Specialisation Courses
Students started per or after September 2020
Students have to choose at least 35 EC of Specialisation courses: 20 EC in the second semester of the first year, and 15 EC during the first semester of the second year.
30 EC of the 35 EC meant for specialisation courses, should be used to complete courses that are relevant for the field of Industrial Ecology, preferably also to the topic of the Thesis Research Project, and at master education level, i.e. for Leiden University with a level 500 or higher, for Delft University of Technology or other universities the course has to be from a master’s programme or comparable to a MSc level at a Dutch research university.
A list with pre-approved specialisation courses, relevant for the field of Industrial Ecology, can be found on the general Industrial Ecology Brightspace page. When choosing Industrial Ecology relevant specialisation courses from this list, only two courses from the cluster Entrepreneurship, one course from the cluster Organisation and Management and one course from the cluster Serious Games can be chosen.
As part of the 30 EC meant for specialisation courses relevant for the field of Industrial Ecology, students have to choose at least one course from a list of restricted electives on methods for analysing physical processes and one course from a list of restricted electives on methods for analysing social processes. These restricted electives are also on of the list with pre-approved specialisation courses.
For more rules and regulations concerning the Specialisation Modules, see the Implementation Regulations on the general Industrial Ecology Brightspace page.
Students started before September 2020
Students have to choose at least 18 EC of Specialisation courses. 6 EC can be done during the first year, and 12 EC during the second year. For more information and the rules and regulations concerning the Specialisation Modules, see the Implementation Regulations for Industrial Ecology on Brightspace.
12 EC of the 18 EC meant for specialisation courses, should be used to complete courses that are relevant for the field of Industrial Ecology, preferably also to the topic of the Thesis Research Project, and at master education level, i.e. for Leiden University with a level 500 or higher, for Delft University of Technology or other universities the course has to be from a master’s programme or comparable to a MSc level at a Dutch research university.
A list with pre-approved specialisation courses, relevant for the field of Industrial Ecology, can be found on the general Industrial Ecology Brightspace page. When choosing Industrial Ecology relevant specialisation courses from this list, only one course from the cluster Entrepreneurship, one course from the cluster Organisation and Management and one course from the cluster Serious Games can be chosen.
For more rules and regulations concerning the Specialisation Modules, see the Implementation Regulations on the general Industrial Ecology Brightspace page.
The courses below are offered by the MSc Industrial Ecology, but students can also choose courses from the list with pre-approved specialisation coursest with Specialisation courses from other Leiden University and TU Delft MSc programmes.
Career Orientation
During the MSc Industrial Ecology we want to provide you with the best possible preparation for the job market. In addition to knowledge, it is important that you develop skills, gain practical experience, orientate on positions & careers, and reflect on your own profile and development.
After graduating you are able to analyse sustainability challenges, create and initiate innovative technological solutions, and come up with tools and strategies for management and policy regarding these solutions. You will have learned to think in systems instead of individual products, processes thereby designing science based solutions for sustainability problems. You will be able to combine the analytical focus of a natural scientist with the problem-solving capacity of an engineer and reflective capacity of a social scientist.
Industrial Ecology graduates find employment opportunities throughout business, industry, and government, as well as in non-governmental organisations, universities and research institutes. They operate as mediators, system designers, innovators and scientific researchers. They are primarily engaged in activities designed to encourage people at all levels of society to consider adopting sustainable practices and to initiate change in existing patterns of production and consumption. Graduates of the programme typically secure suitable employment quickly after graduation.
Not only is the substantive knowledge you acquired during your studies important for future employers, they also pay attention to so-called transferable skills. These are, for example, your cognitive skills such as critical thinking, reasoning and argumentation, innovation, flexibility, initiative, appreciation of diversity, communication, responsibility and conflict resolution. Transferable skills, such as cognitive skills, are usually developed unconsciously during and outside your studies. Awareness of these and all other skills contributes to the development of yourself as a professional to the best of your capabilities.
In this prospectus, learning objectives have been formulated for each course to inform you which theories, methods and skills are obtained during the course. These all contribute to the development of your (study) career profile and preparation for the job market.
Our core courses include:
Lectures from people outside of academia, for instance coming from NGO’s, consultancy agencies, etc.
Our study association (sometimes together with other study associations) organises career events, such as interesting lectures by possible future employees, researchers and alumni. They also organise a yearly career event.
Science Career Service
Science Career Service, one of the utilities of the Science faculty, offers information and advice on study (re)orientation, career planning and personal professional profile as well as preparation for the job market, such as job applications. Facilities provided to students include online information, walk-in consultations, workshops and individual counselling sessions. In addition, Science Career Service offers expertise and support to programmes that want to strengthen the connection between their curriculum and the job market. This can vary from providing specific guest lectures/workshops to advising on integrating career orientation programmes into the curriculum. Students of the MSc Industrial Ecology can also contact the Career Centre of TU Delft.
LU Career Zone
The Leiden University Career Zone is the website for students and alumni of Leiden University to support their (study) career planning. You will find advice, information, video recordings of webinars and tools such as professional tests to get an idea of your personal profile. You can also explore positions and sectors, you will find tips about CV, job application, LinkedIn and there is a vacancy platform that you can make use of.
Mentornetwerk
Leiden University likes to prepare students and young alumni well for the job market. For this we use the knowledge and experience of Leiden alumni. To bring students and young alumni with questions about their careers into contact with experienced alumni, Leiden University has established the Mentornetwerk. Students and young alumni can register for free.
Contact
Do you have questions about your (study) career choices and has the above information not been able to help you further? Please contact one of the study advisors via studyadvisor-ie@cml.leidenuniv.nl.
