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The programme combines a strong research focus with practical training—bringing together chemistry, materials science and engineering to design greener products and make smarter use of resources.
The following text has been machine translated from the German and has undergone no postediting.
Packaging, building materials and vehicles are often anything but environmentally friendly – whether because they are difficult to recycle, consume large amounts of energy during production or because their design makes them unnecessarily heavy and inefficient. ‘The reason for this is often that sustainable alternatives have hardly been considered in the development, production and design of materials and systems,’ explains Professor Guido Kickelbick, the leading chemist behind the new Master's programme in Sustainable Materials and Engineering.
With this programme, the university aims to train experts who will bring innovative and sustainable ways of thinking to material development and the application of these materials in entire systems.
The focus is on environmental compatibility, resource conservation and sustainable design. The target group for the programme are students from the fields of natural sciences, chemistry, engineering and materials science. In the Master's programme in Sustainable Materials and Engineering, they learn how sustainable materials are created, how they can be systematically thought out, designed and integrated into the circular economy.
‘We want to train graduates who can think through the entire cycle, including its economic aspects, from the product idea to its recycling,’ explains Guido Kickelbick. They should have an overview of the entire process, the entire life cycle of products: Students acquire the necessary know-how to develop or specifically select resource-saving materials, to design their processing in an energy- and material-efficient manner, and to design products in such a way that they can be returned to the material cycle at the end of their life cycle.
To this end, the programme combines expertise from three disciplines, which is a unique selling point: Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering are linked with Systems Engineering. The departments in Saarbrücken work together to impart knowledge that enables students not only to develop sustainable materials and systems, but also to evaluate them holistically. In addition, economic aspects are also taught, which sharpen the students' eye for practical implementation. In the first semester, students acquire a broad basic knowledge of the various areas. In the following semesters, students can develop an individual profile by specialising in two of the three disciplines.
The programme focuses on practical relevance from the outset. Internships and practical courses closely linked to current research topics enable students to gain early insight into current development processes. Many courses take place directly in the research laboratories – where innovative materials and sustainable technologies are developed. The three departments involved at Saarland University are very research-oriented and internationally renowned for their new developments and research results in numerous research projects. A particular strength of the participating departments and also of the research institutes located on the Saarbrücken campus is that they involve students at an early stage as student assistants in large, international research projects.
The English-language orientation, particularly in the fields of Chemistry and Materials Science, opens up international perspectives for graduates. It qualifies students for careers in industry, research institutes and public institutions. Whether in research and development, product and process design, energy and environmental technology, quality management, certification, production or consulting, graduates are well prepared to drive sustainable solutions in a wide variety of fields. A doctorate in the participating subject areas is also possible.
"With the new master's programme, Saarland University is training young people who will play a role in developing materials with sustainability in mind in the future. Such materials are the foundation for environmentally friendly solutions. At the same time, they are the basis for technological progress and thus an opportunity for the economy and companies undergoing change. By training future experts in this field, we are contributing to the transformation in Saarland and beyond,‘ says University President Ludger Santen.
Saarland University is making sustainability a central theme, promoting innovative research and supporting change in science and society with large-scale projects such as “CircularSaar” and ’EnFoSaar," which are funded by the Saarland state government with millions of euros.
Further information and application:
https://www.uni-saarland.de/studium/angebot/master/sustainable-materials.html
Short link: https://www.uni-saarland.de/master
Media enquiries:
Prof. Dr. Guido Kickelbick (Department of Chemistry)
Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-70651 E-Mail: guido.kickelbick@uni-saarland.de
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Vielhaber (Department of Systems Engineering):
Tel.: +49 (0)681 302 71304, E-Mail: michael.vielhaber@uni-saarland.de
Prof. Dr. Karen Lienkamp (Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
Tel.: +49 (0)681 302 3232; E-Mail: karen.lienkamp@uni-saarland.de
Study coordinator
Dr. Christian Völzing:
Tel.: +49 (0)681 302-2413, E-Mail: c.voelzing@mx.uni-saarland.de
