ATS3546 Environmental assessment and decision making
Faculty of Arts
ATS3546 Environmental assessment and decision making is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts. It isn't offered in 2026. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Not offered
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
Reviews
No reviews yetNo reviews yet. Be the first to review ATS3546.
Requisites
Before ATS3546
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS3546
No unit lists ATS3546 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prerequisite: Twelve credit points of second-year Arts units, or six credit points of second-year Arts units and either EAE2322 or ENV2022.
Students who don't meet the pre-requisites may seek permission from the Unit Coordinator
Prohibitions: ENV3011, ATS2546, AZA2546, AZA3546
Overview
This unit deals with the processes for assessing the potential environmental consequences of a range of human activities with a focus on development proposals and land use changes. These can be highly contentious because of the conflicting interests, types of knowledge and values of different stakeholders. The unit will examine the nature of the widely-adopted procedure of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), exploring relevant legislative frameworks and understandings of best practice. It will also examine related processes of social impact assessment, health impact assessment, risk assessment and strategic environmental assessment. You are encouraged to critically evaluate existing processes and argue for improvements to deliver more sustainable and socially equitable outcomes.
Offerings in 2026
The 2026 handbook lists no offerings for ATS3546.
Assessment
- Quiz/QuizzesQuiz / Test30%
- Case studyWritten30%
- ReportWritten40%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Identify the different types of environmental assessments and the decision-making contexts in which they are applied.
- 2
Explain the tools and procedures used for different types of environmental assessments, particularly for Australian jurisdictions
- 3
Apply best practice principles to environmental assessment processes
- 4
Compare and evaluate assessment processes in terms of strengths and weaknesses
- 5
Critically evaluate assessment processes, particularly in terms of their interface with political processes,participatory dimensions, the use of scientific information and evolving environmental stresses.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Workshops24 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
Learning resources
Required resources
There are required texts for this unit. Required texts are usually available for purchase through the University Bookstore (https://www.monash.edu/retail/books-and-merchandise-store/Textbooks) and are sometimes available for short-term loan or as eBooks through the library (https://www.monash.edu/library).
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Elissa Waters
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Elissa Waters
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS3546?
ATS3546 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS3546 offered?
ATS3546 has no offerings listed in the 2026 handbook.
How much work is ATS3546?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS3546 have an exam?
No. ATS3546 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.