Graduate Programs in Green and Sustainable Chemistry
These green and sustainable chemistry programs provide unique advanced training opportunities for chemists with bachelor's degrees and related professionals. Now one of the fastest-growing employment sectors, there's never been a better time to get additional sustainability skills.
Why pursue a graduate program in green and sustainable chemistry?
Growing public awareness about the state of our environment, chemical product safety, and new chemical regulatory policies is driving demand for employees trained in environmental and green chemistry. These new challenges necessitate that leaders in business, government, and non-governmental organizations understand the fundamental science underlying both the environmental challenges we face and potential innovative solutions.
Graduates of such programs will be qualified to pursue employment opportunities as green and sustainable chemistry experts in:
- Government
- Private sector (industry)
- Environmental, sustainability, and toxicology consultancies
- Occupational health and safety
- new product development
- Environmental engineering
- Project management
Industry is increasingly establishing dedicated divisions focused on sustainability to cope with the changing landscape of global environmental responsibility. In the U.S., “green” jobs are one of the fastest-growing employment sectors, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What should I look for in a green and sustainable chemistry graduate program?
When comparing graduate programs, here are a few items you will want to consider:
- Core courses dedicated to the program: Inquire whether the program's key courses are focused on providing technical ability and knowledge in green and sustainable chemistry.
- Focus on problem-solving and design: Professional opportunities will likely require the use of multiple fundamental skillsets from the chemistry curriculum used in tandem (“a systems approach”) to solve specific problems or to design new chemicals and products. Look for courses, projects, or research that hone this skill set.
- Interdisciplinary coursework: Programs should allow students to develop an awareness in areas that relate to sustainability, including lifecycle thinking, chemical toxicology, process engineering, economics, and communications, among others.
- Project-based internship or capstone experience: Look for opportunities to independently identify a problem and devise appropriate methods for its solution, contributing original knowledge to the field. Such opportunities poise graduates to obtain employment or advance their professional development.
- For Doctoral degree programs: Discuss with potential research mentors how the research projects use green chemistry tools and how they apply to sustainability challenges or U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
- Graduate career paths: Lastly, ask where past graduates have found employment - this is often the most useful information about a program.
Graduate Programs
George Washington University
M.S., Environmental & Green Chemistry
Washington, D.C., USA
Green Chemistry Courses:
- Renewable Energy
- Chemical Toxicology and Design of Safer Chemicals
- Environmental Chemistry: water, air, and soil chemistry
- Industrial Green Chemistry
- Environmental Analytical Chemistry
- Capstone Seminar
Common Electives:
- Organometallic Chemistry and Catalysis
- Polymer Chemistry
Environmental and Occupational Health in a Sustainable World
Monash University
Graduate Certificate of Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies
Melbourne, Australia
Green Chemistry Courses:
- Introduction to Green Chemistry
- Green Chemistry Consultancy Project
- Green Chemistry Innovation: Transforming Industry and Manufacturing
- Designing Safer Chemicals
- Green Chemical Synthesis
Common Electives
- Environmental Governance and Citizenship
- Corporate Sustainability Management
- Biomass and Biorefineries
- Advanced Biopolymers
- Sustainability and Innovation
- Climate Change, Energy, and Human Security
- Processes to Influence Change
- Managing Innovation
- Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Green Chemistry Track in the Chemistry Ph.D. Program
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Green Chemistry Courses:
- Introduction to Green Chemistry
- Environmental Toxicology
Leuphana University of Lüneburg
M.Sc. Professional Master in Sustainable Chemistry
Lüneburg, Germany
Contact for Course Information:
Lisa Keßler, M.Sc. Coordinator
Fon +49.4131.677-4110
[email protected]
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Ph.D. in Chemistry, Sustainability Option
Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Green Chemistry Courses:
- Toxicology and Health
- Sustainable Materials Design
Common Electives:
- Environmental Law and Policy
- Experimental Conceptualization
University of Toledo
Professional Science Master's Degree in Green Chemistry and Engineering
Toledo, Ohio, USA
Green Chemistry Courses:
- Green Chemistry
- Environmental Chemistry
- Green Engineering Principles
- Green Engineering Applications
- Supply Chain Management
- Strategic Management of Innovation
- New Venture Creation
University of York
M.Sc. Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology
York, United Kingdom
Green Chemistry Courses:
- Principles and Systems Thinking in Green and Sustainable Chemistry
- Applications of Green and Sustainable Chemistry
- Communication, Education, and Public Understanding of Green and Sustainable Chemistry
- The Business Case for Green and Sustainable Chemistry
- Research Skills and Methodologies
- Green and Sustainable Chemistry Research Project