Overview
About
Modern society uses more than 100,000 chemicals as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, food contact chemicals, laundry agents, and for a range of other purposes. Roughly 40 new chemicals are discovered every hour. On the one hand, all those chemicals provide us with enormous societal benefits. On the other hand, they cause massive environmental damage and have huge impacts on human health. In order to facilitate societal developments towards our ultimate goal—a “non-toxic environment”—it is critical to balance these two aspects and navigate the resulting societal and political minefield. In other words, society is crucially dependent on well-trained ecotoxicologists and chemical risk assessors to characterize, understand, and predict the effects of toxic chemicals on plant and animal populations, ecological communities, and ecosystems.
Our scope: emphasising ECO in ecotoxicology
Ecotoxicology is the science of the structures, processes, and interactions that explain how toxic compounds affect ecosystems. The Ecotoxicology programme of the University of Gothenburg focuses on the fate and effects of contaminants at different levels of biological organization (molecular, cell, individual, population, community) but prioritizes the assessment of ecologically relevant processes. We introduce modern laboratory techniques (for example, molecular ecotoxicology) and use the recent advances within molecular biology and cellular physiology in order to understand and predict effects at the community level.
Learning through interdisciplinarity and active fieldwork
Ecotoxicology has strong connections to biology, ecology, toxicology, biochemistry, analytical and environmental chemistry, statistics, and social sciences. Therefore, our programme is a collaboration between the Faculty of Social Science, the School of Business Economics and Law, , the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Department of Mathematical Sciences. We focus on aquatic and marine ecotoxicology, and spend time at our marine field stations during the mandatory courses and, eventually, during the final master project. You will also have the opportunity to meet and discuss with different professionals, from industry, regulatory authorities, NGOs and academia. The final master thesis can be done at our University, at another institution of higher education (also in another country), or at other professional institutions.
Embracing a diversity of perspectives and experiences
The multitude of perspectives and attitudes in our highly international student group brings a valuable element to our programme: the realization that the problem of toxic chemicals in the environment is strongly connected to socioeconomic and political systems. The different perspectives and experiences that students contribute from their home countries therefore helps the whole group to gain a better understanding of the impacts of toxic chemicals on the different environments around the world.
Programme Structure
Courses include:
- Fundamentals of Ecotoxicology
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Chemical Risk Assessment
- Physiological and Molecular Ecotoxicology
- Ecotoxicology from an Ecological Perspective
Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 24 months
Start dates & application deadlines
- Starting
- Apply before , International
- Apply before , EEA/EU
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Language
Credits
Delivered
Disciplines
Toxicology Environmental Sciences Biochemistry View 44 other Masters in Environmental Sciences in SwedenAcademic requirements
We are not aware of any academic requirements for this programme.
English requirements
Other requirements
General requirements
- Bachelor of Science (or equivalent) from a university including at least 90 credits in biology and chemistry (with a minimum of 30 credits in biology and 30 credits in chemistry)
- Applicants must prove their knowledge of English: English 6/English B from Swedish Upper Secondary School or the equivalent level of an internationally recognized test, for example TOEFL, IELTS
Tuition Fee
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International
11910 EUR/yearTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 23820 EUR for the full programme during 24 months. -
EU/EEA
FreeTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 0 EUR for the full programme during 24 months.
- Full education cost: 242,000 SEK
- No fees are charged for EU and EEA citizens, Swedish residence permit holders and exchange students.
Living costs for Göteborg
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
Studyportals Tip: Students can search online for independent or external scholarships that can help fund their studies. Check the scholarships to see whether you are eligible to apply. Many scholarships are either merit-based or needs-based.