Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Sciences - Zayed University (2024)

ENV600 Environmental Sciences and Ecosystem Analysis (3 Credits)

This subject provides an advanced overview of the interactions between humans and the environment. Special emphasis will be placed on the chemistry and biology of environmental pollution. Examples of air, water, and land degradation will be studied using case histories. Understanding problems from an ecosystem wide perspective will be stressed.

ENV601 Science Communication and Writing (3 Credits)

This subject will introduce the fundamentals of scientific reading, scientific writing, visualizing science and how to communicate science effectively. The main aim is to assist students with the process of preparing the written proposal for their chosen MSc Thesis research topic. The course will examine strategies to explore, appraise and summarize key findings from published scientific literature. Students will expand their vocabulary and language skills required for scientific writing. They will learn ways in which language is used to conceptualize ideas, make comparisons, critique other work objectively, and propose new work. Various creative ways for visualizing methods, observations, data and results will be introduced. Different techniques helpful in orally communicating scientific rationale, goals, findings, caveats and recommendations will be discussed, in order to become better science communicators.

ENV610 Sustainability Planning and Management (3 Credits)

This subject provides foundational knowledge of the principles of sustainable development as a possible way to balance social equity, environmental sustainability and economic needs. This subject draws on numerous case studies from around the world to illustrate the complexity of sustainable development issues and their implicit trade-offs.

ENV611 Renewable Resources and Mixed Energy in Sustainable Development (3 Credits)

ENV615 Environmental Impact Assessment (3 Credits)

ENV620 Occupational Health and Safety (3 Credits)

This subject will provide the knowledge to identify occupational health risks, and to maintain minimum safety regulations to prevent serious incidences and injuries in a workplace. Topics include safe work environments, workplace hazards, occupational hygiene, employee safety and security, hazard communication, ergonomics, stress management, ethical issues in occupational health and safety, worker disability management, and workplace assessment and evaluation. Field visits to various worksites will complement lectures and highlight comparative analysis to evaluate and assess safety practices in different work environments.

ENV625 Environmental Protection (3 Credits)

ENV630 Advanced Environmental Policy (3 Credits)

This course will examine the policy making process in environmental policy in the United Arab Emirates and the global implications for that policy. Topics to be covered will include air and water policy, energy production and regulation, federal land policy, and problems associated with food security and agricultural production. This is a central class for graduate students focused on environmental and natural resources policy for the Middle East.

ENV650 Ecotoxicology (4 Credits)

This course has three components, (1) a Lecture component, (2) a Case Study component and (3) a small field survey of an environmental toxin. These components are described in more detail next. Lecture Component: This course will examine the nature, source, dispersal and fate of toxic substances released into the environment. Toxins included are organic, inorganic and radioactive toxins. Mechanisms of toxicity will be discussed at the cellular, individual, population and ecosystem level. Methods used to monitor for toxic agents and the risk the pose will also be covered. Case Studies Component: Approximately once every four weeks, the student will read an article from the primary literature. They will summarize it and discuss its applicability to the UAE with the class. Field Survey/ lab exercise Component: A small field sampling project will be done in conjunction with the lectures in which the student identifies a toxin of interest, plans and executes a sampling campaign to measure the spatial distribution of this toxin or its effect on a biological system.

ENV655 Liquid and Solid Waste Management (4 Credits)

ENV656 Instrumentation and Analytical Methods in Environmental Sciences (4 Credits)

ENV657 GIS Applications in Environmental Science (3 Credits)

ENV660 Restoration Ecology (4 Credits)

ENV665 Environmental Microbiology (4 Credits)

This course explores how microorganisms grow and their role in shaping biogeochemical processes and organic contaminant degradation. The subject will explore some of the most important concepts in microbiology and methods of waste management that apply this knowledge. The subject will introduce molecular methods used to study microorganisms, and address current technologies and processes involved in managing waste using microorganisms. The increasingly common antibiotic resistance in bacteria and its public health implications will also be addressed. The subject includes a laboratory component and field trip with practical exercises that complement the lectures.

ENV670 Coastal and Terrestrial and Environments (4 Credits)

ENV690 Experimental Design and Data Analysis in Natural Sciences (3 Credits)

This subject provides students with an understanding of basic statistical concepts critical to the proper use and understanding of statistics in natural and conservation science and prepares students for subsequent courses in environmental science with a practical research component. The subject covers foundational concepts in statistical modeling/analysis and methodology applied in field environmental and ecological studies. The focus is on defining statistical models and analytical tools, as well as basic study design concepts dealing with practical issues associated with real-world study designs.

ENV693 Contemporary Issues in Sustainability and Environmental Technology Seminar (1 Credit)

ENV695 Environmental Field Expedition (3 Credits)

This is a field-based expeditionary module, specifically tailored for master’s level, at the intersection of Environmental Science, Physical Geography and Environmental Sustainability. The course begins with preparatory briefing sessions in the classroom but concentrates mainly on field studies where hands-on skills are taught. In non-formal outdoors settings, students will learn field techniques needed to investigate a broad range of earth-surface processes that operate across a range of environmental types (e.g. deserts, mountains, rivers, coasts). Group and individual tasks are embedded in course. Students will develop new skills by employing a range of tools, equipment and instrumentation in exciting (and often spectacular) field locations. Emphasis will be placed on how to sample in the field and to collect robust environmental measurements. Methods will include, amongst others: mapping, basic surveying, research photography, soil profiling, sedimentology, slope measurement, field water quality assessment, habitat identification, field geology and geomorphology, weather and climate observation, and fluvial/ hydrological measurement. Practice with specially purchased field equipment will be fun and lively. Teamwork will promote leadership, independence, confidence and camaraderie in the field. Post-expedition, students will also learn advanced methods of field data display and analysis, and how to make meaningful interpretation of results through writing field reports and delivering oral presentations on their environmental findings.

ENV699 Thesis in Environmental Science and Sustainability (6 Credits)

This is an individual project that comprises a substantive, original research program carried out by the student. The research must be aligned with the program and therefore the chosen topic should address some area of Environmental Science and Sustainability. The student is completely responsible for the work presented in the thesis, which will be examined by two examiners (1 internal and 1 external). The unique topic of the project will be developed during the student’s first semester of enrolment in the MSc program. The topic proposed by the student will be discussed and finalized in consultation with a Thesis Supervisory Committee (TSC) comprising three faculty members - the ZU internal main thesis supervisor and co-supervisor, and an external co-supervisor from a reputable outside academic institution (either domestic or international). The individual faculty members comprising the TSC will depend and be decided by the MSc program coordinator according to the expertise required to supervise the specific project successfully (e.g. expertise required in environmental biology, environmental chemistry, environmental geoscience, environmental policy, environmental management, etc.). The supervisory team will have a continuous mentoring role with the student throughout the entire 4 semester master’s program. The research work (fieldwork, experiments, analysis) and thesis writing will take place in the final two semesters of the program (Semesters 3 and 4).