Official Study Guide for Germany
Environmental technology, environmental protection
Degree programmes in environmental engineering and environmental protection deal, among other things, with how resources can be sustained and how damage to the environment can be avoided or reversed.
Overview of the academic discipline
Waste disposal, air pollution control, water protection and a sustainable manufacturing industry are examples of the areas in which graduates of this degree programme can later work for the environment. Nowadays, environmental studies are part of many degree programmes, for example in mechanical engineering, chemistry and agricultural sciences. However, engineers in the field of environmental engineering or waste and disposal technology focus much more on the sustainability aspect in addition to the engineering fundamentals than graduates in sustainable energy management, for example. The foundations for this application-oriented field of study are provided by engineering and natural sciences.
Which topics are included in the curriculum?
Depending on the specialisation, the course content includes natural science subjects such as mathematics, biology, physics and chemistry as well as technical subjects such as mechanics, mechanical engineering, construction, recycling and waste technology, energy technology, process engineering and biotechnology. Economics, law, social sciences and project management also frequently play a role, often in the form of compulsory electives.
What are the requirements?
There are hardly any admission restrictions in this area, and pre-study internships are only required in exceptional cases. However, a good knowledge of the following school subjects is helpful: Mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology and, depending on the degree programme, geography.
What study programmes are there to choose from?
Environmental engineering and environmental protection degree programmes can be found at both universities of applied sciences and universities. They can be categorised into two main areas:
- Engineering-technical orientation: In the fields of environmental protection technology and waste and disposal technology, knowledge from the engineering sciences, such as mechanical engineering, process engineering or civil engineering, as well as from the natural sciences, is used to develop environmental technology systems. Independent degree programmes are dedicated to human habitats, renewable raw materials, soil protection, air pollution control, waste disposal technology, recycling technology, water and wastewater technology or waste management.
- Planning and design orientation in the field of environmental protection: This is where scientific, socio-economic and design specialisms come together. Examples of this are the degree programmes ‘Environmental Protection’, ‘Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning’ and ‘Arboriculture’. In some cases, there are overlaps with geosciences, biosciences and environmental sciences as well as landscape architecture.
Subject specialisation can already take place in the later semesters of the Bachelor's degree course, but is a particular goal of the Master's degree course.
What job opportunities are there after graduation?
Graduates of environment-related degree programmes can pursue different career paths depending on their specialisation:
Environmental engineers develop environmentally friendly production processes, check plants and facilities for compliance with environmental regulations and draw up environmental balances. There are also specialists among them, such as engineers for waste and disposal technology. They design, sell and maintain systems for recycling, water and wastewater supply or waste disposal. Engineers specialising in this field primarily work for companies with particular environmental relevance, for example in the energy industry, chemical industry, paper industry, electroplating industry, building materials industry and waste disposal and waste management industry. They also work for public authorities, such as municipal environmental authorities, utilities and waste disposal companies, trade supervisory offices or district, state and federal authorities, as well as for consulting and engineering firms for analytical, advisory and expert activities.
Landscape ecology and nature conservation engineers design the environmentally friendly use of agriculture, forestry and open spaces. They are employed in particular as planners in engineering and architectural offices, as experts in the public sector, at environmental agencies and agricultural, forestry and water management authorities, or in the field of environmental education, for example at associations, in the administration of protected areas or at universities.