1 Environmental Sciences Degree Programs in Switzerland

Training the next generation of environmental professionals Human activities are a regular cause of imbalances in natural systems and the societies that depend upon them, at the local, regional, and global scales. Understanding the underlying physical, chemical and biological processes is essential for resolving contemporary environmental problems. While environmental data are now being produced at high frequency and high resolution, there are still very few professionals that are adequately trained to deal with and make sense of this huge data flow. The understanding of environmental issues is represented in the form of numerical methods and models that allow informed management decisions to be made. However, such models must take into account data gathered through observation and monitoring of the phenomena concerned. Otherwise, the information they provide will be of little real value. The Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Science does not only provide an appropriate scientific basis in environmental geoscience, but it also addresses how the environmental data flow can be used to better inform environmental modeling, and how modeling can be used to make predictions from monitoring data. It addresses application areas that are affected by both physical and chemical processes (e.g., groundwater systems, landslides, landfills, point- and diffuse sources), as well as the interaction of environmental stressors with the biota. This interdisciplinarity will help to form professionals that are capable to address increasingly complex interactions between the critical zone, different biomes, and human activity.