Are you interested in protecting the environment? Would you like to discover new ways to secure a sustainable use of our natural resources and to mitigate climate change? Do you think it is interesting to work in an interdisciplinary manner, with other students? The Master’s programme in Environmental Science at Aalborg University offers you the opportunity to participate in the development of new processes and technologies, that can ensure a sustainable use and management of natural resources, a reduced climate impact, and a better environmental quality.

One of the best engineering courses in the world

If you take an engineering education at Aalborg University, you will attend one of the best engineering education in the world! In 2018, our engineering programs were named the fourth best in the world by 178 experts surveyed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At the same time, AAU was named the best engineering university in Europe for the second time in six months. 

Academic content

The programme is interdisciplinary and you use your knowledge within chemistry, physics, biology, and microbiology to study and solve environmental challenges in cities, industries, agriculture and nature.

In your semester projects, you and your project group will explore complex and often interdisciplinary issues within the field of environmental science and you are challenged to use all of your knowledge to come up with possible solutions. You are encouraged to occasionally collaborate with external organisations and businesses in your projects to get an idea of the work processes and current issues in the industry. This can prepare you better for your own work life after you graduate, and it can provide you with a professional network. This is a full-time study programme, which is characterised by problem based project work in groups. You will be working closely with other students most of the time, and you are required to be present at the university on a daily basis and spend a vast majority of your day there.
The Master’s programme entitles you to the designation Master of Science (MSc) in Technology (Environmental Science). 

Studying the Master’s programme in Environmental Science, you learn how to understand and solve complex issues in relation to environmental and climate issues – both locally and globally. The programme is cross disciplinary, which means that you will combine knowledge from e.g. biology, technology, chemistry, engineering, environmental planning and environmental management.

You will work with topics such as:

• Environmental soil science
• Geostatistics
• Global change biology
• Human impact on the environment
• Experimental hydrology
• Ecosystem analysis
• Conservation biology
• Marine pollution

The teaching combines lectures, laboratory work and project work. During the first two semesters, you will split your time equally between three 5 ECTS courses and one 15 ECTS project. The courses will provide you with the basic knowledge, and the projects will allow you to use this knowledge in combination with a topic that interests you.

The study programmes at AAU are based on problem based learning and project work. This gives you the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and competences at a high academic level in an independent manner. You get to apply theory to practice in your semester projects, which will prepare you better for your future career.

Within Environmental Science, you can for instance work with energy from biomass and waste, biological air cleaning in industry and animal farming, methods for rapid detection of bacteria in drinking water, biological methods for assessment of water quality in rivers and lakes and mitigation of greenhouse gases and recycling of nutrients.

You can choose a career in

• The public sector such as the technical department in municipalities or counties where you can work with regeneration of natural areas, management of contamination cases or environmental control of agriculture and industry
• The private sector as a consulting engineer or in the industry where you may work with environmental management and optimisation of the production
• Innovation, development and marketing of new green technology
• Ministries or public governments where you can put your fingerprint on the future environmental policy
• Research and teaching within the university system where you can be part of the invention and development of the methods and technologies that will form the basis for making our society more sustainable in the future. You will also be part of shaping the new candidates that are to bring this technology from idea to reality

Job and career

Within Environmental Science, you can work with for instance energy from biomass and waste, biological air cleaning in industry and animal farming, methods for rapid detection of bacteria in drinking water, biological methods for assessment of water quality in rivers and lakes or improvement of indoor climate in buildings at contaminated soil sites.

As an environmental engineer, you can choose a career in the public sector such as the technical department in municipalities or counties where you can work with regeneration of natural areas, management of contamination cases or environmental control of agriculture and industry.

Career opportunities

You can also choose a career in the private sector as a consulting engineer or in the industry where you may work with environmental management and optimisation of the production.

You may also work with innovation, development and marketing of new green technology.

If you are interested in providing the information necessary for political decisions, you can work in ministries or public governments where you can put your fingerprint on the future environmental policy.

You may also consider a career in research and teaching within the university system where you can be part of the invention and development of the methods and technologies that will form the basis for making our society more sustainable in the future. You will also be part of shaping the new candidates that are to bring this technology from idea to reality.

During the study programme, you have worked with the PBL method, which gives you many useful skills that make you an attractive candidate on the job market. You know how to approach a problem and solve it in collaboration with other people, which is a valuable skill in most jobs.

Get help at AAU to start your career in Denmark

AAU Career helps you on your way from student life to job life in Denmark by giving you the tools to examine your options and find out what to do.

While studying at AAU, you can participate in career and job-related events, find help on our website, and book a personal career counselling session to talk about e.g.:

• Finding your way in your career
• Danish working culture
• Application and CV the Danish way
• What you can offer an employer
• How to go about job search in Denmark – both student job, internship and full-time job

Read more about AAU Career here

Student counsellor

If you have questions regarding study life, exams or the like, please feel free to contact one of our student guidance counsellors.

Magnus Bay Kirkfeldt

Stine Tillebæk Søndergaard

• bio.sg@bio.aau.dk
• Fibigerstræde 16, lokale 3.008
• 9220 Aalborg Øst, DK
• +45 93 56 20 41

Office hours: Please e-mail or call Magnus or Stine to make an appointment.