Environmental Science for Sustainable Energy and Technology

Contents

Environmental Science for Sustainable Energy and Technology (ESSET) is a four year Bachelor of Applied Science Programme taught in English. Each year has a different characteristic.

Year one

In the first year you will partially be following courses and laboratory/field training. However you will also be divided into teams of no more than 8 students to work on independent projects.

Year two

In the second year you will be following more advanced coursework and have more applied trainings than in the previous year. Again you will be divided into teams of 8 students and work on independent projects. In this year you will be prepared for your internships.

Year three

Year three begins with an internship of 6 months that you choose with your advisor. These internships are individual. The internships are as varied as the students themselves and range from working for an environmental consultancy to doing research with a research organization/university. The second half of the third year, you may follow the minor: Environmental Consultancy.

Year four

In year four you may follow the minor Sustainable Energy. In the second half of year four, you will complete your graduation assignment. After finishing the graduation assignment, you will receive your degree of Bachelor of Applied Science.

Studying in English: quite a challenge?

All classes of the Environmental Science for Sustainable Energy and Technology (ESSET) programme are taught in English. At first this may be a bit of a challenge for you. But surprisingly enough you'll find out how soon speaking English will become second nature.

Project-Based Learning

In the professional field, working on projects in teams has become very common. Problems are often too big to be solved by one person, so cooperating in a project team is essential for an effective solution. We use Project-Based Learning as an educational system. We offer a very practical, hands-on course in which you will deal with real-life situations. This may include setting up an Environmental Energy Plan for multinationals such as Nestlé, investigating new sustainable energy sources or developing an environmental management plan.

Curriculum

The ESSET curriculum covers a wide range of environmental science aspects. Besides culture and languages, subjects are concentrated in 4 core areas:

• Group Projects and Experiments (Sustainable Energy, Soil and Water, Industrial Ecology and Toxicology/Risk in year 1)
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Chemistry, Ecology and Biology
• Policy and Intercultural Communication

Training sessions help you to develop in the following subjects:

• Consultancy skills
• Technical Writing
• Presentation skills
• Self Development

You will also be trained to use modern communication media and information systems.

Minors

The ESSET course program has 2 minors. Both minors take 6 months and amount each to 30 ECTS.

Minor Environmental consultancy

This minor is scheduled in the second semester of year 3. The central point of this minor is the proces of giving environmental consultation. Many of our students start a career in environmental consultancy after they leave school. This minor prepares them for this career.

Besides getting more knowledge on the environment, we will concetrate on the skills that are necessary for a consultant: project management, communication skills and consultancy skills.

The consultancy assignments are defined by the market. In this way we will work with environmental agencies like DCMR Environmental Protection Agency. DCMR is one of the largest regional environmental agencies in Europe, operating in Rijnmond, the larger 'Port of Rotterdam'-area in the Netherlands.

This minor focuses on the process of environmental consultancy. Many of our students will be working with an environmental consultancy company, after their graduation. Therefore, this minor will be a good preparation for your career.

Minor sustainable energy

This minor is scheduled in the first semester of year 4. The focus of this minor is developing and using energy in a sustainable way.

Sustainable Energy is one of the main environmental issues of this moment and an important part of the ESSET program. With close cooperation with the Avans Research Group Sustainable Energy we are assured of up-to-date knowledge and projects. This minor approaches Sustainable Energy from various perspectives. One project is the development of Energy-potential-maps: research of spatial possibilities and limitations to all kinds of Sustainable Energy (wind, solar, geothermic and so on). In 2010, this project was nominated for the Gasterra prize.

Another project focuses on industrial ecology: how can we optimize the exchange of residues (heat, waste, wastewater) between plants on an industrial site? Another assignment our students work on is to satisfy the energy needs of groups of houses in a CO2-neutral way, in cooperation with company Maris technology.

Work placement

In year 3 you will do your work placement. You are offered the opportunity to look behind the scenes of a real company. During a period of 1 semester you will be working in a company in either the Netherlands or abroad.

Graduation assignment

The second semester of year 4 is the graduation assignment. In year 4 you need to show what you have learned by working on a real environmental problem in a company (government, research, consultancy).

Accreditation

Avans University of Applied Sciences has been proclaimed the best major university of applied sciences in the Netherlands. Every year, the Dutch Centre for Higher Education Information examines the quality of higher education in the Full-time Higher Professional Education Options Guide 2012. Avans was also awarded the title of best university of applied sciences in the Netherlands last year. The international study programmes of Avans are amongst the best in the Netherlands.

The Dutch education system is renowned worldwide for its excellent quality.
All our Bachelor and Master programmes are formally accredited by the Dutch higher education accreditation authorities and comply with European standards as set by the Bologna Agreement. This means that you can make a good start on your international career anywhere in the world.

Funding details

Avans Scholarship Programme for Best Performing Non-EEA Foreign Students

Avans University of Applied Sciences is committed to recruiting talented and excellent students. Since 1 September 2009, we offer a scholarship programme for the best performing foreign students. Scholarships will be available to approximately 80 top-ranking eligible students for all Avans study programmes.

See website: http://www.studyatavans.com/en/71