Erasmus Mundus Joint Master

Master architecture – Curricula

The Master in Membrane Engineering for Sustainable Development (MESD) offers an advanced education programme related to membrane science and engineering at the interface between material science and chemical engineering. The master curricula are oriented to favor the job placement of graduates in academia or industry by focusing on key professional skills (Membrane Materials, Membrane Chemical Engineering, and Membrane Technologies and Project management) and applicative fields related to sustainable development (and environment): Energy; Food, Bio and Health; and Water.

The comprehensive curriculum takes into account the excellence areas of each partner and allows the students to acquire the basics of membrane engineering as well as to be specialized in a chosen field. Furthermore, it is important to note that the sustainable development elements are included in each track. In all cases, the courses allow students to integrate the local academic universe.

The MESD has a duration of two years: 4 semesters corresponding to 30 ECTS (European Credits Transfer System) each and spent in at least 3 different countries. Each semester includes 30 mandatory ECTS. It is however possible to validate additional ETCS (3 or 4) with additional teaching units. The official documents take into account 30 ECTS but certificates delivered by the master office present also the marks of the additional ECTS. The number of ECTS is fixed by the University teaching the course. The credits are calculated according to the student workload which takes into account lectures, practical work, seminars, internships, research, personal work, exams, training objectives and skills to be acquired. The required scientific level is equivalent in each teaching unit and track. The design of each semester has been done carefully in order to ensure the pedagogical coherence of all the possible curricula. The language of instruction is English.

The MESD architecture presents six tracks in total, three for the first year focused on scientific and transversal skills and three for the second year specialized in membrane application fields. Furthermore, as written previously, during the study period, courses and activities in the language and culture of the hosting country are provided.

This architecture allows the students to choose different tracks with several university combinations according to their interests and their professional objectives. We note that there is a free choice of orientation between the M1 and M2 tracks, limited to the number of places available. In order to help students to make the wiser choice of tracks regarding their professional project, the consortium will implement a tutoring process. This process will start as early as during the interview for admission.

The different Tracks

• The trackMembrane Materials, MemMAT(30 ECTS) offers a variety of courses related to materials and their characterization. It is given jointly by UM (Semester 1) and UNIZAR (Semester 2). The course “Introduction to nanomaterials” will be taught online by UNIZAR in the first semester. In semester 2 at UNIZAR, the students will benefit from an online course from UM “Hybrid and structured materials” and “Thermal and mechanical properties” from NOVA.
• The architecture ofMembrane Chemical Engineering, MemENG(30 ECTS) is focused on chemical processes using membranes. It is performed by the UT3 for the first semester and UCT Prague for the second semester. The courses taught in UT3 are focalized on basic knowledge in chemical engineering and background in mathematics and the use of IT tools for calculation and modelling. In the second semester, the students will apply the knowledge acquired in the previous semester and improve their skills in project management. The external contribution for Semester 1 will be performed by NOVA with the on-line course “Entrepreneurship and Innovation”. In semester 2, the course from UNIZAR “Valorization, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship” will be available for the students via an online platform.
• The particularity of the third track,Membrane Technologies and Project management MemTECH(30 ECTS) is the acquisition of strong skills in project management balanced with an understanding of membrane materials and engineering basic knowledge. This is a totally new track created in order to meet the needs of the job market (former students’ survey and job offers analysis see point 1.2). The balance between Membrane and Project management skills is defined as 1/3 to 2/3 for the first semester and 2/3 to 1/3 for the second semester. Semester 1 at Universidad de Zaragoza will present de courses included in the curricula of the School of Engineering and Management. The ECTS of this track are completed by external contributions from NOVA with the online course “Entrepreneurship and Innovation”. The second semester performed at UCT Prague presents courses oriented to membrane applications and chemical engineering.

The MESD master curricula will include a mandatory online course from NOVA “Entrepreneurship and Innovation” that will be followed by all the S1 students regardless of their host university. For the track MemMAT this course will represent a supplementary number of ECTS, the semester will therefore present a total of 33 ECTS.

The second year is focused on membrane application fields: Energy, Food, Bio and Health, and Water. The semester 3 is performed in a host university UT, NOVA and LU respectively. The fourth semester is dedicated to the master thesis and the first long experience in research through an internship in an academic laboratory or in a company.

• TheEnergytrack (UT) provides a balanced curriculum mixing membrane applications for energy (Membranes for gas separations, Membrane process plant design), and general chemical engineering separation processes (Electrochemistry, Advanced colloids & Interfaces). Capita selecta course aims to allow the students to deepen their knowledge on a subject chosen by them thanks to a literature review and the production of a report. Each student is supervised by one teacher. The literature review is usually focused on the subject selected for the master thesis report in S4. External contributions as lectures and seminars can complete and illustrate the content on specific subjects: fuel cells, electrolysers, electromembrane processes including reverse electrodialysis, CO₂extraction, H₂separation, energy production from biomass and other sustainable processes.
• Food, Bio and Healthtrack (NOVA) proposes a series of courses assessing the food, beverage, biorefining, pharmaceutical and medical processes and applications. The courses of the curricula can be divided into membranes application and separation processes courses (Membranes in Food Applications and Biorefinery, Membranes in Biomedicine, Membranes in Downstream Processing) and courses mobilizing the entrepreneurship and innovation skills developed by the students (Business Project and Engineering Project). Individual, team projects and case studies also allow the students to evaluate the sustainability and the finance balance of a membrane process. The courses are completed with contributions from other professors of NOVA and external professionals from industries and start-ups and the consortium partners as ITM and LU.
• The third track,Water(LU), addresses water resources management and water treatment for drinking water applications and emphasize the approach of reusing the resources. The project courses are a mix between theoretical lectures and case studies. Furthermore, LU collaborates with several Swedish companies and several industries working with membrane processes have agreed to propose assignments to the students. Lectures and seminars related to water quality reuse can be shared among all the students.

The semester 4, is dedicated to the master thesis and the internship and represents an experience of 24 weeks in a research academic laboratory or in a company. The assignation mechanism for the master thesis subject is designed to evaluate both the scientific and technical qualities of the proposal to suit the activities and the needs of the host organization. It takes into consideration the thematic interests of the student as well as its possibilities for future professional integration. The universities from Semester 3 will assess the quality of the internship proposal and will evaluate the work of the student. The internship agreement is contracted between the student, the host organization and UM. During the mobility and the track choice, the students will be guided by a tutor that will help them to build their professional orientation taking into account their interests.