Program description

The graduate program in sustainability for engineering (MSc in Sustainability for Engineering) builds on engineering fundamentals to support professionals to develop and implement specialized solutions for sustainability challenges for small island contexts. The program is designed for students who have a strong technical background in engineering or in the natural sciences at a BSc or MSc degree level. Students with combined educational and professional experience in a single specific exact science domain such as physics, mathematics, data sciences, computer sciences, biology, chemistry or environmental sciences, or who do not have all necessary background knowledge, qualify too, but may need to take up to 30 EC in additional courses from the SISSTEM Bachelor program to complete the degree and demonstrate the conceptual knowledge that is expected of a graduate from this program. Students with a vocational bachelor diploma will have to take up the entire 30 EC Integrated Pre-Master Program. The additional courses will not be included in the exam program of the MSc. Diploma, but students can obtain a certificate for every course passed.

The MSc has three specializations: Bio-Environmental Sciences; Information and Data Sciences; Technology and Engineering. Candidates who participate in this program choose their specialization at the moment of registration. At least 50 percent of class assignments as well as the thesis have to be executed within the framework of that specialization. Proof of completion of the specialization is included in a separate portfolio that is assessed by the program committee.

A graduate of this program has a sustainability focus that does not only take into account the environment in project design, but also takes into account societal, governmental and economic impacts of choices made.

Learning outcomes

The program focuses on knowledge of and skills…

• To have thorough understanding of the core sustainable engineering principles and to acquire an engineering attitude within a generic and discipline-specific context: result-oriented attitude, attention for planning and technical, economical and societal boundary conditions like sustainability, risk and feasibility assessment of the proposed approach or solution, focus on results and achievement of effective solutions, innovative and transdisciplinary thinking.
• To have system-oriented and application-oriented knowledge understanding and (engineering) skills at an advanced level within specific fields of application.
• To address a problem within a well-defined framework and to plan and develop a project independently, with attention being paid to the technical and social preconditions and with special attention being paid to the contextual factors of small island states.
• To act from a research attitude, including creativity, accuracy, critical reflection, motivation of choices on scientific grounds to independently conceive, plan and execute an engineering project at the level of a starting investigating professional.
• To be able to conduct problem-oriented formulation and analysis of complex problems of small island states, by dividing these into manageable subproblems and designing sustainable island solutions for specific cases with attention for the application possibilities and broader conceptual impact.
• To have advanced knowledge of the various fields of application of STEM in a historical, social and future-oriented perspective, with a special focus on sustainable solutions for small island states.
• To be able to understand and apply essential methods and tools, including life cycle assessment, quality and certification standards and statistical process control to ensure process maintenance and reliability, sustainable design, material flows analysis, pinch analysis etc. 
• To be able to take into account key environmental, social and economic considerations and how they can be integrated in a technological design when developing sustainable solutions for small island states and evaluating projects and policies, via tools and methods including cost-benefit analysis, contingent valuation methods, choice experiments and environmental valuation techniques, etc.
• To have advanced system and application oriented insight in multiscale concepts (micro-, meso-, and macroscale), which allows to structure and model human-made and natural processes and systems, taking into account their dynamic character and adaptive behavior.
• To be able to design innovative and application-oriented systems, products, services and processes and be able to extrapolate these with attention for the business context and to be able to extract new research questions from challenges encountered.
• To have the ability to communicate the results of technical and scientific work correctly and clearly in writing, orally and graphically, to colleagues and laypersons.

Planning

• 2 year half time program nominal.
• Maximum 4 year time of completion. 
• In case the integrated pre-master has to be followed, the maximum time of completion is 5 years. 
• In case courses included in the pre-master are not considered to be a direct pre-requisite for master modules, they can be followed simultaneously with the master modules.

Program

Entry in uneven years	Entry in even years
SEMESTER 1 (15 EC) • Life Cycle Assessment (5 EC) • Modeling , data science & data visualization (5 EC) • Thesis proposal & research plan (5 EC)	SEMESTER 1 (15 EC) • Sustainability & Economy: implementing and assessing sustainability policies and projects (5 EC) • Quality Control, accreditation and certification (5 EC) • Thesis proposal & research plan (5 EC)
SEMESTER 2 (15 EC) • Sustainability and Materials Engineering (5 EC) • Earth systems and Industrial ecology (5 EC) • Thesis (5 EC)	SEMESTER 2 (15 EC) • Entrepreneurship and circular economy (5 EC) • Water-Energy-Food nexus in SIS and the Metabolism of Islands (5 EC) • Thesis (5 EC)
SEMESTER 3 (15 EC) • Sustainability & Economy: implementing and assessing sustainability policies and projects (5 EC) • Quality Control, accreditation and certification (5 EC) • Thesis (5 EC)	SEMESTER 3 (15 EC) • Life Cycle Assessment (5 EC) • Modeling , data science & data visualization (5 EC) • Thesis (5 EC)
SEMESTER 4 (15 EC) • Entrepreneurship and circular economy (5 EC) • Water-Energy-Food nexus in SIS and the Metabolism of Islands (5 EC) • Thesis ( 5 EC)	SEMESTER 4 (15 EC) • Sustainability and Materials Engineering (5 EC) • Earth systems and Industrial ecology (5 EC) • Thesis ( 5 EC)

Study Resources and Downloads

For all downloads, including study guides, schedules, book lists and more, please use the button below.

Go to Study Resources

Module design

Every module will consist of 4 intensive seminars as described below with a proposed uniform grading format:

1. Start-up seminar: introduction to the module, practical and theoretical framework, methods, key literature and discussion of module assignments (week 1)

Literature review deadline (deadline end of week 4) – 20% of grade

2. Analysis seminar: discussion of case studies (week 5)

To be decided by facilitator: either case study OR research proposal (deadline end of week 8) – 20% of grade

3. Research application discussion seminar: theoretical and methodological presentation and discussion of case studies/research proposals (week 10) 

Final research paper integrating literature review and original case study (deadline end of week 14) – 20% of grade

4. Review seminar: recap practical and theoretical framework, methods, case studies (week 16)

Final exam (week 17) – 40% of grade

The teaching of the module will rely on seminar sessions but will also include scaffolded team work and intervision. Each seminar will consist of 3 half days (Friday afternoon and full Saturday). Scheduling of the seminars per module will accommodate alternating start dates for concurrent modules. Each module will have a (digital) reader with prescribed class materials.

1. Life Cycle Assessment (5 EC)

Sustainability in engineering heavily relies on understanding the fundamentals of life cycle assessment and materials engineering. Assessment of the environmental impact of materials used in construction and production is key to understanding the sustainability of the built environment and human economic activity. 

In this module, students are trained in life cycle assessment (LCA), allowing for a cradle to cradle analysis to assess the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a products life, including materials extraction, materials processing, production, distribution, use and disposal or recycling. Successful life cycle assessment depends heavily on an understanding of the characteristics of materials for products, processes and services. Students learn the basics of life cycle thinking, to apply principles of life cycle assessments, the different phases of a life cycle assessment, and the potential pitfalls and challenges associated with conducting a life cycle assessment or when interpreting its results. Furthermore, students are introduced to assessment methods that go beyond the environmental impact determined via LCA, such as determining the social and economic impacts of an engineering technology or process. Specific topics include life cycle costing analysis and social life cycle assessment. 

Concretely, students learn the concepts of and to apply LCA by conducting an LCA of two everyday products with the same function in daily life, and comparing its results, in order to assess which one of the two products performs better in terms of environmental impact. They learn how to use the Ecoinvent database and suitable LCA software.

2. Modelling, data science & data visualization (5 EC)

The rate of data generation has grown significantly in the past decade. This data can be effectively used to solve various data analytics problems with the proper use of data modeling and visualization techniques. This module introduces the students to experimental planning, how to deal with limited data availability via web scraping methods, data modelling methods and machine learning and deep learning techniques. 

Furthermore, the student is introduced to data visualization techniques allowing him/her to present research results in a structured and meaningful manner to industry, policy makers or the wider society. The student is also introduced to the principles of data security and data privacy. Finally, the module introduces to the appropriate data analysis and visualization software and dashboards, such as R or Tableau.

 3. Sustainability and Materials Engineering (5 EC)

Sustainable engineering is the process of designing or operating systems in such a way that they use energy and resources sustainably, in other words, at a rate that does not compromise the natural environment, or the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 

In this module, students are introduced to the principles of “ecodesign” and “design for recycling”, and “chemistry engineering”. They are able to apply LCA (learned in a previous course) to make sound decisions about material selection and design in order to reduce the environmental, social and economic impacts of a certain product or process. These methods are examined and applied to current engineering issues such as climate change mitigation, alternative-fueled vehicles, water and wastewater treatment, urban development, renewable energy (solar, wind, and biomass), and waste mitigation. Each student will be required to apply tools and insights to assess the (long-term) sustainability of a specific production or engineering system.

4. Earth systems and Industrial ecology (5 EC)

Industrial ecology is an environmental concept developed by researchers to improve environmental management. Industrial ecology attempts to induce balance and cooperation between industrial processes and earth’s environmental sustainability, such that neither violates the other.

The module departs from the question: What is the current state of the art of industrial ecology research and practice?  Students will acquire systems engineering perspective, that looks at the synergies of industrial processes, such as material and energy flows, at larger scale, including at island scale. Notions of resource scarcity, ecosystems, earth system science, and Spaceship Earth are examined. Students will learn to implement and be able to interpret the results of methods such as input/output analysis, material flows analysis and industrial symbiosis studies, multi-criteria decision analysis. Students will learn to conduct a pinch analysis, aiming to optimize processes from a thermodynamic point of view, applied to e.g. heat or cold streams or water flows. Students learn to calculate feasible energy targets and to optimize and find synergies between processes and streams to achieve these targets. They will learn when these methods can be used appropriately and learn about the challenges and pitfalls when using these methods.

5. Sustainability & Economy: implementing and assessing sustainability policies and projects (5EC)

Organizations, governments and enterprises are under constant pressure to meet environmental and social responsibilities that address the global challenges as presented in the SDGs. Reducing waste, reducing the carbon footprint and increasing sustainability are vital success factors for parties contending for public and, increasingly, private contracts.

This module introduces students to the fundamentals resources economics and the economics of tourism, to the fundamentals of policy development for sustainability and the principles of successful policy implementation and assessment. Furthermore the students are introduced to comprehensive, effective, and goal-oriented sustainability policy implementation. Furthermore, students know how to do a project appraisal. They can assess projects using a cost-benefit analysis and can apply a cost-benefit analysis to for example a tourism project. They know some alternatives to cost-benefit analysis, such as contingent valuation methods, choice experiments and environmental valuation techniques.

6. Quality Control, accreditation and certification (5 EC)

Independent external quality control is key to standardizing reliability, affordability and safety of engineering and technological solutions for sustainable development. Understanding international quality control standards, accreditation agencies and certification levels allows for a strengthening of sustainability practices. In small island states the principles of quality control in combination with the reliance on international quality control agencies as partners can be accelerators for sustainable development.

Students are introduced to international accreditation and certification standards for quality control in sustainability and innovation. Students are familiarized with the fundamentals of accreditation and quality standards in technology, building and industrial processes, and food production and processing, like LEED, ISO, HACCP. Students are introduced to statistical process control coupled to concepts such as process maintenance and reliability. Students also learn to develop a critical appreciation for these standards in small island contexts on the basis of availability of materials resources, human resources and cost assessments.

7. Entrepreneurship and circular economy (5 EC)

The scarcity of natural resources in small island states is a defining limit to achieve economic growth and development. The high dependency on imports negatively impacts the environment and adversely affects the availability and cost of produce. One of the approaches to enhancing sustainability is the concept of a circular economy, creating a more sustainable economic model, that takes into account planetary and local boundaries. 

Rooted in the emerging scholarship on circular economy, islandness and sustainability, this module is designed to help you understand the growing need for sustainability solutions in small island contexts. Students learn how to develop and grow a sustainable business by combining insights from science, technology and engineering with circular economy principles while at the same time incorporating the benefits of transitioning to sustainable business models. Students will get introduced and learn to use the business model canvas and learn about circular business models, they will learn about the potential of sustainable business opportunities, obtain tools to assess the potential of a business idea, and learn how to go from a business idea to business implementation.

8. Water-Energy-Food nexus in SIS and the Metabolism of Islands (5 EC)

The natural, economic and social systems of small island states are considered highly vulnerable, due to the intrinsic characteristics of these states, including: small size; relatively high population density; remoteness; vulnerability to external (demand and supply-side) effects; narrow resource base; and exposure to global environmental challenges such as sea level rise. 
The module introduces key concepts of socio-metabolic research (SMR) and its relevance to island sustainability. SMR suggests that islands can build system resilience by reconfiguring resource-use patterns, and achieve a high quality of life at the lowest environmental costs. Students will explore the possibilities for Island States to shift from resource-wasteful technologies and practices to integrate the Nexus approach in private and public sector policy planning and programming, in order to maximize resources and opportunities for efficiencies, cost effectiveness and sustainable growth.

9. & 10.Thesis preparation and thesis (5 + 15 EC)

Students participating in the MSc in Sustainability for Engineering complete a 20 EC research thesis in which the student studies a sustainability challenge in a small island context and designs research based solutions for these sustainability challenges.

Students go through the process of problem definition, literature review, exploration of possibilities, establishment of criteria and constraints, selection of solution, development of a research based design proposal and finally the development of a prototype or model to test and evaluate the intervention. In their written thesis, students outline the full process and pay special attention to the way in which their research addresses sustainability issues for engineering in small island states. Projects may be proposed by researchers as well as by companies and organizations. Projects may also be developed by students – taking into account that the right supervision needs to be available. Acceptance of topic selection for the thesis research will be based upon the suitability of the candidates previous education training. In a first phase students receive guidance in the development of a proposal that will be submitted after the first semester (5 EC), after approval of which the students will execute the research, write and defend the thesis (15 EC). The thesis topic should link to the specialization chosen by the student at the moment of registration, being Bio-Environmental sciences; Information and data sciences; or Technology and engineering.

Throughout the entire thesis trajectory, the thesis progress is tracked by the thesis committee consisting out of a SISSTEM senior lecturer and a thesis supervisor, using intermediate reports and presentations:

• After semester 1: research proposal = report + presentation (25% of final mark)
• After semester 2: mid-term = report + presentation (10% of final mark)
• After semester 3: final stage of research = report + presentation (10% of final mark)
• After semester 4: thesis: thesis manuscript + oral defense (55% of final mark)

Integrated pre-master

Students with a vocational bachelor diploma will have to take up the entire 30 EC Integrated Pre-Master Program. The program consists out of a selection of key courses of the SISSTEM Bachelor programme:

• Environmental sciences (6 EC)
• Materials engineering (6 EC)
• Mathematics 3 (6 EC)
• Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to sustainable Development (6 EC)
• One course, according to the chosen specialization track:
  • Bio-environmental sciences: Socio-ecological systems (6 EC)
  • Information and Data Sciences: Machine learning (6 EC)
  • Technology and Engineering: Sustainable energy production (6 EC)

The course descriptions of the SISSTEM bachelor courses can be found on the SISSTEM page:

Check out SISSTEM Bachelor Check out our Study Guide

Students who would like to follow the Integrated pre-master program can start in the semester preceding the semester before the start of the master program.

Students do not obtain a diploma after following the Integrated pre-master program, but can obtain a certificate for every course passed. 

Students that fail (one of) the courses of the Integrated pre-master programme cannot start / continue the master program itself.  

Course materials

Books

Prescribed textbooks for each unit of study are listed in your Study Guide.

You can purchase your textbooks in a number of ways:

The UA Bookstore at the University of Aruba

The UA Bookstore sells new study books and facilitates the sale of second-hand study books by students. If your books haven’t arrived on time you can also borrow certain study books from the UA Library. The University of Aruba’s bookstore is located in the UA Library.

The UA Bookstore online

Course readings and textbooks can be ordered online and collected later at the UA Bookstore.

Order your books now!

Via external sources

You can also purchase your study books from other sources, such as second-hand books or online bookstores from the US or the Netherlands. Please take into account that books purchased online can take a couple of weeks to arrive. Buy your textbooks and readers early to make sure you have all your required reading material at the start of the school year.

Other course materials

All study materials compiled by the teachers will be made available via the electronic learning environment, StOnE. Every registered student is also provided with an email address of the UA which is used to communicate with the student. The curriculum of the Bachelor of Science program in Sustainable Engineering also includes the production of written papers. It is advisable to purchase a laptop or tablet for this study program.

Digital Tools

Study program digital resources

Important information about this study program can be found in the Study Guide. The Study Guide provides helpful details about the University, the study program, and essential information for every stage of the student journey, from registration, to assessment, to graduation.

You can also consult the Year Calendar, Course Schedules, Book List, and other essential documents relating to the program of study for more detailed information.

Go to the study program digital resources

Library Databases

The UA library may be of assistance in providing you access to digital databases to quickly find relevant scholarly information you can use in research papers or other course projects. The databases available via the UA Library grant you access to articles, books, and journals.

StOnE

The Bachelor of Science program in Sustainable Engineering has an electronic learning environment, the University of Aruba Study Online Environment (StOnE). You can access StOnE via stone.ua.aw with your username and password. This information is made available after your final registration. For any questions, you can contact the helpdesk via StOnE@ua.aw

With StOnE you can:

• Easily access course content – browse the content of your courses, even when offline.
• Connect with course participants – quickly find and contact other people in your courses.
• Keep up to date – receive instant notifications of messages and other events, such as assignment submissions.
• Submit assignments – Upload images, audio, videos and other files from your mobile device.
• Track your progress – View your grades, check completion progress in courses and browse your learning plans.

Course material and assignments are made available by the lecturer of the course via StOnE. Other important announcements are also sent via StOnE or distributed via your UA email address. To ensure that you are sufficiently informed of the ins and outs of the study program you are expected to consult StOnE and your email address regularly to stay informed of any notifications.

OSIRIS

OSIRIS is a Student Progress Tracking System, in which all information regarding your studies and study progress is stored from the moment of your first registration up to and including your graduation. All UA students have an OSIRIS account as soon as they are fully enrolled and are admitted to the UA.

We recommend downloading the OSIRIS app on your phone so that you can stay up to date with your grades, your schedule and can have easy access to registration for courses and exams. Students must register to take courses via OSIRIS. Consult the course schedule to see when each course is given. This registration is mandatory!

You can log in here or via the OSIRIS Mobile App (available via the Google Play Store or Apple Store). For more information regarding your grades, course schedules, missing information, or other education-related issues to be found in OSIRIS, please contact the Office of Educational Affairs (OEA), in charge of the educational administration of students, at oea@ua.aw.

To gain access to OSIRIS you need a username and password. This information will be made known to you at the start of your studies. Your username for OSIRIS is your student number, your password is your UA network password (the same password you use in the Computer Lab or Library). If you encounter problems logging in, you may have to reset your password. During office hours you can do this at the reception of the main campus at UA.

For further assistance regarding technical problems you can contact the Computer Center at cc@ua.aw or by telephone at (297) 526-2252, or (297) 526-2253.

G Suite

G Suite is a set of cloud computing, productivity, and collaboration tools, software, and products developed by Google. Every registered student will obtain access to their own G Suite account and can make use of its email (Gmail), cloud storage (Google Drive with a capacity of 30GB), and other tools, such as Google Docs. This eliminates the need to use external storage devices such as USB sticks during your studies, minimizing the risks of viruses and losing your data. G Suite also allows you to access your information from any computer, eliminating the need to sync your data on different computers. The data on G Suite is available from your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer.

Your student email will be attached to your G Suite account. Important announcements are distributed via your student email. You are expected to consult your email regularly to stay up to date with student affairs and notifications.

For any questions relating to your G Suite account, you can contact the Computer Center at cc@ua.aw or by telephone at (297) 526-2252 or (297) 526-2253.

Practical information

For more practical information about student life at UA, the facilities the university offers, and information about your registration or changes in your personal information, please contact the Office of Student Affairs. You can also browse our website, or consult your Study Guide.

View our Frequently Asked Questions