Environmental Engineering (2024 program)

Màster en Enginyeria Ambiental

The Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering is an interdisciplinary program that delves into the fundamental concepts and criteria for understanding the relationships between human action and the environment. It provides advanced knowledge in technologies for identifying, preventing, managing, and remedying pollution in different environmental vectors, as well as fundamental tools for ensuring quality, environmental management, and sustainable development.

This master's program offers the possibility to specialize in three optional tracks:

  • Environmental Technologies
  • Hydrology and Water Resources
  • Sustainability and Energy

Academic year starts in Fall semester (Q1): September
Spring semester (Q2): February
Duration 1.5 years
Study load 90 ECTS (including 30 ECTS of the Master's Thesis)
Minimum academic progress The minimum academic progress for first year students is 30 ECTS.
Delivery On-campus
Enrolment
  • Full-time
    At least 30 ECTS enrolled on the first year, and up to 72 ECTS the rest of the years
  • Partial-times
    At least 30 ECTS (and up to 60 ETCS) enrolled on the first year, and up to 72 ECTS the rest of the years
Language Spanish
Places 40
Official degree Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (recorded in the Spanish Ministry of Education's degree register)
Fees

More information about fees and payment options

More information about grants and loans

Academic coordinator Daniel Fernández García

Díptic del Màster en Enginyeria Ambiental

Specific admission requirements

In order to gain admission to the Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering, you must be a:

  • Holder of a bachelor's degree in architecture or engineering in the areas of civil engineering, industrial engineering, chemistry, the environment, forestry, mining, physics, biology or agriculture.
  • Holder of a bachelor's degree in environmental, chemical, physical, biological or geological sciences.
  • Holder of a pre-EHEA Spanish degree in architecture or engineering in the areas of civil engineering, industrial engineering, chemistry, the environment, forestry, mining, physics, biology or agriculture.
  • Holder of a pre-EHEA Spanish diploma in environmental, chemical, physical, biological or geological sciences.
  • Holder of a pre-EHEA Spanish degree in environmental, chemical, physical, biological or geological sciences.

Candidates seeking admission who have qualifications other than those mentioned above will be reviewed by the master's degree committee with the aim of establishing the bridging courses they must take.

Students pending obtaining the degree that gives access to the master's degree

UPC undergraduate students who, despite not having obtained the bachelor’s degree, have pending the TFG and, at most, up to 9 ECTS (including credits pending recognition or transfer) or who have completed their studies, but are waiting to achieve, if possible, transversal competence in a third language. Under no circumstances will students who access this route be able to obtain a master's degree if they have not previously obtained a bachelor's degree.

Candidates from other universities who are enrolled in all the credits to complete the studies that give access to the master's degree can apply for access. Acceptance will be conditioned to the fulfillment of the general and specific access and admission requirements at the time of formalizing the registration.

You will find all the information about the general Access requirements to UPC master's programs here.

Admission criteria

The following factors or parameters are considered for admission to the Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering:

The relationship between prior formation and the academic and professional competencies established for this master's degree will also be taken into account in the final weighting score.

You can check the results of the evaluation and selection of the applications for the current academic year here.

Pre-enrolment and enrolment

Check here the general admission requirements for UPC masters and information on pre-enrolment: calendar, how to apply for admission, how to reserve a place if the resolution is favourable, etc.

Starting from the 2024-2025 academic year, the Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering (2014) will be phased out and will not accept new enrollments. Students enrolled in these study plans can choose:

Educational objectives

The Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering is an interdisciplinary program that delves into the fundamental concepts and criteria for understanding the relationships between human action and the environment. It provides advanced knowledge in technologies for identifying, preventing, managing, and remediating pollution in different environmental vectors, as well as fundamental tools for ensuring quality, environmental management, and sustainable development.

Career opportunities

The Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering at UPC is a strategic and high-level program aimed at training environmental engineers prepared for decision-making and team leadership. They possess scientific and technical knowledge for identifying, measuring, preventing, and addressing environmental issues. They are capable of defining, selecting, and developing appropriate solutions and technologies, as well as technological tools, management strategies, and action programs. Consequently, the program balances advanced scientific subjects with applied engineering knowledge, resulting in professionals capable of solving complex environmental engineering problems across various domains or successfully pursuing doctoral programs in these fields. The companies that hire students from this master's program include environmental engineering firms, consulting companies, construction companies, public administrations (local, provincial, regional, national), universities (doctoral teaching), and research institutes.

Training and Learning Outcomes

Knowledge or content
  • Identify, define, and propose appropriate technological and management solutions for environmental problems.
  • Analyze systems, environmental issues, and their solutions using models, as well as evaluate them.
Skills
  • Apply scientific concepts to environmental problems and correlate them with technological concepts.
  • Design conventional and unconventional solutions to solve environmental problems and develop mass and energy balances.
  • Acquire basic working skills specific to environmental engineering (organizational skills, observation skills, ability to interpret information) in the laboratory and in the field, and identify methods and instrumentation for determining environmental quality parameters.
Competencies
  • Develop practical approaches, with an economic perspective and in accordance with applicable environmental legislation, for environmental management instruments and environmental impact assessments.
  • Plan interventions in the environment considering project evaluation parameters, develop and organize basic documentation, and analyze its technical, economic, and environmental feasibility.
  • Design conventional and advanced unconventional solutions to environmental problems and develop mass and energy balances.
  • Carry out, present, and defend, before a university tribunal, an original exercise conducted individually, consisting of a comprehensive study or project in the field of Environmental Engineering, synthesizing the competencies acquired in the studies, adopting advances and innovations in this field, and contributing new ideas.

For more information on course groups, coordinators and codes check the printer version of the curriculum.
- To obtain the degree, students must pass 6 elective courses (30 ECTS).
- If you wish to obtain a track (optional), you must pass the 4 elective courses specific to the desired track.

COURSES

First year
Fall semester ECTS Type
Biogeochemical processes modeling 5 Mand
Energy efficiency and decarbonization 5 Mand
Ecological engineering 5 Mand
Climate change and global warming 5 Mand
Life cycle analysis and sustainability 5 Mand
Contaminants in the natural environment 5 Mand
Spring semester ECTS Type
Environmental Technologies Track
Water and Waste Treatment Plant Management 5 Opt
Environmental Engineering Laboratory 5 Opt
Bioproducts and Bioenergy Recovery 5 Opt
Nature-Based Solutions 5 Opt
Hydrology and Water Resources track
Environmental Oceanography 5 Opt
Urban Hydrology and Flood Risk 5 Opt
Water Resources and Integrated Management 5 Opt
Contaminant Transport Modeling 5 Opt
Energy and Natural Resources track
Geomechanics for Energy and Environment 5 Opt
Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence 5 Opt
Eco-Materials, Recycling, and Reuse 5 Opt
Environmental Project Management 5 Opt
Second year
Primer quadrimestre ECTS Type
Master's Thesis 30 Mand

information available soon

The Master's Thesis is an original exercise to be done individually and presented and defended before a university panel consisting in a project in the sphere of the specific civil engineering technologies synthesising and integrating the competences acquired on the course.