Master of Science in Environmental Protection – Environmental Protection Analyst (1 year, 60 ECTS) – 2013/2014-2018/2019

Name and the Goals of the Study Programme

The name of the Study programme is Master of Science in Environmental Protection – Environmental Protection Analyst (1 year, 60 ECTS).

The goal of the Study Program is to educate professionals who will be capable of performing quality control of the environment from the aspect of monitoring the processes in the environment, processes in the plants for treatment of industrial wastewaters, agriculture, and other anthropogenic activities. He/she will master the methodology of analyzing data about environment quality with the objective of acquiring information needed for environmental management.

Type of the Study and the Outcome of the Education Process

By mastering modern analytical methods of environmental measurements the students are prepared for the monitoring of the processes in the environment, migration of toxic substances and their transformations in the ecosystems, for control of the processes and techniques used in the treatment of contaminated flows and locations – all with the aim of improving the quality of the environment.

The graduate student possesses a wide, detailed and critical level of understanding of all the phenomena and processes which, through research or practical application, will make him/her competent to analyze the influence of the pollutants on the environment and find out the procedures and methods for the improvement of the quality of the environment.

Professional Title, Academic, or Scientific Title

After completing the one-year study and earning 60 ECTS credits, the graduate student obtains the title – Master in Environmental Protection Analysis.

Admission Conditions

The admission of the candidates is carried out on the basis of the open competition that is announced by the University of Novi Sad and realized by the Faculty of Sciences. In order to enrol in the first year of the Master Academic Studies in Environmental Protection – Environmental Protection Analyst, the candidate has to have completed the Bachelor Studies in Environmental Protection – Environmental Protection Analyst (240 ЕCTS), or a corresponding Bachelor (240 ЕCTS), in which at least 60 ЕCTS credits are from chemistry, biology, physics, and similar disciplines. The candidates are ranked based on the contest criteria of the University of Novi Sad. To enrol, the candidate must be ranked within the approved enrolment quota.

The Structure of the Study Programme

Tables show the lists of the obligatory and elective courses along with the ECTS points and weekly hours of lectures and exercises.

Outlines of the contents of the courses are given in Appendix.

The Time Allotted for the Realization of Particular Study Forms

The teaching is realized through the courses given in Tables, distributed into semesters, where two semesters make one academic year.

The master academic studies (lasting one academic year) carry at least 60 ECTS credits, a prerequisite being that the student earned at least 240 ECTS points in their previous academic studies.

Credit Values of Particular Courses

Tables give the numbers of ECTS credits for each course in the Study Program.

Diploma Work

The final year of the Study Program Master Academic Studies in Environmental Protection – Environmental Protection Analyst ends with the completion and defence of the Master Thesis, an independent student’s work which represents the final exam for obtaining the academic title of Master in Environmental Protection Analysis.

By completing and defending the Master Thesis, the student demonstrates independence and creativity in the application of theoretical knowledge and practical skills acquired in the area of environmental sciences. The Master Thesis is carried out in the ninth and tenth semester, in the frame of the research study. The total value of this work is 30 ЕCTS.

Detailed regulations concerning the registration, prerequisites and the manner of defending this work are regulated by the Statute and the corresponding acts of the Faculty.

Prerequisites for the Registration for Particular Courses or Group of Courses

Supplement gives a list of courses along with the prerequisites for registering for each of them.

Way of Choosing Courses from the Other Study Programmes

The student has the possibility of choosing courses within the given program and from other study programs.

The student can choose any course from the offered list of courses of the Study Program he/she is enrolled in, but a prerequisite is to earn at least 60 ECTS points in one academic year. The registration for elective courses is carried out as a rule on registering for the study year. Teaching will be organized if the total number of students wishing to attend the given course is above the limit envisaged by the Study Program encompassing the given elective course.

If the student wishes to choose a course from another study program, he/she is obliged to submit an application to the Department Council, which decides to accept/reject in accordance with the curriculum of the Study Program. Teaching will be organized if the total number of students wishing to attend a given course is above the limit envisaged by the study program containing the given elective course.

Transferring from Another Study Programme

There is an obvious need for trained professionals in the area of natural sciences. However, many of them trained in natural sciences find employment in teams concerned with the problem of environmental pollution and protection, where broad knowledge about the environment is required. This study program has been designed to train students for the jobs requiring solid knowledge of the environmental science. The course develops the student’s ability of measuring and monitoring pollution in the environment, with the aim of analysing the data and undertaking appropriate measures to protect the environment. Through acquiring the necessary knowledge of biological, chemical, and physical principles of environmental protection, protection of water, air, and land, risk assessment, environmental monitoring, modelling of processes in the environment, methods and processes to treat waste flows and techniques for the remediation of contaminated locations, the future professionals that complete these studies will be prepared to apply their knowledge of the appropriate methods and techniques in the management of the quality of the environment, and thus contribute to the realization of the policy of sustainable development.

Such professionals are needed to work in laboratories engaged in the analysis and environmental quality control, teams engaged in establishing systems of environmental protection, state agencies, inspection teams, teams for research and development, teams for remediation of polluted ecosystems, teams for environmental impact analysis, environmental consulting companies, the non-governmental sector for the environment and the education of the population, educational activities, etc. In addition, after graduating, the students can continue their training in the frame of specialist and doctoral studies.

The aims of the Study Program of Master Academic Studies in Environmental Protection – Environmental Protection Analyst are to broaden and deepen the knowledge gained as an undergraduate in the direction of acquiring solid and integrated knowledge and understanding of the scientific basis of the environment, concerning the measurement and control of polluting substances in water, sediment, soil, and air. The students are trained to define and interpret scientific facts concerning environmental protection and apply effectively their skills to solve concrete environmental problems in the economy and society. They should master technologies for eliminating environmental pollution and incorporate in this activity social, political and legislative considerations. Through linking a number of scientific disciplines – chemistry, biology, physics, soil science, geography, and applied mathematics, the students gain in-depth understanding of the environmental issues and become competent in applying interdisciplinary skills needed in the science of the environment.

After graduating, the young professionals are equipped with broad, detailed, and   advanced knowledge of the majority of issues concerning the environment, as well as pollution measurement and control. This aim is ensured by a unique program which combines the broad and in-depth learning of the scientific disciplines that are necessary to study the natural environment.

In addition to the mentioned professional goals, the students develop and improve their analytical, critical and self-critical thinking and approach to solving environmental problems.

By completing this study program the student improves the following general competences:

• skill of collecting, assessing, and interpreting relevant information;
• capability to formulate science-based arguments and judgments taking into account scientific, social, ethical values;
• ability to understand the assignments of the job;
• ability to state a problem supported by arguments;
• capacity to apply knowledge in practice;
• capacity for team work and exchange of ideas and information with other team members;
• capability for further academic training;
• adherence to the professional ethic.

By mastering the Study Program of Master Academic Studies in Environmental Protection – Environmental Protection Analyst, the student acquires and improves the following subject-specific competences:

• advanced knowledge of the environment;
• advanced knowledge of the environmental analytical methods;
• advanced knowledge of environment quality control;
• advanced practical experimental skills and methods in the area of environmental protection and application of modern equipment to measure the substances in the environment;
• ability for the application of the acquired knowledge in the methods of environmental protection – application of fundamental knowledge of chemistry, biology and other natural sciences and environmental engineering;
• capability to organize multidisciplinary team work on solving environmental problems and readiness to exchange ideas and information with the other members of the professional team;
• capability to perceive environmental problems from the aspects of physics, chemistry, biology-ecology, propose an appropriate solution of the problem, and realize it in an independent way;
• capacity of performing tests and experiments and interpreting the obtained results;
• participation in designing and control of the systems of environmental protection;
• identification and measurement of inorganic and organic pollutants and monitoring of their migration and transformation processes;
• capability to form science-based judgments relying on the information concerning chemical and physico-chemical processes in the environment, and, based on the interpretation of the obtained data, carry out modelling of the process and analysis of the influence on the environment;
• ability to perform monitoring and assessment of the state of the environment along with modelling and predicting;
• capacity for environmental management, decision making concerning protection, restoration and improvement of the environment;
• ability of assessing technologies from the aspect of environmental protection;
• ability to manage plants for treatment of waste flows from the industry and settlements.

After completing this study program, the graduate is a professional with high academic education, with essentially wider and solid knowledge of the environment compared to that gained in the basic higher education, equipped with an integrated knowledge and ability of understanding scientific problems in the area of environmental protection.

The Master in Environmental Protection Analysis is qualified to work in a wide spectrum of state, private and public enterprises, state and local institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations. He/she is prepared to work in the laboratories (research, development, process), state agencies, inspection teams, development teams, teams for remediation of contaminated ecosystems, teams for the analysis of the impact on the environment, consulting environmental firms, non-governmental sector for environment and public education, educational activities, as well as to pursue doctoral studies from close areas.