The Master’s Degree in Strategic Environmental Management, with its twenty-four years of activity, stands at the forefront of educational programs on sustainability management in Italy and, now more than ever, represents an important springboard for finding employment or improving one’s position in the field of energy transition, offering strong job prospects.
Established from the experience of the CESQA research group (Centre for Environmental Quality Studies), founded by Professor Antonio Scipioni, the Master is endorsed by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.
The Master in Strategic Environmental Management is structured into seven modules, three of which are professionalizing individual courses. It is open to graduates from all disciplines, with the opportunity to obtain up to five certificates.
Recent graduates and those not currently employed can acquire, through teaching and a professional internship, skills in environmental management and sustainability that are difficult to gain through a traditional academic path. For working professionals, the specialization offered by the program enables professional growth, career advancement, and, in many cases, a transition to a new field. In addition, the weekend format and dual teaching mode allow participants to balance study with work commitments.
The Master trains versatile professionals in sustainability management, capable of integrating the most innovative methodologies and techniques for analyzing and measuring environmental issues with managerial approaches, thereby creating economies of scale for the implementation of strategic environmental management and circular economy actions.
The Master in Strategic Environmental Management is designed for both recent graduates and professionals who are already employed and wish to gain an additional qualification, providing them with the skills needed to develop and implement Environmental Management Systems (EMS), with a focus on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and environmental footprinting.
Upon completion, participants acquire the ability to identify and interpret national and international legislative requirements, ensuring compliance with regulations and sustainability standards, including those of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Graduates are also able to independently conduct EMS and GHG audits, evaluate environmental performance, and promote continuous improvement.
The program also embraces the principles of the circular economy, fostering the development of innovative solutions for waste reduction and resource valorization, while providing the foundations for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions and implementing sustainability management systems.
This highly qualified professional profile can find employment:
• within sustainability teams of companies and organizations;
• in technical roles within public administrations;
• in environmental consulting sectors for both public and private entities.
The contents of the Master in Strategic Environmental Management are structured in an integrated and cross-disciplinary way across seven modules. The program also includes three individual courses, each with a final exam and certificate (both optional, as participants may choose not to take the exam):
Module 1 – CIRCULARITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
The aim is to provide participants from diverse academic backgrounds with a shared theoretical, conceptual, and terminological foundation essential for understanding the circular economy as an alternative to the traditional linear economic model. Topics also include sustainable community management, non-financial reporting, sustainability reporting, green finance, and green bonds.
Module 2 – ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION, TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES
Analysis of European and national environmental legislation, with particular attention to environmental matrices.
Module 3 – MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AUDIT – ISO 19011 AUDITOR COURSE
This module provides specialized training on the planning and execution of audits for environmental management systems within organizations, as well as on reporting audit results in accordance with the UNI EN ISO 19011 standard.
Module 4 – ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS – ISO 14001 AUDITOR COURSE
The course covers standardization, accreditation, and certification processes, along with the requirements of UNI EN ISO 14001 and the European EMAS Regulation for implementing an environmental management system (context analysis, stakeholder needs and expectations, risk-based approach, life cycle perspective, compliance obligations, etc.).
Module 5 – LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT
This module focuses on the life cycle approach to assessing the environmental impacts of both products and organizations. Key topics include EU Integrated Product Policy, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, Green Public Procurement (GPP), environmental labels, and the EcoLabel Regulation.
Module 6 – FOOTPRINTING
Aligned with the European Product Environmental Footprint policy, this module introduces Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint concepts applied to both products and organizations, as well as future applications of footprinting.
Module 7 – ORGANIZATIONAL CARBON FOOTPRINT FOR GHG LEAD AUDITOR QUALIFICATION – ISO 14064-1 AUDITOR COURSE
This module provides the fundamental knowledge required to calculate greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories in accordance with ISO 14064-1 and to understand verification procedures related to GHG standards and environmental declarations.
The teaching staff consists of professors from the University of Padua, as well as from other Italian and European universities, and experts from across Italy working in organizations long active in the environmental sector. Faculty members also come from institutions such as the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, ACCREDIA, UNI, ISPRA, ARPA Veneto, ASVIS, and certification bodies.
These institutions endorse the Master and represent a long-established network of excellence. In addition, there is a well-developed network of companies and organizations that contribute to teaching activities and offer professional training opportunities through internships.
The Master awards up to five certificates upon successful completion of specific exams:
- A postgraduate Master’s Degree issued by the University of Padua.
- The program is accredited to meet the training requirements (40 hours) of UNI/PdR 109 for the role of Sustainability Manager.
- Certificate of attendance and successful completion of the exam on international guidelines for management system audits (UNI EN ISO 19011).
- Certificate of attendance and successful completion of the exam: Environmental Management Systems Auditor/Lead Auditor (UNI EN ISO 14001).
- Certificate of attendance and successful completion of the exam: GHG Auditor/Lead Auditor (UNI EN ISO 14064-1).
An open badge is also issued, providing a digital certification of disciplinary knowledge, personal (soft) skills, and technical competencies acquired.
In addition, the Master grants 30 Professional Training Credits (CFP) for engineers, in collaboration with the Order of Engineers of Padua.
The Master in Strategic Environmental Management is a long-established program that is continuously updated with each edition. Every year, the organizing body CESQA (Centre for Environmental Quality Studies) of the University of Padua conducts a labor market analysis to identify the most in-demand professional profiles and the skills required to meet current needs.
Active at the highest international levels in applied scientific research in the fields of environmental sustainability, Life Cycle Assessment, and Carbon & Water Footprinting, CESQA develops and manages numerous sustainable management projects and represents Italy in international working groups focused on regulatory updates and the development of new standards.
The general ranking of merit will be published on the Italian page of this Master according to the timing provided in the Call.
Information
FAQ
The Master’s Degree in Strategic Environmental Management lasts one year and the teaching programme is structured as follows:
• 296 hours of classroom teaching (in person) / distance learning (Zoom)
• 40 hours of online teaching (exercises on Moodle to be completed independently by students)
• 450 hours of internship and/or project work.
Teaching for the 2026/27 academic year will be delivered in a dual mode to facilitate, on the one hand, off-site students who will be able to follow the teaching activities remotely and, on the other hand, students who, having the opportunity to attend, wish to take advantage of the opportunities that arise from the exchange of knowledge and ideas that only the classroom can offer.
The Master’s programme offers the opportunity to undertake a 450-hour internship in a company. The Master’s programme will assist students in finding companies in which to undertake their internship, thanks to the extensive network built up over its twenty-two editions.
It is possible to combine the Master’s programme with work, as classes are held on Fridays for the entire day and on Saturday mornings. Working students can carry out a project work in lieu of the internship period. The Master’s programme also allows students to be absent for up to 30% of the teaching hours.