Courses & curriculum
The curriculum of the programme has been carefully designed to equip you with the knowledge, understanding and skills to address complex challenges from various disciplinary perspectives.
Programme and structure
The bachelor Circular Engineering offers a full-time programme, which is divided into six semesters and will have a duration of three years. Each semester splits up into 3 periods, following the 7-7-3 week model of Maastricht University. This 7-7-3 model means that period 1 and 2 are seven weeks long and consist of courses and skills training. Period 3 is three weeks long, devoted to a project in which you apply the knowledge and skills gained in the courses and skills trainings. An exam week is included in the 7 or 3 weeks. During this exam week, no other educational activities are scheduled so you can optimally study and prepare for your exams.
Skills trainings and projects are an integral part of the programme. The engineering skills trainings and projects can be laboratory-, engineering-or computer-based.
Year 1
The first year of the programme provides you with a solid foundation with courses in mathematics, physics, chemical engineering and biotechnology. Courses such as Life Cycle Assessment and Engineering in a Circular Economy complement the core courses and provide you with methods to assess product or process circularity and sustainability. In addition, you develop hands-on engineering research experience in two projects.
Year 2
The second year enables you to select courses and skills trainings you are genuinely interested in through a variety of electives. This allows you to play to your strengths, interests and future ambitions. For example, if you set your goal to focus on chemical circular engineering you can select electives such as Artificial intelligence or Sustainable Agronomy. These courses expand your 'tool box' and give you a broader perspective that is much needed in a circular economy. Academic advisors aid you in your choice of electives. Each semester ends with a project.
Year 3
In the third year, you select one concentration of courses and skills trainings to provide you with thorough knowledge within a specific engineering domain: Circular Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Biotechnology or Engineering Physics for Sustainable Manufacturing: You finish your bachelor with a thesis on a circularity challenge within one of these concentrations. The concentrations are directly connected to developments at the Brightlands campuses and relevant companies, industry and non-profit organisations in the region.
Concentrations
You finish your bachelor with a thesis on a circularity challenge within a concentration. The concentrations are directly connected to developments at the Brightlands campuses and relevant companies, industry, non-profit organisations in the region. Parts of your education and research will take place at the Brightlands campuses, right in the middle of and often in collaboration with industry.
Circular Chemical Engineering
In this concentration, you focus on the transition to a sustainable and competitive chemical industry. Chemical process design based on renewable or recycled feedstocks, circular water usage, minimum energy input and zero emissions ask for new technologies and for creative installation design. These topics are combined with fundamental chemical engineering knowledge on Thermodynamics and Kinetics, Heat and Mass Transfer, Reactor Engineering, Separation Techniques, and Process Design and Control.
This gives you a thorough basis in Chemical Engineering combined with valuable knowledge needed for the transition to a circular chemical industry.
Sustainable Biotechnology
In this concentration, you focus on the transition to a sustainable agro-food sector and a circular biobased industry. Designing new food concepts and growing systems is crucial for changing climate and society. Using and creating biodegradable materials and micro-organisms that increase productivity and reduce waste are needed for a sustainable economy. To provide you with the knowledge to achieve this, courses are offered on Plant Biotechnology, Biological Separations, Microbiology and Fermentation, Bioreactors and Biomolecular Technologies.
The courses are complemented with examples, assignments and discussions focussing on sustainability in farming and bio-industrial applications.
Engineering Physics for Sustainable Manufacturing
In this concentration, you focus on the transition to sustainable product design and manufacturing. Designing for reuse and remanufacturing is crucial to increase the lifetime of products, however not all manufacturing processes can be performed in a completely closed loop. Therefore, optimising these processes for minimisation of waste, water and energy usage is needed.
To achieve this, courses like Mechanical Physics, Mechanical Design, Advanced Electronics and Sensor Technology, Materials and Production Engineering, combined with examples, assignments and discussions allow you to generate technical solutions in process and product design for sustainable manufacturing.
Choose one of the academic years below to view the courses of previous years.