POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND MANAGEMENT
NQF Level 8 | 120 Credits | 1 year full-time for 2026

 

Why This Programme?

South Africa faces increasing environmental, legal, and governance challenges— from biodiversity loss and climate impacts to complex regulatory frameworks spanning water, waste, mining, air quality, and land use. Addressing these issues requires professionals who can navigate both environmental law and environmental management, and understand how these disciplines intersect with governance systems.

Developed and coordinated by Professor Angela van der Berg at the Global Environmental Law Centre and UWC’s Faculty of Law, this programme fills a critical role in capacity building for professionals across sectors.

Most existing programmes focus on either environmental law or management in isolation. This unique, integrated diploma combines:

• Advanced legal knowledge of environmental principles, rules, and constitutional rights
• Applied management skills to plan, implement, and oversee environmental programmes
• Governance insight into how different spheres of government and institutions share environmental responsibilities

 

Who Should Apply?

Ideal for:

• Government officials involved in environmental management, compliance, or planning
• Legal practitioners seeking to expand into environmental law
• Environmental consultants and practitioners
• NGO and policy professionals
• Holders of any NQF Level 7 qualification (or equivalent via RPL) in law, environmental sciences, public management, or related fields who want to deepen their expertise without committing to a master’s degree.

 

What You Will Learn

The PGDip consists of four core, interlinked modules:
1. Advanced Environmental Law

• Foundations, principles, and rules of South African environmental law
• Constitutional environmental right in the Bill of Rights and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) 107 of 1998
• Key sectoral laws: waste, water, biodiversity, air quality, mining, and energy
• How to apply environmental law principles to real-life challenges through case law analysis and problem-solving exercises

2. Environmental Governance

• Nature, scope, and function of environmental governance in South Africa
• Distribution of powers between national, provincial, and local government
• Intergovernmental relations, cooperative governance, and principles of good governance
• Roles of key institutional actors, including government departments and the judiciary, in upholding environmental rights

3. Environmental Administrative Law

• Principles, rules, and procedures of administrative law in environmental contexts
• Just administrative action and access to information in environmental decision-making
• Requirements for valid administrative action, and remedies for infringements
• Application of administrative law to licensing, permitting, and environmental authorisation processes

4. Environmental Management

• Principles of integrated environmental management
• Environmental impact assessments (EIA) and strategic environmental assessments (SEA)
• Project life cycle management and environmental management plans/frameworks
• Public participation in environmental decision-making
• Case law and regulations governing environmental authorisations in South Africa

 

Programme Features

• Blended learning: Two online seminars per week for 7 weeks + rich online resources and self-study content on UWCs Online Learning Platform iKamva
• Case-based learning from South African and international contexts
• Expert teaching team from UWC’s Faculty of Law and GELC with practical and academic experience
• Pathway to further study: Graduates may articulate to LLM/MPhil programmes (subject to selection)

 

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (NQF Level 7) in a relevant field
• Or equivalent qualification via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in line with UWC policy

 

Career Opportunities

This PG Dip can assist learners in preparing for careers in

• Environmental law practice and consulting
• Environmental governance and policy-making
• Compliance and enforcement in public and private sectors
• Sustainability management and corporate environmental responsibility

 

Key Details

• Start Date: February 2026
• Application Deadline: 31 October 2025
• Duration: Full-time for 2026
• Mode: Blended learning (online seminars + online resources)
• Credits: 120 at NQF Level 8

Click here to Apply