The course in Environmental Chemistry aims to provide students with a thorough training in the scientific basis behind environmental topics, allowing them to take an informed and balanced view of major environmental issues. It is a two-year modular degree, covering a broad spectrum of fundamental and applied environmental topics:

3rd Year Lecture Modules 

• Analysis of Environmental Materials  - Inorganic methods
• Analysis of Environmental Materials  - Chromatographic methods
• Radiochemical analysis
• Experimental Skills
• Pesticide module

• Radionuclides in the Environment 
• Water Pollution 
• Stable Isotopes in Environmental Studies

Lecture Modules Taught in Alternate Years to 3rd and 4th Years

Either

• Reclamation of Contaminated and Derelict Land
• Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in the Environment 
• Movement of Chemicals in the Environment
• Pesticides B

• Organic Waste Materials 
• Chemistry of Soil Processes
• Pesticides A 
• Industrial Crops

• Analysis of Environmental Materials - Inorganic
• Chemistry of Soil Processes and Plant Nutrient Availability 
• Analysis of Environmental Materials - Chromatography
• Experimental Skills
• Chromatography mini project

Third Year Field Work Module

There are six 1 day field trips in the Glasgow area to study: 
 

• water quality in the River Endrick and Loch Lomond
• soil identification, classification and mapping in relation to the landscape
• contaminated land

A laboratory project is carried out in the final year over terms 1 and 2.

The course stresses the practical aspects of the subject.  It provides hands-on experience of analytical equipment and methods and opportunities for field work and a strong emphasis is placed on project work. Also included in the course is training in generic skills such as data handling, report writing and oral presentation.

Strengths of the course

    Teaching and learning in Chemistry was assessed as ‘Excellent’ by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.  To maintain high standards across such a wide spectrum of areas, the course team includes experts who work daily in the environmental field.  These include professional chemists from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Scottish Universities Research & Reactor Centre, the Scottish Agricultural College and experts from local authorities and industry.

    The system at Glasgow University allows for the teaching of both fundamental and applied sciences to be carried out within one department, thereby allowing a more integrated approach to be adopted at all levels of the course.

    This course provides graduates with a wide range of transferable skills and an understanding of the major environmental issues.

Career prospects

There is a strong demand for graduates in Environmental Chemistry in a variety of public and private sector organisations.  A significant number of posts are becoming available where a detailed and specialist understanding of the natural environment, the effects of pollution on it and the possible clean-up procedures are essential.  Also important is the ability to analyse environmental samples and to interpret the significance of such analyses.  The Environmental Chemistry course aims to satisfy this need.
 

Environmental Biogeochemistry is taught jointly by the Environmental Chemistry section of the Department of Chemistry and the Division of Earth Sciences.  It focuses on the chemical and earth science aspects of the natural environment, with an emphasis on the role of water and its interaction with rocks, soils and living organisms.

Level 2 comprises the Environmental Chemistry 2 and Earth Sciences 2 courses. In the honours years you take a series of specialist modules in both Environmental Chemistry and Earth Sciences.  There is a strong emphasis on analytical skills, with a research project in Environmental Chemistry being undertaken in the final year, as well as a dissertation in Earth Sciences.   Also included in the course is training in skills such as data handling, report writing and oral presentation.  Fieldwork is an important part of the degree, including an expedition to Tenerife as part of the Earth Sciences component to examine the natural cycling of water and environmental geology.
 

Strengths of the course

    No single science covers the aspects taught in this course.  Environmental Biogeochemistry addresses this by drawing on expertise from more than one university department.  The course team also includes experts who work in the environmental field, for example in the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Scottish Universities Research & Reactor Centre and the Scottish Agricultural College.

   The system at Glasgow University allows for the teaching of both fundamental and applied sciences to be carried out within one department, thereby allowing a more integrated approach to be adopted at all levels of the course.

   This course provides graduates with a wide range of transferable skills and an understanding of the major environmental issues.

Career prospects

Employment prospects are excellent; the water industry, construction companies, environmental consultants and government agencies all need analysts and planners who have detailed technical skills and a sound understanding of the chemical and geological interactions in the environment, and especially the role of water.
 

This course provides an integrated approach to the physical environment via a study of the structure of surface environments, their dynamics and their management for the sustainable use of resources.

At level 2 you take the Environmental Chemistry and Geography courses. In the honours years you take a series of specialist modules in both Environmental Chemistry and Geography giving experience in: the land forms, processes and resources of surface environments; chemical processes within the surface environment; pollution sources and remediation; and the sustainable use of environments.  There is a strong emphasis on analytical skills, with a research project in Environmental Chemistry being undertaken in the final year, as well as a dissertation in Geography.   Also included in the course is training in skills such as data handling, report writing and oral presentation.  Fieldwork is an important part of the work of both disciplines.

Strengths of the course

    No single science covers the aspects taught in this course.  Environmental Chemistry and Geography addresses this by drawing on expertise from more than one university department.  The course team also includes experts who work in the environmental field, for example in the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Scottish Universities Research & Reactor Centre and the Scottish Agricultural College.

    The system at Glasgow University allows for the teaching of both fundamental and applied sciences to be carried out within one department, thereby allowing a more integrated approach to be adopted at all levels of the course.

   This course provides graduates with a wide range of transferable skills and an understanding of the major environmental issues.

Career prospects

Employment prospects are excellent; conservation agencies, the water industry, construction companies, environmental consultants and government agencies all need analysts and planners who have detailed technical skills and a sound understanding of the interactions between landscapes and the functioning of the environment.