In the new bachelor’s program, students learn how to design production processes in different industries as circularly as possible. Additionally, they will also learn how to design products with sustainability and circularity in mind. A new way of thinking and the necessary technical knowledge and skills should ensure that the future circular engineers will be able to contribute to solving societal problems.
During the study, students look into major social issues. Such as the energy transition and making food production more sustainable. For example, students look for biotechnological ways to grow vegetables more efficiently and sustainably. They will also be challenged by real-world issues, like thinking about a circular alternative to disposable sensors that are thrown away in the Intensive Care Unit in hospitals for hygienic reasons.
Holistic approach
Students can specialise in three different technical areas during the program: Circular Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Biotechnology and Engineering Physics of Sustainable Manufacturing. Gerard van Rooij, professor of Plasma Chemistry at Maastricht University (the Netherlands), is jointly in charge of the chemical domain in the new bachelor. He emphasizes that students learn to think beyond the production process or the development of new products. “It’s a wholly holistic approach,” he says.“Students learn to think about the whole cycle of products and production processes. They have to constantly consider what the right step is and what consequences it has for the rest of the production process.”
Hanne Diliën, vice dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and professor of Organic and Polymer Chemistry, adds: “In order to make the transition to a circular economy, engineers are needed who can look at a problem from multiple disciplines and link different insights together. That’s why we don’t train them in just one discipline. When they have finished their studies, they can go on to become engineers anywhere in the world, with a much broader scope in terms of circularity.”
Read more on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus website, or register directly (before 1 August) on the website of Maastricht University.
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