Master in Environmental Science

Humanity’s footprint has altered the planet. Global warming, water and air pollution, ocean acidification, and loss of biodiversity are just a few of the myriad environmental problems caused by humans. Understanding and resolving these problems is paramount to global sustainability.

Environmental Science provides the knowledge and tools to confront environmental problems. The challenge is notoriously complex and it cannot be tackled using approaches from any single scientific discipline, nor even using natural science alone. Environment Science is therefore rooted in multidisciplinary natural sciences, but also encompasses the social sciences, law, medicine, and the humanities. In practice, Environmental Science is an excellent option for those who like to work in a team. When confronting transdisciplinary environmental problems, many heads are better than one!

The Master’s Program in Environmental Science focussing on Atmosphere, Biosphere, and Climate examines how large-scale environmental systems – land, atmosphere, and ocean – are composed and interact; how human perturbations upset these balances; and potential solutions to these problems.

Addressing these challenges calls for scientifically trained professionals with a holistic perspective, and developing a broad understanding of the environment is at the heart of this program. You will learn about the composition and functioning of atmospheric and land systems and the interactions between them (transport, energy balances, and the water-and carbon cycles, to name a few).

You will also study what happens when the balance of these systems is disturbed by, for example, emissions, pollutants, greenhouse gases and aerosols, and land-use change. These combine to produce effects like climate change and the degradation of air and water quality which reverberate outward, changing how the Earth's system works. Understanding the environmental science perspective on these problems, and how it impacts societal issues, will equip you with the tools to look for solutions for some of the world’s most pressing problems.

The Master’s Program in Environmental Science focussing on Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry traces the path of a contaminant from its creation to its far-reaching effects on the environment. With the tools, methods, and critical thinking skills you acquire, you will be equipped to examine the issues and make an impact.

How do human activities like industrial manufacturing, transportation, and the use of consumer goods release chemicals into the environment? How do the physical and chemical properties of these contaminants, as well as environmental factors, affect how they spread through air, water, and soil and how they bioaccumulate in food webs?

To answer these questions, you will learn the theory and application of chemical analysis, physical-chemical modeling, toxicology, and risk assessment of environmental contaminants. You will learn how to take samples and analyze trace quantities of chemicals from various environments. By studying toxicology, you will learn how exposure to contaminants can negatively impact living organisms through mechanisms of action in addition to learning about new tools in toxicology research.

In addition to introducing you to the toolbox of environmental toxicology, this program also introduces you to European and international regulatory systems designed to keep human and environmental exposures to a minimum. With a deep understanding of environmental toxicology and chemistry, you will be able to critically examine and discuss limitations, uncertainties, and possible sources of error in regulatory risk assessments of organic chemicals.

The program employs a variety of learning activities, including lectures, individual and group assignments, field excursions/sampling campaigns, laboratory work, seminars, discussions, and workshops and presentations. The program will also introduce students to several relevant agencies in society handling environmental issues.