with practical courses with possibly one or more internships depending on the professional project; an initiation to research may also be offered). The national master’s degree is an integration degree for graduates – it also allows students who have completed their bachelor’s degree studies to potentially pursue studies up to Bac+8 levels of study.

What is the Master's degree that best suits a young person after a bachelor's degree? The Ministry of Education has set up a dedicated website to help them Choose the right master.

Working in the environment with specialised masters

In recent years, in the face of increasingly visible environmental changes, these concepts of environmental management and management and CSR have been at the heart of the debate.
Several years after COP21, many companies have innovated to be more environmentally friendly with real CSR approaches. Employment opportunities have thus emerged for professions specialising in ecological issues such as sustainable development, the environment, ecology, water, the green economy and the social and solidarity economy.

Master's courses in environment and sustainable development are specialised training courses. They form future decision-makers in spatial planning, resource management, environmental protection or corporate social engagement. Dual curricula and specialisations are the keys to increased employability for profiles with these skills and high versatility.

What to do after a master's degree in environment?

Opportunities are plentiful and professional integration is quite fast. These years of master’s degree make it possible to place executives and managers on the job market in France and internationally: experts in ecology, sustainable development, CSR, and QHSE … Trained in project management and team management, they will find positions in the general public administration, in local authorities, in design offices or in companies as CSR managers.

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Going further, Onisep publishes a Guide quite comprehensive on the environment and sustainable development professions.

For the Master in Sustainable Development there is also a detailed CIDJ sheet.