Postgraduate GAEAP
Environmental Management in Business and Public Administration: Resources, Communication, and Change
Environmental Management, understood as the integration of sustainable development values into the corporate goals of an organization and the influence on policies, programs, and procedures, goes beyond purely technological aspects and affects good practices and the everyday behaviors of the organization’s members. As it has become the motto of the program, we consider that Environmental Management is, above all, the management of behaviors.
Environmental Management, often associated solely with industrial companies, also encompasses the service sector and public administration. Public administration is understood as a service-providing organization, a regulator of the general living framework, and a guarantor of environmental preservation, and it must enable progress towards sustainability.
To develop effective Environmental Management, it is necessary to understand technologies and their effects on the ecosystem, but also those aspects related to organizational, social, and individual behavior.
The implementation of an Environmental Management system, whether in a company or in public administration, always involves facing a process of change, resistance to change, communication processes, etc., which must be managed properly, in addition to understanding legislation, resources, and the most typical tools.
Goals
It entails the specialized training of professionals in Environmental Management within the organizational context, whether in corporate enterprises or public sector institutions. The program is designed for both public and private sector managers, drawing from a wide range of disciplines—including technical fields (such as engineering, architecture, chemistry, biology, environmental science, among others) and the social sciences (such as psychology, sociology, geography, education, etc.)—as well as senior technical personnel within public administration at large.
Program Structure
The training offered is inherently interdisciplinary, encompassing technological, ecological, and legal dimensions, with particular emphasis on the human and social aspects integral to environmental management and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies. This encompasses not only the evaluation phase—such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and environmental diagnostics—but also the monitoring and control of processes (including environmental audits), and, where applicable, environmental certifications (such as EMAS, ISO 14000, and eco-labels). Furthermore, the program prioritizes communication, environmental education, and stakeholder engagement.
The curriculum is organized into two substantive modules and one techno-methodological module, each subdivided into courses comprising thematic units.
Dr. Enric Pol -Postgraduate Coordinator
Universidad de Barcelona
Dra. Angela Castrechini – Postgraduate Coordinator
Module 1
Environmental Management and Sustainability
Conceptual, instrumental, and common lexical foundations necessary for environmental management, encompassing ecological, economic, psychosocial, and legal aspects.
Credits - 10ects
Environmental Management as Behavior Management
Sustainable development as a framework. Psychosocial aspects involved in Environmental Management. Resistance and reactance: NIMBY and Participation. Organizations and quality. Professional roles: Technical roles and mediation roles.
Environmental Legislation
Sources of current legislation within the organizational framework. Administrative intervention. Environmental, administrative, civil, and criminal liability. Economy and environment. Sustainability as an economic value. Environmental externalities in businesses and public administration. Economic environmental indicators. Sustainability reports.
Ecology
Natural systems, resources, and territory. Ecology and biodiversity. The cross-cutting nature of environmental vectors. Water, air, energy, and waste: ecology, technology, and behavior. Territory as a resource.
Module 2
Concepts and Experiences of Environmental Management for Business and Public Administration
The particularities of business and administrative situations. Analysis of the latest trends in Environmental Management.
Credits - 10 ects
Environmental Assessment and Management
The role of administrations in Environmental Management of and within the Territory. Environment and business. EMAS and ISO 14000. Environmental problems and technological and organizational responses. Strategic Environmental Assessment (Directive 2001/42/EC). Environmental impact studies and assessments, social impact assessment. Local Agenda 21 and the Aalborg Charter. Corporate Social Responsibility. Integrated management, encompassing aspects of quality, working conditions and safety, risk, health, and the environment.
Mediation, Environmental Education, and Change Management in Organizations
Analysis, techniques, and strategies for training in environmental change management and participation, within both public administration and business. Environmental education in organizations. Management of environmental culture change. Communication as a system. Fluidity of communication channels within organizations. Environmental information and publicity. Environmental information at various levels of public administration.
Module TMg
Techno-Methodological Approaches for Environmental Management
It runs concurrently throughout the course, integrating instrumental resources and documentary sources.
Credits - 10 ects
Methodologies, Resources, and Instruments for Environmental Management
Models, techniques, and strategies according to various regulatory sources. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment), SIA (Social Impact Assessment) and other EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) methods. Strategic plans. Provides examples of real cases and includes field visits.
This program can be complemented with the postgraduate course: “Socio-Environmental Analysis and Intervention: Urban Environments, Community, and Sustainability,” worth 30 ECTS credits.
Each of these programs leads to a postgraduate qualification and collectively offer comprehensive and complementary training to access the Master’s Degree in Environmental Intervention and Management.
Preparation and monitoring of the GAEAP postgraduate work.