International Master of Science in Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management
The two-year International Master of Science in Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management (SINReM) programme trainss students to develop and implement tools and technologies to make the entire raw materials value chain more sustainable. Throughout the programme, students learn to find new, more sustainable solutions in the fields of resource exploration, extraction processes and the development of more circular materials and recycling technologies.
What
The rapidly increasing demand for specialty metals and minerals – caused by an increasing electrification of the industry, new information and communication technologies, and green energy and sustainable mobility solutions (e.g. car batteries, solar panels and windfarms) – calls for a more economic, socially and environmentally sustainable supply of raw materials.
The limited availability of metals and mineral raw materials, in combination with global phenomena, such as geopolitical base metal and high-tech metal supply risks, fossil fuel depletion and climate change, urges us to develop more sustainable management strategies for these resources. These challenges can be translated into economic opportunities and business models that require advanced training.
There is currently a wide variety of specialists that act within the boundaries of their own discipline. These specialists often lack the broader overview on the available alternative techniques to make the entire value chain more sustainable, and to tackle specific supply risk challenges by looking at the issues from a global value chain perspective within a multidisciplinary context. There is thus a clear need for professionals with a global mindset and a holistic overview of the raw materials value chain, who can apply sustainability assessment tools and develop new management strategies and technologies for resource exploration, mining, chemical processing and recycling. SINReM delivers this type of T-shaped professionals: our graduates have a basic expertise in, and understanding of every aspect in the entire raw materials value chain, in combination with a specialised expertise in one particular field.
For whom
The admission requirements vary. Depending on your prior education, you are either able to enrol directly, or there are additional requirements.
Structure
Students take a three-week introductory course to the programme at TU Freiberg in September. The course introduces them to the process chain of mineral resources. The subsequent first term at Ghent University introduces the students to the economic aspects of the circular economy, multicriteria decision-making and sustainability assessment tools. In addition, the students become familiar with sustainable materials and technologies used to extract and recover raw materials from industrial byproducts and waste streams.
During the second term at Uppsala University, the students are trained in georesource exploration and entrepreneurship, and are stimulated to excel in creativity with an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative problem-based technology development skills.
At the end of the first academic year, the students take the modular Resources Chemistry course unit at TU Freiberg. This course unit covers fundamentals in chemistry of ore deposits, kinetic aspects of precipitation and extraction, and chemical foundations of hydro- and pyrometallurgical processes.
In the first year, all students move as a cohort between the three partner, resulting in significant networking and social cohesion advantages.
In the second year, the students choose one of the three partner universities to take one of the five elective majors consisting of mandatory and optional course units in a particular field of sustainable and innovative natural resource management:
- Resource Recovery and Sustainable Materials (Ghent University)
- Circular Societies (Ghent University)
- Sustainable Processes (TU Freiberg)
- Georesource Exploration (Uppsala University)
- Sustainable Entrepreneurship (Uppsala University)
Moreover, the students conduct a work placement outside academia and work on their 30-credit Master’s dissertation.
Labour Market
SINReM graduates are qualified for a professional career in the private, research (applied research at universities, research institutes or companies) or public sector. They are particularly attractive for employers as they can support companies in making processes, products and services more sustainable. In addition, they can aid local, regional and (inter)national administrations to define and implement sustainable development policies. Furthermore, our graduates have benefited from the international, multicultural environment and from the close links between education, research and innovation, the three components of the knowledge triangle, in the study programme. This is reflected in the significant study time dedicated to innovation management and entrepreneurship skills and to project work aimed at stimulating creative and multidisciplinary thinking with active involvement of the non-academic partners in student supervision.
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Ghent University's Education Objectives
Unique Selling Points
- Multiperspectivism: students are trained to be critical T-shaped professionals who have a broad vision on the entire raw materials value chain and on the circular economy on the one hand; and who are sufficiently specialised in one or various specific aspects on the other hand, such as georesource exploration, sustainable chemical process technology, and recycling technology. Students often work in multidisciplinary teams in a creative, innovative, and problem-solving way.
- Talent development: students compose their study programme according to their own interests through elective courses and a specializing major. Entrepreneurship and creativity are much encouraged and students are coached in the valorisation of their research findings.
- Global and future-oriented: the programme focusses on the development of innovative and sustainable solutions to global problems and for future generations.
- Close interaction with the non-academic sector: thanks to the compulsory business internship and the active involvement of the non-academic sector in the master thesis supervision, the students receive ample opportunities to gain relevant hands-on experience.
- Access to expertise and infrastructure: thanks to the international network of the SINReM consortium and EIT RawMaterials, students are granted access to specific expertise and infrastructure. Students can participate in several networking events organized by EIT RawMaterials, in order to develop a network in the raw materials non-academic sector already before graduation.
Strengths
- Multidisciplinary expertise: SINReM’s three partner universities bring together a combination of expertise that makes up the entire raw materials value chain. Uppsala University delivers extensive knowledge on the exploration of rare georesources. It also focuses on innovation management and entrepreneurship training. TU Bergakademie Freiberg offers its proficiency in sustainable and environmentally friendly extraction technologies. Ghent University contributes through its leading expertise in the circular economy, environmental science and technology, recovery of resources from waste, and sustainability assessment.
- Entrepreneurship and creativity: students gain entrepreneurship, creativity, and problem-solving skills throughout the programme.
- Possibility of practical experience: SINReM maintains close links with industry partners of its extensive non-academic network. These partners deliver their insights to guarantee that the graduates’ profile matches with the stakeholders’ demands.
- EIT Label: SINReM has received the EIT Label, a quality seal awarded to top master and PhD programmes that excel in shaping a new generation of students into game changers and innovators. Students of EIT-labelled programmes learn how to transform their specialist knowledge with key innovation and entrepreneurship skills into sound solutions to pressing societal challenges.
- Scholarship opportunities: SINReM offers Erasmus Mundus as well as EIT AVSA scholarships, funded by the European Union, to top-ranked students.
Weaknesses
- Master thesis process: all SINReM master theses are produced and defended at one of the three partner universities according to the local regulations and procedures. However, SINReM strives for a joint master thesis selection, supervision and evaluation according to joint, consortium-wide norms and procedures. This system requires further optimization.
- Consequences of student mobility: mobility to Ghent (Belgium), Freiberg (Germany) and Uppsala (Sweden) is part of the SINReM programme and requires additional administrative and practical arrangements concerning housing, transport and residence permit application.
- Dependence on external funding: SINReM is co-funded by the European Union via Erasmus Mundus and EIT funding and student scholarships. SINReM can only ensure a decent multidisciplinary and multicultural cohort of students as long as these funding sources last.
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO).The accreditation was granted based on an external review according to the European Approach. The accreditation decision and the assessment committee's report can be found here
This information was last updated on 01/02/2023.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.