EMerald – Master’s Programme in Georesources Engineering TU Bergakademie Freiberg

EMerald is a two-year Master's programme (120 ECTS) organised by four European universities: University of Liège (ULiège), Belgium; University of Lorraine (UL), France; Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF), Germany and Lulea University of Technology (LTU), Sweden.

The programme is designed to focus on the following major aspects of resources engineering: characterisation, processing, modelling and management.

The Master's programme aims at finding the right balance between knowledge of metal/mineral resources (geology, landfills, urban mines, reserve characterisation and modelling) and process engineering techniques (comminution, sorting, pre-concentration, extractive metallurgy, waste disposal, …). Moreover, in line with the updated list of critical raw materials for the EU, course units are reshaped and extended to encompass factors affecting critical resource flows and supply, such as diversification, substitution and end-uses based on industrial applications.

The course catalogue is available on the EMerald website.

The Master's course is organised in four semesters (30 ECTS per semester):

• First semester is at the University of Liège (ULiège)
• Second semester is at the University of Lorraine (UL)
• For the third semester students are offered a specialisation option in the field of primary raw materials at Lulea University of Technology  (LTU) or in secondary raw materials at TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF).
• Fourth semester is at one of the four partner universities.

ULiège welcomes all students and provides them with the necessary background and skills (e.g. mineral processing basics), UL builds on this by bringing students to a more advanced level during the second semester (e.g. flotation). During the third semester, students will be able to specialise in primary (at LTU) or in secondary (at TUBAF) raw materials.

A broader view of the complete life cycle analysis of materials is kept during the whole programme by including a series of seminars taught by industrial partners to shed light on strategic issues such as economic, environmental, and social challenges.

For the fourth semester (internship and Master's thesis), students will be spread between the four universities. They will have the opportunity to either choose a Master's thesis topic brought forward by one of the four universities where they were previously enrolled or to develop their own project with one of these universities.

The Master's thesis is closely linked to an industrial partner that can hire the student for an internship, and, regardless of location, can be completed in close collaboration with an industry partner or a research centre. After the on-site data collection, the students go back to the university to conduct their research under the academic supervision of two professors from two different partner universities.

• Université de Liège, Belgium (coordinating university)
• Université de Lorraine, France
• Luleå Tekniska Universitet, Sweden

The Master's thesis can be carried out at one of the partner universities or at an industrial partner. The company hires the student for an internship. After the on-site data collection, the student returns to the university to conduct their research under the academic supervision of two professors from different partner universities.

Please refer to the EMerald website.

Eligible candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in engineering with basic knowledge in geology (minimum three years of study or 180 ECTS credits), or a Bachelor's degree in minerals engineering, mining engineering, chemical engineering, geological engineering, metallurgical engineering or a Master's degree in geology.

At least 22.5 ECTS in mathematics at university level are also required.

The semester contribution is not covered by the tuition fees. It depends on the university.

1. The "Deutschlandstipendium" is a national scholarship programme that supports above-average students with excellent grades. Social commitment, a willingness to take responsibility and special social, family or personal circumstances will also be taken into account (300 EUR per month for one year).
2. Study completion grant (300 EUR per month for three months)

During semester one, at the University of Liège, a seminar in English is being planned with the alumni office so that students already receive advice on how to write their CVs. This will allow students to be prepared in advance on how to be confronted with the world of work. On graduation day, a one-to-one meeting is organised between the graduates and several industrials to exchange ideas about possible research topics or available job positions in their company.