International Master of Science in Environmental Technology and Engineering

Growing awareness of the human impact on the environment has convinced most governments of the need to prevent air, water and soil pollution. Increasingly, remediation of contaminated sites is becoming a priority target. Consequently, there is a strong and ever increasing demand for specialists trained in pollution prevention and remediation. This Joint Erasmus Mundus programme addresses these needs by educating a new generation of environmental scientist and engineers that can provide adequate and state-of-the-art environmental technology and engineering solutions to tackle complex, multidisciplinary environmental issues.

Successful graduates will have acquired a comprehensive knowledge of:

• the nature and severity of environmental pollution;
• the way polluted water, waste, gas, soils and sediments can be treated;
• the way ecosystems and the atmosphere can be protected from pollution;
• the way to prevent environmental pollution through resource management and application of re-use technologies.

They will be able to develop, design and apply technologies for the prevention and remediation of environmental pollution. In addition, they should be capable of:

• searching scientific information;
• conducting scientific research in the field of environmental technology and engineering;
• reporting their findings by means of scientific reports and papers;
• communicating effectively in English and transferring knowledge to both the scientific and non-scientific world through oral presentations and media communications.

The overall programme structure is outlined below:

• general course units: 42 credits
• two elective tracks “Ecotechnologies and resource recovery”/“Desalinisation and water reuse”: 25 credits; and “Environmental engineering”/”Resource recovery”: 14 credits
• elective courses: 9 credits (can include elective Internship: 6 credits)
• Master's dissertation: 30 credits

General courses

General environmental technology course units at the introductory level provide the concepts required to specialise in later semesters. They cover environmental biotechnology and remediation technologies for soil, sludge, water, air and waste. To integrate their knowledge, students are exposed to case studies in the course "Interdisciplinary project/Communication and writing skills for Engineers", which they elaborate under guidance. They simultaneously are explicitly introduced to written and oral communications in Engineering. In the second year, “Research-2-Business: Environmental Engineering and Resource Recovery” exposes students to the professional fields through seminars and exercises guided by highly qualified experts from academia and industry. The course unit "Introduction to the Circular Economy, Economics and Management of Natural Resources" provides students with the knowledge and skills to incorporate sustainable principles into their engineering work.

Elective tracks and elective course units

Students have the flexibility to tailor their educational journey through a combination of elective tracks and elective course units. In the second semester, they can choose between the tracks “Ecotechnologies and Resource Recovery” and “Desalination and Water Reuse”. The third semester presents an opportunity to explore either “Environmental Engineering” or “Resource Recovery” tracks. Elective course units offer additional opportunities to tailor the program to individual interests.

Master's Dissertation

Completing the Master's dissertation is a requirement for any student who wants to obtain their Master’s degree. The Master’s dissertation is an original piece of research. Its aim is to develop and strengthen the students’ research skills. Students select a topic and receive guidance from a supervisor.

Programme Mobility

Over the course of the study programme, students move between the partner institutions. They begin their academic journey at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Czech Republic before moving to UNESCO-IHE Delft in The Netherlands for the second semester. The third semester takes them to Ghent University in Gent, Belgium. The fourth and final semester is dedicated to their thesis research, which they can conduct at one of the partner institutes or collaborate with an associate partner.

Trained graduates will be fully prepared to fill executive positions in international institutions (governments, universities, non-governmental organisations, etc.) and private companies that deal with either application and development of pollution prevention, remediation and engineering techniques or regulatory decision-making.