Study handbook

DTU's Study Handbook 2012/2013

MSc in Environmental Engineering

Master of Science in Engineering (Environmental Enginnering)

The Master of Environmental Engineering provides a research-based education in the technical and environmental sciences. Students are equipped to develop sustainable solutions to complicated societal problems while considering environmental, resource, health, legal and economic aspects. The program is broad, interdisciplinary and application-oriented with opportunity for specialization in various environmental problems or technical solutions.

The degree program emphasises technical and management solutions to environmental problems, based on an understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes governing those problems. Students employ empirical and theoretical approaches and obtain an understanding of the processes through mathematical and statistical processing of measured data. Students are equipped with problem solving approaches that aim to prevent and mitigate environmental impact. 

Study Lines

The program has five broad areas of specialization, so called study lines:
Completing a certain study line will result in a more specialized educational profile and will be shown as a specialization on the diploma for the MSc in Environmental Engineering.
More information on the study lines, including the rules for completing the study lines, can be obtained at http://www.env.dtu.dk/English/Education/MSc_Environmental_Engineering.aspx

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements, MSc Eng 

Applicants for admission to the Master of Science in Environmental Engineering should hold a bachelors degree in engineering in Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, BSc Engineering (Chemistry biotechnology or other relevant areas). 

A strong, working knowledge of mathematics and natural sciences is a prerequisite. A year's full time study at DTU amounts to 60 ECTS points. The MSc program builds on a bachelor curriculum with at least 45 ECTS points in mathematics and the natural sciences, with a minimum of points in the following subjects:   

  • Mathematics      20 ECTS points
  • Chemistry          10 ECTS points
  • Physics             10 ECTS points
  • Additional courses in computing, mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry or biology so that the total amount of courses in the natural sciences amounts to 45 ECTS points. 

In addition to having a strong background in the natural sciences, the applicant must demonstrate skills in the field of environmental engineering, for example in the subjects below: 

12102Environmental Processes10point
12134Environmental Microbiology5point
12205Climate change – impacts, mitigation and adaptation5point
12320Hydrology10point
12402The Earth, Sea and Sky5point
41102Hydrodynamics 15point
42342Sustainable Production10point

The required level may be gauged by comparison with the contents of the DTU courses listed above. The applicant should have good results in the required prerequisites. Note also that some of the technological specialization courses in the MSc-program have one or more of the bachelor level subjects listed above as prerequisites. The description of the MSc level courses may be used to assess the expected level of knowledge.

Admission will be decided on the basis of the relevance and quality of the applicant's educational background. The applicant's grade point average or equivalent, as well as individual grades for relevant courses will be taken into account.   

All steps in the admission procedure are handled through DTU's Office of International Affairs, to which inquiries about formalities should be directed. Questions about academic qualifications and program content should be directed to the program coordinator. 

DTU BSc Eng Degrees Giving Direct Admission  

The following BSc Eng degrees from DTU provide direct admission to the MSc in Environmental Engineering:

·        Environmental Technology
·        Biotechnology
·        Civil Engineering

Candidates with other bachelors degrees from DTU are welcome to apply provided their BSc study contains the necessary prerequisite knowledge for MSc study.

It is recommended that the BSc electives are used to acquire the necessary prerequisites in the planned area of specialization in the MSc.

Admission with BSc Degrees from other universities

Candidates with bachelors degrees from other universities are welcome to apply provided their BSc study contains the necessary prerequisite knowledge for MSc study.

Danish Bachelors of Engineering Giving Direct Admission

The following B Eng at DTU give direct admission to the MSc in Environmental Engineering:
·         Bygning
·         Arktisk teknologi
·         Kemi og Bioteknologi
Other B Eng degrees from DTU or other Universities can be admitted provided they have a background equivalent to a DTU BSc in Environmental Technology.
Students with a bachelor degree who seek admission to MSc programs at DTU must demonstrate proficiency in English (B-level for students from Nordic countries, IELTS, TOEFL or Pearson test for international students).

MSc in Environmental Engineering

Program Provisions, MSc Eng 

In order to obtain the MSc degree in Environmental Engineering the student must complete 120 points and fulfill the following requirements:

  • Have passed a minimum of 30 ECTS from within the group of General Competence Courses
  • Have passed a minimum of 30 ECTS from within the group of Technological Specialization Courses
  • Have passed a Master Thesis of 30 or 35 ECTS within the field of the general program
  • Have passed a sufficient number of Elective Courses to bring the total number of points for the entire program of study up to 120

Course List

General Competence Courses

Students must complete the following 30 ECTS general competence courses:

12104Modelling of Environmental Processes and Technologies10point
12237Chemicals in the environment 10point
12240Environmental Management and Ethics5point
42631Environmental Economics5point


Students who have completed some of these general competence courses as part of their BSc study, are exempt from these courses in their MSc degree and may instead include approved additional electives in their program of study.

Students enrolled in the DTU MSc program prior to September 2011, can include the following as a general competence course instead of the course 12237: 

12230Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology10point

Students enrolled in the DTU MSc program prior to September 2009, can select their general competence courses from the list above or from the following:

12121Water Supply10point
12130Solid Waste Technology and Management10point
12333Integrated Water Resources Management5point
42372Life Cycle Assessment of Products and Systems10point

Technological Specialization Courses

Students must complete at least 30 ECTS of the following technological specialisation courses:

12121Water Supply10point
12122Urban drainage systems5point
12130Solid Waste Technology and Management10point
12131Wastewater Biotechnology10point
12132LCA-Modeling of Waste Management Systems5point
12136Bioenergy Technologies10point
12137Experimental Molecular Microbial Ecology5point
12140Integrated Urban Water Quality Management5point
12226Air Pollution and Environmental Effects.5point
12231Applied Analytical Environmental Chemistry5point
12233Water Pollution10point
12330Contaminated Sites10point
12333Integrated Water Resources Management5point
12335Groundwater Resources10point
12341Surface Water Hydrology10point
12600Nanotechnology and the Environment5point
30530Geographic Information Systems5point
42273Urban Planning and Sustainable Urban Development10point
42372Life Cycle Assessment of Products and Systems10point
42375Advanced life cycle assessment and evaluation of environmental impacts5point
42377Life Cycle Management in industry5point
42644Global product chains and sustainable development10point


Students who have completed some of these technological specialisation courses as part of their BSc study, are exempt from these courses in their MSc degree and may instead include approved additional electives in their program of study.

Students enrolled in the DTU MSc program prior to February 2013, can select their Technological Specialisation courses from the list above or from the following: 

12242Environmental Management in the Tropics10point
42470Introduction to Industrial Environmental Management5point
42542Management of Environment and Work Environment in a Network Perspective5point

Students enrolled in the DTU MSc program prior to September 2011, can select their Technological Specialisation courses from the list above or from the following: 

12225Air Pollution and Environmental Effects.10point

Students enrolled in the DTU MSc program prior to September 2010, can select their Technological Specialisation courses from the list above or from the following: 

02431Risk Management5point

Students enrolled in the DTU MSc program prior to September 2009, can select their Technological Specialisation courses from the list above or from the following:  

11119Energy End-Use Savings and the Environment5point
12133Environmental Biotechnology5point
12240Environmental Management and Ethics5point
12243Environmental Field Studies in Developing Countries20point
12328Modelling of Contaminant Transport in Porous Media5point
12331Field investigations of contaminated sites5point
12332Groundwater Geochemistry10point
28852Risk Assessment in Chemical and Biochemical Industry5point
42644Global product chains and sustainable development10point
42645Preparation of Field Study Within Environment and Development7.5point
42646Field Course in Developing Countries10point

Elective Courses
Elective Courses are any advanced level courses at DTU as well as courses from other universities with credit transfer to DTU. They can be in areas such as:

•    Non-program courses to obtain scientific skills on an advanced level (statistics, computation, advanced chemistry, microbiology, etc.)
Additional technological specialization courses or external program courses with the objective of obtaining further specialization within a selected area or broadening the environmental scope of the study plan
Bachelor DTU courses with the objective of obtaining basic skills not originally obtained in the qualifying bachelor degree

 

We strongly recommend the following courses to students who intend to complete a laboratory project for their MSc Thesis:

12137Experimental Molecular Microbial Ecology5point
12231Applied Analytical Environmental Chemistry5point

On a case-by-case basis for students with a qualifying bachelor degree from a “non-approved” external bachelor program, a fraction of the “Elective courses” may be mandatory courses selected by the program coordinator to strengthen weaknesses in a candidate's previous bachelor study.

Studying abroad

DTU recommends that students study one semester at a foreign university if they have not been on an international exchange before.  International experience is highly prioritized by employers of our graduates.

Students can enroll in the 1:1 program in Environmental Engineering with TU Munich (see  1:1 Program at TU Munich). This program involves 1 year of study at TU Munich and 1 year at DTU.

Students can enroll in the 1:1 program in Environmental Engineering with École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne  (EPFL). This program involves 1 year of study at EPFL and 1 year at DTU.

Students can study for 6 months at an international University as part of an approved exchange program. The following programs are recommended:

The M.Sc. coordinator may  approve selected courses taken as part of an approved International Exchange Program as substitutes for required DTU courses.

Please contact International Affairs for further information. Deadlines are listed here

The Master Thesis is the final project of the course of study. The Master Thesis must as a minimum equal 30 ECTS points but may also be 32½ or 35 ECTS points. The Master Thesis combined with the elective courses must total 60 ECTS points.

Up till september 2012 the thesis may be larger but no larger than 50 ECTS points. Please read Chapter 11 in the generel curriculum program for more information.

Ideas for Master Thesis can be found in the searchable DTU student project database. However, it is always possible to contact academics who do research in areas of interest to hear about project ideas that are not included in the databases. The MSCEE program coordinator must approve MSc project agreements. 

The Master Thesis can be carried out in collaboration with an external institution (academic, industrial, consulting or administrative). For collaborative projects, an agreement between a DTU supervisor and a person from the collaborating institution must be established.

Head of Studies
Stefan Trapp
Department of Environmental Engineering
DTU Building 115
DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Phone: (+45) 4525 1622
E-mail: sttr@env.dtu.dk
Web: www.env.dtu.dk