Green Chemistry is a jointly established English-language Master’s programme between the University of Vienna, the Vienna University of Technology and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. In the winter semester 2022, the new study program has started its pilot phase. This first milestone of a trilateral education initiative was honored on 18.10.2022 at the TUtheSky, the Plus-Energy Office Tower of TU Wien, in an opening ceremony.
All three participating universities contribute their core expertise in order to address the interdisciplinary topic of green chemistry as efficiently and effectively as possible. The Goal: To aggressively promote the problem-solving capacities that exist in chemistry and to train experts who can cope with current and future challenges.
Dr. Thomas Jakl, representative of the Ministry of Climate Protection at the start of the new Master’s programme: “Sustainability and the circular economy are currently more important than ever and therefore also of great importance in the field of chemistry. Following the principles of green chemistry is essential, but it is also necessary to deal with the resulting consequences and changed processes. I am very pleased that these important competencies are bundled in the new Master’s programme. In this way, experts are trained who produce ecologically and economically climate-friendly innovations and make a valuable contribution to a good future during their education.”
“Chemistry is where it smokes and stinks, this image still existed when I was a student,” explains Marko Mihovilovic, Dean of the Faculty of Technical Chemistry at TU Wien. “But chemistry surrounds us in everyday life, from clothing to OLED displays on mobile phones. It is therefore important to steer the perception of chemistry within our society to the point where modern technologies can make significant contributions to overcoming the challenges of sustainability transformation – from the problem causer of the past to the problem solver of the future.”
The University of Vienna, TU Wien and BOKU are jointly pursuing this goal in the Green Chemistry initiative. “We want to establish nothing less than a unique, trilateral Master’s programme in Central Europe, with Vienna as the centre of green chemistry, by positioning clean technology using chemistry and transferring the competences of the participating universities to industry through the highly qualified graduates,” stated Angelika Menner, Head of the Chemistry Programme at the University of Vienna.
The study program
The basic program is supplemented by a specialization program and focuses the master’s program on application-oriented research topics. As a basis, the essential aspects of green chemistry, sustainability and circular economy are covered. For the in-depth program, an elective catalog is available that allows students to specialize individually. The international orientation means that the master’s program is taught entirely in English.
“It is essential that students are enabled to evaluate the effects of chemical processes on a systemic level in order to then intervene in these systems in an optimizing manner. As a result, life cycle assessments can be positively changed. This is possible and necessary beyond the borders of Austria,” says Roland Ludwig, Senate Chairman at BOKU.
Work is already underway to further develop the initiative. For example, a cooperative doctoral program and a postgraduate, part-time variant are in preparation.
Links:
Enquiries:
Dr. Marko Mihovilovic
Dean Faculty of Technical Chemistry
TU Wien
+43 1 58801 15420
marko.mihovilovic@tuwien.ac.at