Presentation

The Master's degree programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technologies for Circular Economy will provide students with interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and competencies so that they can make independent decisions within a sustainable context based on circular economy principles. The programme is taught in English and has a workload of 120 ECTS credits.

  Reasons for the establishment of the master's degree programme

In a global context characterised by serious environmental issues caused by irrational and unplanned exploitation of resources and the challenges linked to the supply of energy and critical raw materials, it has become increasingly clear that today's linear economy model based on the take, make and dispose system - which operates under the assumption that resources are infinite - is no longer sustainable.
This linear paradigm, which appears to be governing both the production and consumption of goods, proceeds on the assumption that the life cycle of goods is limited and follows a three-step approach: 1) take, referring to the collection of raw materials; 2) make, referring to the processing of raw materials to make finished products; and dispose, referring to the disposal of products once they have reached the end of their life, thus becoming waste.
Challenges posed by resources, both in terms of energy and raw materials, together with the increase in the world population, the living standards and the average life expectancy (and therefore of consumptions too), requires a radical transformation of the paradigm so as to enable a step-change towards a more sustainable development worldwide.
Over the past few years a number of initiatives have been implemented both at the European- and non-European level to promote a transition to Circular Economy (CE), regarded as a regenerative economy that enables effective flows of materials, energy, work and information, one that fosters a sustainable growth from an economical, environmental and social perspective.
The new master's degree programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technologies for Circular Economy builds on the above observations, taking into account not only the “Impacts of circular economy policies on the labour market” report drafted by the European Commission (which, among other things, stresses the importance of developing new skills and competencies to foster the transition to CE), but also the numerous reasearch lines attributed to CE issues that are already available at the University of Padova.

  Characteristics and objectives

The master’s degree programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technologies for Circular Economy is a two-year long programme. The first year is the same for all students and aims at providing knowledge of the most common methods underlying green chemistry and the related industrial processes, as well as thermodynamic and catalytic processes and their application to protect the environment and implement a circular system. During the first year, students will also acquire knowledge in the fields of renewable energy technologies and the use and management of waste and the water resource from an effective and sustainable CE perspective, both in terms of environment and socio-economy. In order to understand and acquire basic knowledge of production process management, environmental legislation and CE economy, specific courses will be offered so as to gain skills and competencies necessary to understand the relations between economic aspects and environmental sustainability.

In the second year, students can choose between two different paths:

  1. Resources and product design and recycling, focusing on material-related topics
  2. Energy conversion and storage, focusing on energy-related topics and issues

In addition, student will also be required to carry out an internship (15 ECTS) during which they will have the chance to come into contact with productive activities and apply their knowledge within a real industrial context.

At the end of their academic studies, students will have gained relevant expertise and skills to analyze a system’s life cycle, and to design and implement specific CE projects, especially within the industrial sector.

  Entry requirements

Students who wish to enroll in the Master's degree programme in Sustainable Chemistry and Technologies for Circular Economy  must hold a degree or university diploma of three years' duration or foreign equivalent deemed suitable for admission purposes as per existing regulation. They must also possess the following curricular requirements:

a) hold a degree in one of the following degree classes: L-27 Chemical Sciences and Technologies ex DM 270/04 or L-21 Chemical Sciences and Technologies ex DM 509/99 or have acquired at least 40 ECTS in the following Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SDS):

ECTS

SDS

12

CHIM/01, CHIM/02, CHIM/03, CHIM/04, CHIM/05, CHIM/06, CHIM/07, GEO/06

28

MAT/01, MAT/02, MAT/03, MAT/04, MAT/05, MAT/06, MAT/07, MAT/08, MAT/09 FIS/01, FIS/02, 03; BIO/01, BIO/10, GEO/04, GEO/07, GEO/09, CHIM/11, CHIM/12 ING-IND/35

b) have a B2 English level (reading and comprehension and listening).

For highly-qualified graduates with proven knowledge and competencies (as per curriculum) resulting from previous training programmes that are not completely coherent with admission requirements, a different entry route and/or specific admission tests could apply.

  Employment opportunities

Graduates of the master's degree programme in Sustainable Science and Technology for Circular Economy may be employed by companies, public administrations, or work as a self-employed professional. Employment opportunities include:

  • Circular Economy manager, responsible for communication between all business divisions and the integrated management of the different components of the value chain
  • Research and Development manager, responsible for the research, design and development of products
  • Technician, responsible for raw materials supply and logistics
  • Manager in companies that have implemented/intend to implement a circular production model
  • Consultant for the implementation of circular models in small- and medium-sized companies
  • Expert in drafting CE policies and the Green Public Procurement within the public administration