Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology – (M.Sc.)

This innovative masters course is run in collaboration with a wide range of companies and organisations that manufacture or use chemicals or are involved in chemicals management and policy. The course will equip graduates with an understanding of the drives for sustainability, and the necessary skills in green chemistry for a career in areas including research, process development, environmental and legal services, consultancy and government.

Formerly known as the "MRes in Clean Chemical Technology", this is a one-year course run solely by the Department of Chemistry, for which EPSRC funded places are available. Further studentships fully funded by industry are also available. This MSc course is designed to meet industry's requirements for students entering research or process development departments and to equip them with the appropriate tools and knowledge to enable them to make an immediate positive impact on the development of clean environmentally benign products and processes.

A flexible three-year part-time structure is available. Opportunities for taking individual modules as part of a CPD programme are also available. We expect Diploma and Certificate options to be available for entry to the course in 2009.

Students will be provided with the opportunity for solving real industrial problems, which will lead to wider environmental benefits; this will be achieved via an extended research project. The course will also illustrate and demonstrate the value of the multi-disciplinary team approach to solving green chemistry problems and equip students with the requisites to become members of such teams.

The core component of the course is an industry-related research project which will be carried out over the latter half of the course. Ideally the student will conduct approximately half of the project in York, the remainder being carried out during the industrial placement. However research projects may be carried out either solely in York or in industry, as dictated by individual project demands. Collaborating companies include those from the pharmaceutical, food and beverages and consumer products as well as mainstream chemical companies.

Before the research project is undertaken students will learn, through a combination of lectures, workshops, tutorials and private study, the principles and techniques of green chemistry through nine related modules:

* Principles of Green Chemistry
* Control of Environmental impact of chemical processes and products
* Chemical Engineering and Clean Technology
* Heterogeneous Catalysis: Solids and Surfaces
* Alternative Reaction media
* Energy Efficiency and Emerging Technologies
* Clean Synthesis
* Renewable Resources
* Greener Products (Formulations and Composites)

These modules will include the relevant chemical engineering elements of clean technology as well as the chemistry, stressing the multi-disciplinary approach required for problem solving. These lectures, workshops and tutorials will be given by experts in the Chemistry Department and by visiting scientists (from academia and industry) of international repute.