Programme Description

A perfect combination

The growing needs of a growing population, rising consumption of energy and resources, climate change and disrupted ecosystems - these are just some of the problems humanity must face in the coming decades. These challenges require sustainable solutions: they must go beyond our own horizon to embrace the needs of our children and grandchildren, while protecting and preserving our world.

All related science efforts need to be interconnected these goals are to be reached. Environmental engineering has been leading the way for 15 years: an interdisciplinary, integrative and open engineering discipline that seeks to actively preserve and develop man's habitat and working areas, whose basis for action is defined by the requirements of environmental and natural science, and which utilitises the methods and possibilities of engineering science.

Working Areas of Environmental Engineers

- Develop and implement eco-friendly, sustainable technologies

- Avoid and minimise pollution through integrative planning and project approaches

- Prevent, instead of damage control: minimise consumption of raw materials and energy by contributing to efforts to improve efficiency of processes and products

- Recover substances from wastes of all kinds

- Contribute to developing environmentally sound strategies and guiding principles in private industry, and state and international levels

- Participate in environmental education, improve the public's acceptance and willingness to cooperate

- Eliminate damage to the environment, conserve ecosystems and of biodiversity through adapted technologies

Employment opportunities

- Technology developers, manufactures, and operators, providers of equipment for environmental engineering need (water supply and waste water disposal, waste management, recycling industry, flue gas cleaning, decontamination techniques etc.)

- R&D, scientific and teaching facilities

- Planning, consultant and appraising firms, government authorities

- Regional, national and international institutions, and government authorities

- Company representatives for environmental protection or branches thereof

- development aid, technology transfer

"That's one of our discoveries!"

In the region surrounding Cottbus, large swaths of eco-destruction and harmoniously restored natural areas often exist side by side. As an industrial region, we have a number of altered landscapes due to our devastating history of air pollution and strip mining. Furthermore, we have a very complex water system. It is for this very reason that the BTU Cottbus feels compelled to promote sustainable solutions and contribute to re-establishing the region's ecosystems by developing new environmental protection technologies.

The first of kind in Germany, the Environmental Engineering programme was successfully launched in 1991. Course content is not limited solely to technological issues but also focuses on imparting scientific, ecological and economic knowledge, in addition to training in environmental management. Our graduates are not only able to develop technical solutions, they also understand the impacts of such solutions and how to adapt them for the special economic and ecological needs of the region.

The Environmental Engineering Programme

The faculty has embraced the Bologna Process and has restructured its degree programmes accordingly, in order to meet the requirements of the new Bachelor and Master system. The Bachelor programme Environmental Engineering has been offered since the fall of 2006; it also prepares students for advanced Master degree programmes.

The first three semsters serve to impart a broad knowledge base in the natural sciences, engineering, economics, and humanities. Requirements in the related programmes Process Technology and Technolies of Biogenic Raw Materials are similar, making it easy for students to transfer to another academic programme. In subsequent semsters studnets delve into the need for us to protect the three 'abiotic compartments' soil, water and air, as well as recycling economics and clean-up technoloies, and learn the corresponding methods and procedures. The wide range of advanced courses offered by the faculty allows students to individualise their course schedules and helps them to prepare for advanced Master programmes. Graduates of this programme receive a Bachelor of Science, the first professionally qualifying degree.

Admissions requirement

University entrance qualifying certificate, no enrolment restrictions

Prescribed study duration

Six semsters, students are admitted for the winter semester of each vear

Degree

Bachelor of Sciences (B. Sc.)

Study and Examination Regulations for the Bachelor progamme "Environmental Engineering"