BASIC ACADEMIC STUDIES

▹   Additional Info

Entrance prerequisites, goals, outcome, professional qualifications, access to further studies.

▿   Additional Info

Entrance requirements

Completed four-year secondary education and successfully passed entrance exam.

Study programme goals

The final goal of the study program "Environmental Chemistry" within the undergraduate academic studies is educating experts who will be able to fully understand the nature of the environment and the nature of the numerous problems man has caused in it. In this way, such an expert will be able to tell the difference between native and anthropogenic forms in the environment, which is a prerequisite for nature conservation and for preventing the ongoing processes of disturbing the ecochemical equilibria on earth. The general estimate at this moment is that Serbia is deficient in this kind of experts. Therefore, it is in the state’s best interest to educate people who will be able to contribute to finding solutions to a large number of problems.

In order to become a chemist, i.e. an expert in the field of environmental chemistry, one has to acquire the basic knowledge within the general courses in natural sciences and mathematics. In the second phase, one has to study the most important areas of chemistry. Therefore, the student studies general and inorganic chemistry, then organic and analytical chemistry and finally biochemistry and chemistry of natural products. By doing so, he meets the conditions to learn the basics of applied chemistry and later to study the problem of pollutants and the pollution of various segments in the environment. The student has to be trained to identify sources of pollution, to understand the chemical nature of the pollution process and pollutants, transformation pathways and the pathways of pollutant migration and most importantly, to be able to propose methods for removing pollutants from the environment. For that reason, the curriculum of this study program includes courses which focus on the study of substrates, i.e. native ecochemical systems on the one hand, and the study of potentially polluting substances on the other hand. However, we must bear in mind that theoretically, a chemist cannot completely solve a problem on his own. He can define the essence of the problem on a molecular level. Therefore, the problem-solving team also includes a biologist, a technologist and a mechanical engineer and they are altogether "under the scrutiny" of legal and medical experts.

Study outcome

Upon completing the study program Environmental Chemistry, the candidate is awarded the title "BSc in Chemistry".

By completing the study program "Environmental Chemistry" within the undergraduate academic studies, a student acquires knowledge which enables him to understand the environment and the problems which might occur or which have already occurred in it on a chemical, i.e. molecular, level. Therefore, the role of a chemist in the multidisciplinary area of environmental science is actually fundamental. A biologist also has a fundamental role (since he can study a problem at the cell level) and all other important disciplines and segments of this area constitute an addition to this biological-chemical foundation. In this case, the term "biological-chemical" should be distinguished from the term "biochemical". Within the chemical part of such a foundation, a student who has completed his studies is responsible for defining a chemical source of pollution, the nature of pollutants, its transformations, migrations and for proposing a plan for its removal. This approach might be considered to be outdated since current views on a chemist’s role in preventing the disturbance of the environment on a micro and macro level actually include proposing technological processes with products and by-products which are not harmful to the environment. The number of the advocates of “green chemistry” is increasing these days.

A student is taught and trained to perform control of chemicals and pollutants in the environment. He acquires basic knowledge of the methodology of analytical approaches in sample preparation and data processing. Apart from that, through practical work he becomes familiar with the latest analytical methods for determining pollutants. The final outcome is students’ ability to control pollutants. The student is trained to participate in teams which deal with preventing pollution in industrial processes. The final outcome is students’ competence to do the chemical part in solving the problem of pollution prevention.

Access to further studies

Diploma holders are entitled to apply for master academic studies (which have the workload of 60 ECTS).

Professional qualifications

Students who have successfully completed the study program "Environmental Chemistry":

• Can work on controlling chemicals and pollutants in the environment.
• Have basic knowledge of methodology of analytical approaches used in sample preparation and data processing.
• Have become familiar (through practical work) with modern analytical methods for determining pollutants.
• Are trained for pollutant control.
• Can participate in teams which deal with pollution prevention in industrial processes.
• Are capable of doing the chemical part in solving the problem of pollution prevention.
• Have professional and ethical responsibility.
• Can further improve their knowledge and keep up with the development of technology and their profession throughout their professional lives (lifelong learning).