Course overview

This innovative and student-centred postgraduate course aims to unite the operational, financial and technical aspects of management in the waste and recycling industries. It will equip managers already working in the sustainable resource sector with the knowledge and skills they need to become more effective.

To this end, the course introduces students to broad perspectives of operations management before focusing on the areas of this discipline which are of greatest relevance in this dynamic sector: project management and 'value engineering'. Extensive coverage of financial management and sustainable business development will round out students' understanding of managerial activities in terms of their financial and stakeholder implications. Students will also have the opportunity to complete independent learning directly relevant to the technical challenges faced by their own organisations. Finally, a dissertation on the research problem of their choice, supported by training in research methods and guided by an experienced postgraduate supervisor as well as a leading practitioner.

The course is balanced between modules which utilise a more traditional, week-by-week learning style and more experiential, student-centred learning in which students will be able to gather and use data from their own organisations in order to model technical and operational changes. It is anticipated that engagement and support from student' employers will be rewarded by real operational improvements.

The course is delivered 100% online through the individual and group learning features of our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). All module content has been commissioned and written specifically for this degree course; extensive use is made of online media including film, industry and academic websites.

Additional course information

The aim of this course is to enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of the operational, financial and technical challenges of management practice within the waste management, recycling and sustainable resource sectors. You will be encouraged to develop critical skills relevant to a postgraduate course with a strong practical focus.

The modules will help you to:

• develop as a critically reflective management practitioner.
• promote the development of your intellectual capability, personal academic and commercial skills.
• think creatively and rationally, generating original solutions to technical and management problems in an organisational context.
• develop insights through exposure to the theory and practice of business and management as it is applied to your sector.
• widen your perspective beyond your immediate role and/or organisation.
• enhance your employability as a technically competent management practitioner.
• respond to the shortage of senior staff with both the technical know-how and management skills needed in the modern sustainable resources, waste and recycling sector.
• develop high quality senior staff who can help build a sustainable economy and help governments meet their national and international environmental commitments.

Additional course details

Year 1 - Postgraduate Certificate in Value Engineering

Through the three modules comprising this Certificate level, you will develop a thorough and tested competence in process design and control, producing a detailed plan for the improvement of a work process.

You will become familiar with the fundamental ideas in Operations Management and the principal techniques for successful Project Management. The Value Engineering module is designed around the DMAIC system for process improvement (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control), which you can apply in practice to any service provision, treatment or manufacturing process.

Year 2 - Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management of Waste and Resources

The Industrial Project Module (IPM) will give you great freedom to explore issues associated with your workplace and sector. You will be supervised by two members of the course staff: an academic from the core team and a second supervisor with consultancy or practitioner expertise relating to your chosen topic.

This means that you will benefit from broader sector insight with direct relevance to your managerial role, and a well-informed assessment of the anticipated impact of your Project. The modules in Sustainable Business Development and Finance for Non-Financial Managers introduce a strategic element to the course, equipping you with the skills to address the financial and policy challenges faced by organisations delivering waste and recycling services. Topics include environmental and social sustainability, corporate social responsibility as an aspect of corporate governance, financial accounting, management accounting and financial management.

Year 3 - MSc in Business Management of Waste and Resources

In order to complete your Masters degree, you will first undertake a Research Methods for Managers module. This focuses on the particular issues faced by managers when conducting research in an operational setting.

In the final Major Project, you will propose and investigate a topic of direct relevance to your work,
sector or organisation. As with the IPM, you will be allocated a second supervisor according to your particular research interest to help you undertake your dissertation.

Assessment

All modules will be assessed through coursework: there are no examinations.

The taught 15 credit modules will feature a single terminal assignment supported by weekly learning activities; the student-led modules will feature opportunities for summative assessment through case studies and portfolios.

Special features

Work based learning is often described as 'learning through work, at work and for work'. The time needed to work through the learning materials provided via the VLE individually or as part of a virtual group, to reflect on this learning and complete assignments is likely to vary throughout the course. However, we estimate that 5 - 10 hours per week will be required to complete the course successfully.

Your learning will be centred around Anglia Ruskin University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
This online portal has been designed to maximise the opportunities for communication between students and tutors, enabling us to support you throughout your studies and for you to share ideas
and feedback with your fellow students. The VLE also helps you to manage your studies, enabling you to engage with the course at times that suit you. Learning activities will include work-based tasks, case studies, online conferencing, group work and self-managed learning.

Students will require:

• access to a computer (PC or Apple) with Microsoft Office or similar software
• a broadband internet connection
• permission to download and install software (such as Mozilla Firefox, Zotero, IBM SPSS)

Associated careers

This course has been designed specifically to:

• respond to a need identified by EUSkills, the Sector Skills Council for waste management and energy, for senior staff with both the technical know-how and management skills needed in the modern waste and recycling sector.
• develop high quality senior staff who can build a sustainable economy and help governments meet national and international environmental commitments.

Professional recognition and Links with Industry

This course has been shaped not only by the academic staff at Lord Ashcroft International Business School, but also by key players in the waste management industry.

We have a unique and innovative system of supervision for student research. Students undertaking the Industrial Project Module and the Major Project will have not one, but two supervisors - a member of the core delivery team who will focus on academic matters, and a leading practitioner chosen for his or her experience and expertise in the student's chosen topic.

Currently (May 2013), the team behind the delivery of this course includes:

• a senior civil servant with DEFRA whose responsibilities include the integration of EU waste management regulations into UK law
• a Six Sigma 'black belt'
• a consultant to the waste management industry with twenty years' experience of resource efficiency and training consultancy
• a process design consultant who has led process improvement initiatives for major corporations including Coutts & Co and RBS Group
• research methods specialists currently under contract to produce a textbook for SAGE.
• The head of the Centre for Waste Management at the University of Central Lancashire
• a sustainable development consultant who has advised multinational corporations, city and national governments
• a serial entrepreneur in recycling and resource management currently advising ECOWAS

The second supervisor panel is kept under active review and we aim to align it precisely with the interests of incoming students. We are currently seeking accreditation of this course with the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM).

Work placements

This is a workplace-based degree and, as such, the opportunity for work placement is not offered. It is anticipated that all students will already be employed within the sustainable resource, waste management and recycling sector.

Entry Requirements:

* A minimum lower second class honours degree from a UK University * Holders of other awards, including those from non-UK universities will be considered on the equivalence of their qualifications * Entrants will be expected to demonstrate previous relevant or supervisory experience, preferably two years at junior or middle management level * Entrants will be employed within the Sustainable Resource, Waste and Recycling Sector * Those applicants for whom English is not a first language will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.5 or equivalent; * Candidates who do not possess any of these entry criteria, but can demonstrate appropriate relevant experience in a post of management or professional responsibility may be admitted if, in the opinion of the admissions tutor, they are capable of profiting from and contributing to the pathway; * Students will be entered onto this pathway on completion of the WRAP Recycling Managers Training programme which will provide them with APL of up to 15 credits at Level 3 and 45 credits at Level 4, alternatively * Up to 60 credits from any accredited provider subject to an appropriate APL tariff

Entry requirements

• A minimum lower second class honours degree from a UK University (2:2). Holders of other awards, including those from non-UK universities will be considered on the equivalence of their qualifications.
• Entrants will be expected to demonstrate previous relevant or supervisory experience, preferably five years at middle or senior management level.
• Entrants will be employed within the Sustainable Resource, Waste and Recycling Sector.
• Those applicants for whom English is not a first language will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.

Candidates who do not possess any of these entry criteria, but can demonstrate appropriate relevant experience in a post of management or professional responsibility may be admitted if, in the opinion of the admissions tutor, they are capable of profiting from and contributing to the course.

It is possible for students who have passed certain units from the Recycling Manager's Training Programme from WRAP to seek accreditation of this prior learning - please contact us for further details.