ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT RELATED MASTER LEVEL DEGREE PROGRAMMES IN THE EU: BASELINE, TRENDS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THOMAS B. FISCHER * and URMILA JHA-THAKUR † School of Environmental Sciences Department of Geography and Planning University of Liverpool, 74 Bedford Street South Liverpool L69 7ZQ * fischer@liverpool.ac.uk † urmila1@liverpool.ac.uk Received 2 November 2012 Revised 12 March 2013 Accepted 1 July 2013 Published 26 November 2013 Environmental assessment and management (EAM) is an inherently interdisciplinary subject, drawing on science (e.g. ecology, biology, physical geography), social science (e.g. decision making theory, political sciences, planning) and economics. Due to the absence of a clear disciplinary home, understanding of EAM related higher education degree programmes has remained poor. Furthermore, teaching of EAM is influenced by how it is practiced and therefore differs from country to country. The aim of this paper is to shed light on this still under researched area by establishing a comprehensive overview of EAM related master level degree programmes across the EU. In this context, current baseline and emerging trends as well as challenges and opportunities are presented and discussed. The paper is aimed specifically at those interested in EAM higher education, e.g. researchers, university teachers and (prospective) students. Keywords: Environmental assessment; environmental management; higher education; Europe. * Corresponding author. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management Vol. 15, No. 4 (December 2013) 1350020 (26 pages) © Imperial College Press DOI: 10.1142/S1464333213500208 1350020-1 J. Env. Assmt. Pol. Mgmt. 2013.15. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com by UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL on 01/08/14. For personal use only.