Sustainable rural development may sound like a dressed-up name for an agriculture or environmental management course, but it's not. It is actually a fairly new three-year national diploma in the Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute. Sustainable rural development concerns ensuring positive changes and ensuring that such changes do not have a negative effect on the environment. The course seeks to address the problem facing rural areas in achieving a balance between social, economic and environmental factors.

According to Kate Dwyer, administrator in the rural development department, the first intake of students was in September 1999, and though there are 40 places on the course, it has only managed to fill 20 each year in the past two years; all qualified applicants are awarded a place. There is generally a 50/50 split between male and female students and there is a mix of mature and Leaving Certificate students. According to Dwyer, "It tends to be a course that attracts mature students."

Minimum entry requirements are a pass in five Leaving Cert subjects, including maths and either English or Irish. Selection of mature students is based on educational record, work experience and interview performance.

Students' backgrounds can make an important contribution to why they do the course and what they get out of it. "It gives them a focus. I think their interests would be important; you don't just do this course because you think you'll take up a career in rural development." Some people will come in with an agricultural background, but want to go into rural development. Others may come in with a community background, but need to understand the economics side as well as environmental aspects of, for example, the development of a community.

There are three main strands to the course: economic, environmental and social. "People have to understand the three things for the course to work and for them to work in rural development, be it in a community or in an enterprise. Your enterprise is no good if it's just bringing in money, but killing the environment." says Dwyer.

Career-wise, says Dwyer, "It's all about where the students want to go and where their interests are." Interesting career and career upgrade opportunities exist in the private, State and community development sectors. According to Dwyer, these include private businesses operating in a rural environment, some of the Government departments, local government and Government agencies, local authorities, community development organisations, LEADER, area development organisations and rural representative bodies.

The course is the first of its kind at undergraduate level and can be studied full-time or part-time in Thurles or as a part-time evening course in Clonmel. It covers areas such as sociology, business studies, natural resource management, community development, personal development and computer applications.

It is hoped that, with time, there will be a fourth year add-on to the course.