Introduction

Many researchers believe that the modern world faces enormous environmental problems that have been created by humanity’s interference with nature’s cycles. Managing changes in climate, population growth and the use of land and water resources will require professional expertise, if we intend to achieve sustainable development. Knowledge about various kinds of pollution and their effects will be increasingly crucial to planning and management in the future.

The Bachelor’s degree programme in Pollution and the Environment will provide the necessary skills required by environment consultants for working in public and private projects. These include tasks involving the water supply, sewage treatment, plants, refuse facilities, environmental stations etc. In addition, the municipalities have been given constantly increasing responsibility for the administration of permits and controls in accordance with the law on pollution in relation to refuse, noise, radon radiation, polluted land and drinking water. In connection with these challenges, we must address working-environment issues, risk assessments, building permit evaluations and assorted planning tasks. Similar assignments may also be encountered in county government’s environment conservation departments and private consultancy and engineering enterprises.

Today in Norway there are very few educational programmes which address these important social challenges.

Target Group and Admission Requirements

The study programme is aimed at students who are interested in environmental protection work within public and private enterprises with respect to the pollution of the land, water and air as well as other environmental issues such as noise, indoor climate and radiation.

The admission requirements for the study programme are general admission requirements or prior experiential learning.

Aim of the Programme

The study programme is interdisciplinary and provides insight into the physical, chemical and biological environmental factors that may have negative effects on health and well-being. It aims to provide expertise that will contribute to preventing such conditions and thereby ensuring a good environment for current and future generations. It provides both basic knowledge in basic subject areas and practical knowledge in management and planning, which will facilitate students’ ability to report on the consequences and carry out inspections of these conditions with regard to both public and private activities. Candidates will gain competence in using environmental law and government regulations pertinent to the execution of administration responsibilities and planning, and will also acquire skills in using digital maps (geographic information systems or “GIS”) as a tool.

The study programme will provide the basis for an active and realistic social involvement within the relevant fields, and convey different values and perspectives in connection with this. It will enable the students to deal with value-charged and controversial issues related to the use and management of the environment.

Further Education opportunities

The study programme provides the basis for admission to the Master’s degree programme in Environmental Health.

Curriculum and structure

The first year of study provides students with basic knowledge of climatic, geological and biological conditions. In the second and third year of study environmental conditions that are crucial for the local community will be reviewed. Key examples of such conditions are groundwater, surface water, water supply, sewage treatment, waste management, noise, indoor climate, radiation, etc. Environmental legislation, regulations for environmental health safety and land use planning also constitute an important part of the programme; the use of digital maps (GIS), which are a necessary tool in public planning, will also be studied closely.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Teaching in the programme is based on lectures, field training, field trips and laboratory exercises. Students are followed up through the course of the study programme by means of teaching and learning methods that include field and laboratory teaching with report writing, projects, seminar assignments, group and seminar teaching, etc. In the learning process, emphasis will be placed on practical projects. The various teaching and learning methods are also described in the individual course descriptions.

Legitimate absence (sick leave) of as much as 20% of the mandatory part of a course will be accepted. A student’s absence for more than 20% of the mandatory course will not be approved, and the student will not be eligible for preferential treatment.

Assessment Methods

Most of the programme’s courses include both continuous and final assessment.

Many of the courses will include semester assignments and similar work that will be assessed. The individual course descriptions describe in detail the various assessment methods used.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean