Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management TU Bergakademie Freiberg

The International Master of Science in Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management (SINReM) is a two-year Master's of Science programme that educates students to develop sustainable solutions across the entire raw materials value chain.

From resource exploration to sustainable extraction processes and the development of more sustainable materials and recycling, students are taught to find new solutions that contribute towards the achievement of a circular economy.

The three partner universities bring together a combination of expertise that covers the entire raw materials value chain. We maintain close links with industry partners, providing their insights for the development of a new type of professional whose mission is to bring more sustainability into the raw materials sector.

Within the raw materials sector, highly qualified specialists often lack a broader overview of alternative techniques available to make the entire value chain more sustainable, and struggle to look at issues in the value chain from a multidisciplinary perspective. There is a clearly identified need for professionals with a holistic overview of resource management and the latest processing technologies.

SINReM provides T-shaped professionals who possess a comprehensive understanding of the entire value chain, along with expertise and insight into specific aspects. These professionals are adept at developing novel technologies, engineering, and reinventing material cycles and the value chain to make them more sustainable and economically superior.

SINReM graduates are highly attractive to employers because the programme establishes close links between education, research, and innovation, the three parts of the knowledge triangle. This is reflected in the significant study time dedicated to innovation management and entrepreneurship skills, and to project work aimed at stimulating creative and multidisciplinary thinking, with active involvement from non-academic partners in student supervision.

About TUBAF's partner universities:

Uppsala University (Sweden) delivers extensive knowledge in the exploration of rare georesources. It also focuses on innovation management and entrepreneurship training.

Ghent University (Belgium) contributes its leading expertise in the circular economy, environmental science and technology, recovery of resources from waste, and sustainability assessment.

First year

During the first semester at Ghent University, students are introduced to the value chain of raw materials and the sustainability challenges of the circular economy. Students are taught how to develop innovative technologies for the recovery and extraction of precious metals and raw materials from waste streams. They also learn how to create new technologies for sustainable mining of materials. In September, students attend a three-week course on the process chain of mineral resources at TUBAF, Germany.

During the second semester at Uppsala University, students are trained in georesource exploration and entrepreneurship, and they are encouraged to develop their creativity with an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative problem-based technology development skills.

All students are enrolled at all three partner universities in the first year, which provides significant networking and social cohesion advantages.

During the first part of the summer, students attend the Resources Chemistry course at TUBAF. The course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of the chemistry of ore deposits, kinetic aspects of precipitation and extraction, and chemical foundations of metallurgical processes. Students are introduced to applications in hydro- and pyrometallurgical processing and recycling technologies.

Second year

During the third semester, students select a major comprising mandatory and optional courses in a specific field of sustainable and innovative natural resource management. Students follow the major at one of the three partner universities.

• Georesource exploration, Uppsala University
• Sustainable processes, TUBAF
• Resource recovery and sustainable materials, Ghent University
• Circular societies, Ghent University
• Sustainable entrepreneurship, Uppsala University

During the summer holidays between the first and second years, or at any other convenient period, students complete an internship related to their major. The internship is overseen by an academic supervisor and a non-academic partner from the extensive SINReM network of research institutes, private companies and other institutions.

The SINReM programme is completed by a Master's dissertation, which is worth 30 ECTS credits.

Ghent University, Belgium (coordinating university)
Uppsala University, Sweden

An internship (10 ECTS) is integrated into the second year of study. Programme advisers will assist students with finding an appropriate internship.

You can find information about the application period on the SINReM website.

https://sinrem.eu/admission-application/

SINReM is particularly suited for (but not limited to): chemical engineers, chemists, environmental scientists and engineers, geologists, geophysicists, mining engineers, mineralogists, materials scientists, metallurgists, bioscience engineers, biotechnology scientists, and process engineers.

To be admitted to the SINReM programme, you need to:

1. Hold a Bachelor's degree (equivalent to at least 180 ECTS credits) in a discipline closely related to the SINReM scope (see website for examples)
2. Have a strong background in science (equivalent to at least 15 ECTS credits in mathematics and/or physics and 10 ECTS credits in chemistry)*
3. Have completed your previous degree(s) with very good or excellent grades (typically top 30% of your student cohort)
4. Submit a convincing letter of motivation with your application, which shows that the SINReM scope matches your previous education and future goals
5. Fulfil the English language requirements

(*) If you do not fully meet criteria 1 and 2, you may still be admitted if you have excellent grades (typically top 10% of the students) in your previous degree(s). Please note that in this case, you will have to invest more time within the first year to catch up on fundamentals of science and engineering.

Academic admission is granted by the SINReM Student Selection Committee, based on the strength of the academic profile and motivation. The full application procedure needs to be completed in order to be granted admission. (We do not review eligibility, transcripts, diplomas, or credentials via e-mail. Please upload all documents to the online application portal.)

The cost of the programme includes the semester contributions at each university.

• 650 EUR to 950 EUR per month, depending on individual lifestyle
• Rent in a student hall of residence per month: an average of 290 EUR

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)

Career advisory services at TUBAF:

• Counselling: development of personal and skills profiles, individual application portfolio checks, preparation for job interviews
• Training in technical and leadership skills: soft skills training, development of interdisciplinary knowledge, coaching for job applications / career entry
• ORTE career fair, networking with companies
• Online job postings

Further information: https://tu-freiberg.de/en/career-center

The two partner universities of TUBAF also offer career advisory services.