M.Sc. Environmental Science
As the fields of activity in environmental sciences are constantly changing, the programme aims to teach students to make themselves familiar with new developments and to learn the ropes of new areas quickly, and to contribute to new research and technology developments in their field of expertise.
Environmental sciences deal with processes in the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, and how these are influenced by man. Understanding these processes and especially the interaction between the different compartments becomes increasingly important, for example with reference to global climate change and the consumption of resources coupled with the inflow of foreign matter into our ecosystems.
It is a particular challenge to differentiate natural changes from changes that are caused by anthropogenic activities and to quantify these changes if possible. This requires a high degree of understanding of the processes, which students will be taught in the study programme.
This understanding is usually not enough to correct environmental changes that are recognised as damaging. In most cases, correction requires a change in behaviour of the people involved in the processes. For this reason, the environmental sciences study programme includes social aspects such as consumer behaviour and an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability.
