MSc Programme in Environmental Chemistry and Health
The study programme is organised in accordance with Danish Ministerial Order no. 814 of 29 June 2010 on bachelor and master’s programmes (candidatus) at universities (the ministerial order of the study programmes). The programme, which is offered by the University of Copenhagen, is an inter-faculty collaboration between the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE), the Faculty of Science (NAT), the Faculty of Health Sciences (SUND), including the University Department of Growth and Reproduction (RH) and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FARMA). The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA) are also participating in the programme.
The study programme is anchored at the University of Copenhagen, LIFE, where it falls under the authority of the Natural Science Study Board (NSN). A steering committee for Environmental Chemistry and Health has been established, consisting of the director of studies, representatives from the participating faculties and institutions as well as students from the programme. The steering committee ensures the academic development of the programme and coordinates the individual courses. The steering committee also provides advice to the study board concerning the quality assurance of the programme, changes to the curriculum etc.
Completion of the MSc programme gives the graduate the right to use the title Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Chemistry and Health.
In Danish: Cand.scient. (candidatus/candidata scientiarum) i miljøkemi og sundhed.
The language of instruction is English.
(The programmed has been approved Danish University and Property Agency as an elite study programme).
Chapter 1. The programme's objective and competence profil
1. 1 The programm's objective
The objective of the programme is to train graduates with the required expertise, quantitative understanding and solution-oriented skills within environmental chemistry, molecular ecotoxicology, human toxicology and environmental epidemiology to understand and research the interaction between chemical substances, pollutants and the occurrence of materials in the environment and the resulting impact on health and the environment at a high academic level.
1.2 The programme's general profile
The programme combines extremely strong individual disciplines within chemistry, biology and health, fields in which the University of Copenhagen is conducting research at a very high level. The above objective makes huge demands on the students’ progression and combination of knowledge within a number of disciplines, including, in particular, environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, human toxicology and environmental epidemiology. And it is through the compulsory courses that the necessary basis for the elite MSc programme is created in the required breadth.
The compulsory courses (see Chapter 2.1 on programme content) of the programme are arranged in such a way that where there is a need for a combination of disciplines, the subjects are placed in the same block. Projects are done across the two compulsory courses in the same block. A joint project ensures nuanced teaching and sound knowledge-sharing between the courses. The teaching is arranged as small, exclusive classes, which offers the opportunity to include intensive, experimental courses over 2-3 days. This ensures a high level of learning as well as training in how to plan realistic experiments and apply research and investigative methods in practice in addition to the theoretical approach.
The final academic profile is determined by the continued academic progression (see Chapter 2.2 on academic progression) and specialisation through the elective study activities towards the experimentally oriented MSc thesis.
1.3 The programme's employment prospects
The graduates possess have a strong combination of knowledge within natural science and health science and a profound insight into the link between environmental impact – caused by chemicals and pollutants – and health. This combination aims at employment within research, administration, consultancy and project management requiring profound academic insight. This is a competence profile for which demand is increasing.
1.4 The programme's competence profile
During the MSc programme, the students must acquire the following knowledge, skills and competences within the disciplines of the programme. In addition, the student will acquire a number of individual qualifications through elective courses and writing an MSc thesis.
1.4.1 Knowledge
- Reflect critically on international original specialist literature on environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, human toxicology and environmental epidemiology.
- Describe and demonstrate general knowledge of compounds and processes in soil, water and air at the molecular/mechanistic level.
- Demonstrate general knowledge of the effects and the toxicity of pollutants on living organisms.
- Classify chemical substances in relation to their hazard level and define principles for determining threshold values for the external environment, working environment, consumer products and food.
- Ability to acquire knowledge of the use of equipment and analysis methods for environmental chemical, ecotoxicological, human toxicological and environmental epidemiological purposes.
- Demonstrate general knowledge and understanding of the analytical methods, experimental approaches and modern biotechnological tools applied at a high scientific level within environmental chemical and health-related issues.
1.4.2 Skills
- Set up mass and energy flows and quantify substance transformations, in particular the transformation of pollutants, using modern models and be able to validate model predictions.
- Analyse and apply international scientific literature on environmental chemistry and health aspects.
- Use the most important databases on chemical, microbiological and toxicological substances in relation to pollutants.
- Participate in the design and performance of scientific experiments.
- Apply basic scientific principles in connection with the analysis of large data volumes.
- Communicate complex information to a wide range of national as well as international audiences using modern and appropriate information and communication tools.
1.4.3 Competences
- Expand the field of environmental chemistry by developing new technology, by introducing new analysis and monitoring methods as well as by assessing and solving environmental and health problems as well as threats.
- Explore complex relationships between the basic scientific aspects of environmental problems and the economic, social and political obstacles that have to be overcome in order to implement solutions on a national and international scale.
- Take into account the social, political and religious influences in connection with the working-out of solutions to environmental issues.
- Assess the impact of new technology on current values and ethics and take this into account when involved in research, risk and uncertainty assessments or the introduction of new technologies.
- Handle and solve complex environmental issues in specific work situations or in relation to research.
- Work independently and efficiently on your own, in teams as well as in interdisciplinary environments.
- Engage in national as well as international research.
- Apply life-long learning as a principle to independently assess and structure learning processes and assume responsibility for continuous academic development.
Chapter 2. Degree programme content
2.1 Content
|
Year 2 |
Block 1 |
|
|
| Block 2 |
Thesis (45 credits) |
| Block 3 |
| Block 4 |
| |
Compulsory courses and thesis |
| |
Elective courses |
The programme is set at 120 credits. The following courses are compulsory:
|
xxxxxx |
Toxicology and Ecotoxicology (FARMA) |
7.5 credits |
|
xxxxxx |
Environmental Epidemiology (SUND)* |
7.5 credits |
|
xxxxxx |
Air Pollution and Health (SCIENCE) |
7.5 credits |
|
xxxxxx |
Aquatic Environmental Chemistry (FARMA) |
7.5 credits |
| LKEK10103 |
Terrestrial Environmental Chemistry (LIFE) |
7.5 credits |
|
xxxxxx |
Environmental and Human Health Risk Assessment of Chemicals (DTU) |
7.5 credits |
*Students holding a BSc degree in Public Health Sciences from the Faculty of Health Sciences have to pass Grundlæggende analytisk kemi, kemi i vandig opløsning, laboratoriesikkerhed at the Faculty of Science (block 2A) instead of this course.
The programme is concluded with a thesis of 45 credits which must include experimental work.
The compulsory courses (45 credits) and the thesis (45 credits) constitute the core subjects of the programme. 30 credits are allocated to elective courses and other study activities.
After the first semester, the student must submit an individual study plan for the entire programme which must be approved by the Steering Committee for Environmental Chemistry and Health. The study plan is to ensure that students choose elective study activities that are relevant to the topic of their thesis. The study plan can be revised after the second semester.
2.2 Academic progression
The study programme is composed of the core academic subjects of environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, human toxicology and environmental epidemiology which as a whole provide the knowledge necessary to relate the occurrence of an agent or a substance in the environment to the actual and potential occurrence of harmful effects. The compulsory courses are inter-connected and arranged so that the courses ‘Toxicology and Ecotoxicology’ and ‘Environmental Epidemiology’ provide the students with knowledge about methods, models and techniques that are to be used later in the study programme. The courses ‘Toxicology and Ecotoxicology’, ‘Environmental Epidemiology’, Aquatic Environmental Chemistry’, ‘Air Pollution and Health’ and ‘Environmental Biogeochemistry’ lead to the last of the compulsory subjects, ‘Environmental and Human Health Risk Assessment of Chemicals’. Here, the knowledge acquired is put into perspective, creating coherence between the subject elements by giving the students a thorough knowledge about impact and exposure in relation to the environment, organisms and humans. The continuous compulsory courses each cover their respective medium and/or discipline whereas this course gathers the competences, enabling a full exposure and impact analysis of pesticides, pharmaceuticals, nano-substances and chemicals, both in relation to workplaces, consumers and the environment with regard to soil, air, water, organisms and humans. Having completed the compulsory courses, the student will have a broad foundation of knowledge on which to base the elective courses. The study plan ensures that the elective study activities are selected and coupled with knowledge acquired in the compulsory courses leading to the final experimentally founded MSc thesis. The compulsory courses and the experimental MSc thesis thus ensure the acquisition of general competences of the study programme whereas the elective study activities and the subject for the thesis ensure the specialisation in the study programme.
Chapter 3. Admission requirements and admission
3.1 Admission requirements
The following BSc degree programmes qualify students for direct admission to the MSc in Environmental Chemistry and Health:
- BSc programme in Natural Resources (naturressourcer) with core module course in Environmental Science (miljøvidenskab) from the Faculty of Life Sciences
- BSc programme in Environmental Chemistry (miljøkemi) from the Faculty of Science
The following BSc degrees also qualify students for the MSc in Environmental Chemistry and Health without any requirements for specific courses:
- BSc programmes in Chemistry (kemi) and in Biology (biologi) from the Faculty of Science
- BSc programme in Pharmacy (farmaci) from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- BSc programme in Molecular Biomedicine (molekulær biomedicin) from the Faculty of Science
- BSc programme in Molecular Biomedicine (molekulær biomedicin) from the Faculty of Health Sciences
- BSc programme in IT and Health (it og sundhed) from the Faculty of Science
- BSc programme in IT and Health (it og sundhed) from the Faculty of Health Sciences
- BSc programme in Public Health Sciences (folkesundhedsvidenskab) from the Faculty of Health Sciences
- BSc programme in Medicine (medicin) from the Faculty of Health Sciences
- BSc programme in Technical Science (teknisk videnskab) with specialisation in Environmental Technology (miljøteknologi) (the graduate engineer programme) from the Technical University of Denmark
BSc graduates from one of the below-mentioned programmes can be considered for admission to the MSc programme in Environmental Chemistry and Health if they have completed the following courses:
- BSc programme in Natural Resources (naturressourcer) with the core module Environmental Economics (miljøøkonomi)
- BSc programme in Natural Resources (naturressourcer) with the core module Plante Science (plantevidenskab)
- BSc programme in Natural Resources (naturressourcer) with the core module Animal Science (husdyrvidenskab)
- BSc programme in Natural Resources (naturressourcer) with the core module Nature Management (naturforvaltning)
- BSc programme in Biology-Biotechnology (biologi-bioteknologi)
· LMAB10069 Statistical Data Analysis (Statistisk dataanalyse) (7.5 credits)
· LKEB10084 Environmental Chemistry (Miljøkemi i biologiske systemer) (7.5 credits)
· LPLB10306 Soil-water-plants relations (Jord, vand og planter) (7.5 credits)
BSc graduates in Chemistry, in Environmental Chemistry or in Biology from another Danish or foreign university will be offered admission to the study programme if they have equivalent qualifications.
Applicants with a similar BSc degree in natural science or health science from another Danish or foreign university may also be considered for admission to the study programme.
3.2 Selection criteria
If the number of qualified applicants exceeds the permitted intake for a study programme, applicants with the highest average grades for their qualifying BSc degree will be assigned highest priority.
3.3 Admission
Students are admitted to the MSc programme in Environmental Chemistry and Health once a year (1 September).
Camilla Volden Van, - siden er sidst opdateret d.22. december 2011