A career in Environmental Sciences: All about PGDES

Postgraduate diplomas provide the opportunity for continuing professional development in the area of one’s interest. A postgraduate diploma can often lead to a master’s degree. Postgraduate diplomas generally comprise a one-year full-time programme of graduate papers.

Environmental Sciences

With the growing human population, the pressure on our environment is increasing. Environmental Sciences provide a basis for understanding environmental problems, and finding solutions to them.

The growing human population is expected to exceed 9 billion within the next 40 years. The need to provide for increasing human demands, while protecting and sustainably managing the environment, is one of our greatest global challenges. Environmental Science is at the core of this challenge.

Environmental Science provides an integrated, quantitative and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental system. It is a study of the interaction of physical, chemical, biological components of human surroundings.

The field of Environmental Sciences can be divided into three main goals, which are:

•    To learn how the natural world works
•    To understand how we as humans interact with the environment
•    To determine how we affect the environment

A major in Environmental Sciences in India encompasses Ecology, Earth Sciences, Environmental Chemistry as well as many other disciplines. It is about understanding and managing human impacts on our land, biodiversity, freshwater, oceans, atmosphere and climate while providing for food, water, energy, and mineral resource needs that are critical to our survival.

In India, various colleges provide strong interdisciplinary approach so that students gain skills in applying the biological, chemical and earth sciences to understand and manage the impacts of human activities on the environment.

PGDES (Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Sciences) is a diploma level environmental Science course. It is a field that integrates physical, biological science including many more concepts, to study the environmental problems.

Main objective:
Strengthen regional cooperation in environmental capacity building especially in the area of environmental management.

Educate and train individuals from different walks of life viz. development functionaries, government officials, journalists, policy makers, farmers, industrialists, grassroots workers, environmentalists, etc.

Eligibility for this course:
Graduation or equivalent with minimum 50% marks.

This is a Diploma level course so no specific educational qualification is required. Graduation from a recognised university with minimum 50% marks is enough.

Duration & Course Fee:
PGDES is a one year duration course. Course fee for PGDES is approximately Rs 50,000 which may vary from college to college.

For distance learning, the course fee may be lower. For instance, the fee is around Rs 2250 in Dr B R Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU), Hyderabad.

What you study in PGDES:
PGDES syllabus involves subjects including the ones mentioned below:

•    Geo-environment
•    Environmental chemistry
•    Solid waste Management
•    Environment and Energy Management
•    Environmental biotechnology
•    Industrial and Biomedical Waste Management
•    Conservation of Life support
•    Ecological Principle
•    Environmental Pollution
•    Projects and Survey

Suitability for this course:
Candidates who are willing to go for teaching field at higher level should have good research skills, problem-solving skills, management skills, risk taking ability, organization skills, communication skills and interpretation skills with content analysis.

Employment Areas and Job Types:
Environmental Sciences is that branch of study where you can find numbers of ways to protect the environment with reliable use of resources. You can find jobs in different sectors such as academic institutes, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, water treatment plants and waste management plants.

You can choose to work as a:

•    Hydrologist
•    Oceanographer
•    Water Resource Manager
•    Forest carbon specialist (arborist)
•    Research assistant
•    Environmental Technician
•    Environmental journalist
•    Professor
•    Environmental Consultant
•    Wildlife maker

Salary:
Salary packages in the field of Environmental Sciences depend upon various factors such as organization sector that you are working for, working location, education etc. However, salaries usually start from Rs 3-4 lakh and go up to Rs 6-8 lakh per annum.

Salaries vary with jobs and experience.

•    Forest carbon specialist (Arborist)
Arborist, also known as tree surgeon, arbotoriculturist is a professional practice of arboticulture which is the cultivation, management and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines and other perennial woody plants in dendrology and horticulture. Salary: Approx. Rs 1.70 lakh per annum

•    Research Assistant
A Research Assistant usually works as EIA (Environment Impact Assessment) member and assists in monitoring, analysis, data collection documentation, report writing, and presentation. Salary: Approx. Rs 1.5-3.06 lakh per annum

•    Environmental Technician
Typically working under the direction of an Environmental Scientist, an Environmental Technician monitors the environment and investigates sources of pollution by performing laboratory and field tests. He/she may be a member of a team that includes scientists, engineers and technicians from other disciplines. Salary: Approx. Rs 3.67 lakh per annum.

•    Environmental Consultant
An Environmental Consultant provides expert assessment and advisory services for his clients on matters pertaining to the management of environmental issues. Furthermore, he/she is responsible for making sure that revised environmental policies and procedures, comply with environmental laws and regulations. Salary: Approx. Rs 1.75-9.19 lakh per annum

•    Wildlife Film Maker
India is home to variety of animals as well as flora and fauna. This profession is becoming a hot favourite now-a-days. A person can hope to get approximately Rs 3.19 lakh per annum. However, the salary can increase as per work experience and talent.

Thus, a diploma in Environmental Sciences is best for those who want to do something for environment. It’s important to understand that no job is less. It’s a niche course with growing scope for good career prospects in future.

It provides good opportunity for graduates looking to pursue further studies to opt for this course and work to contribute towards the preservation and conservation of nature.

To find out some of the best places to pursue a course in Environmental Sciences, click here:

•    MSc Environmental Science Colleges in India
•    BSc Environmental Science Colleges in India

About the Author:

Raj Vikram Singh is a graduate in BA Military Science from DAV College, Kanpur. A UPSC aspirant, Raj has been working in the education field as a tutor for two years.