Introduction

The bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences offers students the training required to contribute to solve the environmental problems of today's societies with rigour, creativity, social responsibility and ethical commitment. Students will complete socially-committed projects through service learning methods.

The bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences provides students with the necessary training to understand environmental issues in various fields of knowledge: from theoretical and practical knowledge of the natural and social sciences to the technologies needed to put that knowledge into practice. The general profile of the degree is aimed at the training of professionals with a multidisciplinary and global vision of the environment, using the lens of various fields of knowledge, and a specific orientation towards the conservation and management of the environment and natural resources, environmental management in companies and organizations, and environmental quality in relation to the health of ecosystems, including people. It equips students with tools and techniques to manage and provide solutions from the perspective of the natural sciences, technology and the social sciences. The aim is to train technical and scientific professionals with knowledge of the scientific, technological, social, economic, legal and environmental management fields who are capable of taking on professional roles at private and public companies or government agencies related to the environment.

Basic information

TypeBachelor's degrees
Faculty or schoolFaculty of Biology
Branch of knowledge
  • Sciences
  • Social Sciences
Mode of delivery

face-to-face

Credits240
Number of places available

60

Length of course4 academic years
Language(s) of instructionCatalan 82.8%, Spanish17.2%
Admission grade

10.048 (July 2023, start of process, via official entrance examinations/vocational training)

 

Approximate price per credit18,46 €
Compulsory placementsNo
CoordinatorJUAN LUIS RIERA REY
Course detailsIndicators
SpecializationsYes

Objectives and competences

Objectives

  • To understand the theoretical and practical aspects of natural and social sciences, as well as the tools needed to apply knowledge to practice. To become capable of coordinating specialist work in different areas.
  • To acquire the scientific, technical, social, economic and legal tools to understand the environment. This objective derives from the understanding that a good environmental professional must be able to deal with environmental issues in an interdisciplinary manner, in accordance with the complexity of their field of work, taking into account the rest of the social and economic problems of our society.
  • To become a professional in sustainability and global change.
  • To learn environmental education and communication.

Competences

General competences

  •  Commitment to ethical practice (critical and self-critical capabilities, and capacity to demonstrate attitudes consistent with accepted notions of ethical practice).
  • Capacity for learning and responsibility (capacity for analysis and synthesis, to adopt global perspectives and to apply knowledge in practice, and capacity to take decisions and adapt to new situations).
  • Ability to work in a team (capacity to collaborate with others and contribute to a common project, and capacity to work in cross-disciplinary and multicultural teams).
  • Creative and entrepreneurial skills (capacity to conceive, design and manage projects, and capacity to research and integrate new knowledge and approaches).
  • Concern for sustainability (capacity to assess the social and environmental impact of actions taken in a particular setting, and capacity to adopt integrated and systemic approaches).
  • Communication skills (capacity to understand and produce spoken and written Catalan, Spanish and a third language, including the comprehension and use of specialized terminology, and capacity to research and integrate information in these languages).
  • Understanding of manager-scientific-technologist-citizen relationships in the face of environmental problems.
  • Understanding of the multi-disciplinary nature of environmental problems.
  • Capacity to relate experimental results found in field or laboratory studies with theoretical knowledge.

 

Specific competences

  • Basic knowledge of branch subject matter: mathematics, chemistry, physics, geology and biology.
  • Knowledge of the history and composition of the Earth and the main processes around which it is built.
  • Knowledge of biological functional processes from the molecule to the organism.
  • Knowledge of functions, diversity and distribution of living beings.
  • Knowledge and interpreting of relations between living beings and their living environment.
  • Understanding of the geographical bases related to the environment in their physical, historical and social aspects.
  • Knowledge of the contents and procedures in environmental legislation and in spatial planning and management.
  • Understanding, application and interpretation of basic economic concepts applied to the environment.
  • Capacity to determine the economic value of goods, services and natural resources.
  • Knowledge of environmental pollutants and the techniques for analysing and quantifying contamination in different media (waste, soil, water, air.).
  • Capacity to integrate knowledge of different disciplines to describe, measure, explain and predict the effect of contaminants on organisms.
  • Capacity to plan, implement and manage analyses of natural resources.
  • Knowledge of the relation between productive processes and their effects on the environment.
  • Knowledge of the main technologies with environmental applications. Ability to analyse, interpret and model environmental data.
  • Capacity to create and manage environmental projects.
  • Capacity to assess and manage the environment.
  • Ability to plan, manage and conserve natural resources.
  • Ability to operate and interpret geographical information systems.
  • Ability to carry out environmental impact studies.
  • Capacity to understand environmental management systems.
  • Capacity to plan the restoration of the environment.
  • Ability to design, implement, coordinate and evaluate waste management plans.
  • Ability to manage the supply and treatment of water resources.
  • Capacity to treat polluted soils.
  • Ability to assess air and water quality.
  • Capacity to plan the use of clean technologies and renewable energy sources.
  • Ability to develop and implement quality management systems for laboratories, treatment plants and companies.
  • Capacity to identify and appraise environmental costs.
  • Knowledge of basic probability and statistical tools in their application to the analysis of environmental data.
  • Capacity to apply quantitative analysis techniques to environmental data.
  • Knowledge of the toxic effects of pollutants on the environment and organisms, including human beings.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

What you will need Successfully completed school leaver studies in subjects of science and technology, especially biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. English language skills.

Access requirements and conditions

Admission for students with studies completed outside Spain.

Applicants holding higher educational qualifications from a university outside Spain should consult the page Admission with foreign qualifications to find out about specific admission requirements.
 

Pre-enrolment

Students that have studied abroad and who wish to study at the University of Barcelona may be admitted to EHEA bachelor's degree courses. Procedures for gaining admission will depend on the qualifications held by each applicant.

For further information about admission, consult the page Admission with foreign qualifications.
 

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online via the Món UB portal. To find out the date and time you have been assigned, check the specific information for your course. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned.

Academic information

Welcome

Support and guidance

Pre-enrolment information and events

 

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

Type ECTS
Basic training 60
Compulsory 114
Optional 42
Compulsory placements 12
Compulsory final project 12
TOTAL 240

List of subjects

Subject Language Type Credits
General Chemistry 1st semester Basic training 6
Mathematics 1st semester Basic training 6
Physics 1st semester Basic training 6
Principles of Biology 1st semester Basic training 6
Society and the Environment 1st semester Basic training 6
Chemistry of Aquatic Systems 2nd semester Basic training 6
Environmental Law 2nd semester Compulsory 6
Geology 2nd semester Basic training 6
Plant Biology 2nd semester Compulsory 6
Statistics 2nd semester Compulsory 6
Subject Language Type Credits
Data Analysis 1st semester
2nd semester
Compulsory 6
Practicum I 1st semester
2nd semester
Compulsory 6
Final Project 1st semester
2nd semester
Compulsory final project 12
Practicum II 1st semester
2nd semester
Compulsory 6
Subject Language Type Credits
Algae and Bryophytes 2nd semester Optional 6
Animal Ecophysiology 1st semester Optional 6
Applied Animal Biology 2nd semester Optional 6
Applied Plant Biology 2nd semester Optional 6
Aprenentatge Servei, Compromís i Transformació Social 1st semester Optional 6
Arthropod Biology 1st semester Optional 6
Biology of Marine Invertebrates 2nd semester Optional 6
Climate Change Diagnosis 2nd semester Optional 6
Coastal System Management 1st semester Optional 6
Cordate Biology 1st semester Optional 6
Cormophytes 2nd semester Optional 6
Energy Management 1st semester Optional 6
Environmental Biotechnology 2nd semester Optional 6
Environmental Education 2nd semester Optional 6
Environmental Management 2nd semester Optional 6
Environmental Restoration 2nd semester Optional 6
Fauna Management 1st semester Optional 6
Forestry Management 1st semester Optional 6
Human Biodiversity 2nd semester Optional 6
Integrated Plant Physiology 1st semester Optional 6
Legal Tools 1st semester Optional 6
Limnology 1st semester Optional 6
Management of Harmful Species 1st semester Optional 6
Marine Ecosystems and Global Change 2nd semester Optional 6
Microbial Ecology 1st semester Optional 6
Mycology 1st semester Optional 6
Noise Pollution, Electromagnetic Radiation and Health 1st semester Optional 6
Open Space Reserve Management 2nd semester Optional 6
Pest Control and Plant Diseases 1st semester Optional 6
Plant Ecophysiology 1st semester Optional 6
Treatment and Recovery of Industrial Waste 1st semester Optional 6
Treatment and Uses of Water 1st semester Optional 6
Valuation and Treatment of Municipal Waste and Agricultural and Animal Waste 2nd semester Optional 6
Vegetation and Habitats 1st semester Optional 6

Pathways and specializations

Specialization in Environmental Management
Specialization in Environmental Technology
Check the planning of the different pathways of the degree

Previous years

Placements

Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment.They are therefore included in the academic record.  There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 500 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.
 

Institutional information

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

  • Education and research.
  • Environmental management.
  • Public and private sector quality management.
  • Impact consultancy.
  • Environmental technology.

Access to the labour market

Data from the university system in Catalonia

Contact us

Faculty of Biology

Diagonal, 643 - 08028 Barcelona

Secretary: 934 021 087
secretaria-biologia@ub.edu

 

Questions mailbox