Modern production and consumption patterns and the associated, growing challenge of environmental impacts, call for a deeper understanding of how strategic improvements can be made in systems at the corporate, sector and society levels. Industrial ecology aims at giving students a holistic theoretical foundation and analytical skills to effectively address these challenges.
Analysis and redesign of toaster.
Photo: Elin Mathiassen/IndEcol
NTNU’s Industrial Ecology Programme was created in the mid 1990s. Today it is a world leading academic programme in industrial ecology. The focus is on state-of-the-art methods for environmental systems analysis and strategies for policy and management, as well as on the application of such strategies and methods to critical systems.
Energy production, industrial product and process design, industrial symbiosis, sustainable consumption, environmental management, climate change, extended producer responsibility, integrated product policy, sustainable construction and infrastructure, transportation, and waste recycling are areas we work with. Our approach is to integrate environmental issues together with economic effectiveness as a part of innovation and strategic improvements by examining and understanding the material and energy metabolism (stocks and flows), conversion efficiencies, and environmental impacts.
The MSc in industrial ecology is a two-year full-time degree program (120 ECTS credits) targeted toward both Norwegian and international students with a variety of disciplinary and cultural backgrounds. Through a focus on group work, projects, and contact with industry and government, the MSc Programme provides an exciting learning environment which extends beyond classroom teaching. All courses are taught in English.
After working for 12 years in the banking industry in Singapore and Hong Kong, Caroline Cheng decided she was ready to go back to school to pursue her interests in business and the environment. She found that NTNU’s Industrial Ecology Programme provided an interdisciplinary curriculum that would allow her to do just that.
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Catherine Izard
While finishing her bachelor’s degree in Geology at Yale University in Connecticut, Catherine Izard decided she wanted to continue her studies at the graduate level and began to investigate her options. Upon the advice of her professor at Yale, she took a look at NTNU’s Programme in Industrial Ecology.
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Magnus Løseth
Magnus Løseth began his studies as a bachelor’s level student in NTNU’s Mechanical Engineering program. In time, however, his interest in environmental issues led him to take several courses in the Industrial Ecology Programme.
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“Industrial ecology is the study of the flows of materials and energy in industrial and consumer activities, of the effect of these flows on the environment, and of the influence of economic, political, regulatory and social factors on the flow, use and transformation of resources. The objective of industrial ecology is to understand better how we can integrate environmental concerns into our economic activities. This integration, an ongoing process, is necessary if we are to address current and future environmental concerns.”
(Robert White, US Academy of Engineering).
International Master’s programmes – admission for Autumn 2010
The deadline for submission of the preliminary application is December 1, 2009 for applicants with an educational background from outside the Nordic countries.
For applicants with a Norwegian / Nordic degree, the application deadline is April 15, 2010.
NTNU ranks No.2 in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development
The Engineering Education Observatory has evaluated the sustainability-oriented education and research of 56 Technical Universities in Europe and ranks NTNU as the second best in a report, confirming our leading role in the field.
