The University of Limerick is a prestigious institution known for its excellence in teaching, research, and innovation. Situated on a beautiful riverside campus, the university offers a diverse range of programs across disciplines such as arts, humanities, social sciences, business, education, engineering, science, and health sciences. With a strong commitment to experiential learning and industry engagement, the University of Limerick provides students with opportunities to gain practical skills, work experience, and develop a global perspective. The university's vibrant campus life, state-of-the-art facilities, and supportive community contribute to a transformative educational experience.

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This Professional Diploma aims to arm participants with the key geographic knowledge about our environment and ecosystems – the services they provide for us, and the hazards we face from them – and consider how our society can be more sustainable. It will also provide participants with key digital skills in geographic information systems (GIS) software to enable them to independently analyse problems and propose solutions. This online Level 9 programme will benefit anyone whose work will have to respond to our changing climate, including planners, engineers, insurance agents, agribusiness workers, scientists, politicians, and policymakers. Show less

Semester 1:

Environmental Geospatial Data Analysis: This module focuses on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to analyze environmental and geospatial data. Students will learn about different types of data, importing data into GIS software, working with coordinate reference systems, manipulating and analyzing geospatial data, and creating maps and visualizations.

Urban Ecosystem Services: This module explores the services provided by ecosystems in urban environments, such as food provision, water storage, recreation, and nutrient cycling. Examples will be used to demonstrate how to support and enhance ecosystem services in urban settings, including nature-based solutions like sustainable urban drainage schemes.

Semester 2:

Climate Hazards: This module examines various climate hazards, including flooding, wildfires, landslides, and heatwaves. Students will study the nature, extent, and frequency of these hazards, as well as their causes and geographic distribution. They will analyze risk, vulnerability, and consequences in different geographic areas and develop skills to assess hazardousness, create hazard maps, and use geospatial data for decision-making and adaptation strategies.

Sustainability: This module explores sustainability from environmental and societal perspectives. Contemporary case studies will be used to examine sustainability in various contexts, such as transport, planning, tourism, services, and resources. The module also considers equality and diversity aspects of sustainability, including gender, sexuality, race, and disability, from a geographic standpoint.

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