Industrial Ecology
Industrial Ecology (IE) is an international study program for students that want to work on the global challenges ahead of us, be it climate change, water and soil pollution, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, inequality or one of the other major problems of our planet.
Students are equipped with knowledge and abilities, the so-called IE toolbox, which helps to understand the problems but also to solve them holistically.
About the programme
All the challenges that the programme wants to address are complex and entangled in such ways that a traditional curriculum of master specialisation is unsuitable.
IE brings three major study disciplines together – natural sciences, social sciences and engineering. A real industrial ecologist is therefore a scientist of sustainability.
The Master’s of IE is taught at Leiden University and TU Delft and is a joint degree, combining the strengths of both universities and allowing for the interdisciplinary approach that makes it stand out. For more information check out study program website.
The IE Community
Industrial Ecology is far more than a catchy name for a master. It is a global community which connects diverse stakeholders, from universities and research institutes, to businesses and policymakers.
In Leiden University, the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) is the anchor of the community in the Netherlands. Its mission is finding a way to maximise our well-being within the limits of our planet. An easy task! Its researchers and PhDs are also professors of IE master and of Governance of Sustainability. More info on GoS master are available here.
In TU Delft, Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) faculty is the home of IE master. Its professors bring their expertise in social sciences teaching agent based modelling, stakeholder analysis and transition management just to cite a few.
On the international level, the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) is the association stands behind conferences and initiatives for promoting industrial ecology as a way to address sustainability challenges and achieve a circular economy. Besides, it owns the Journal of Industrial Ecology, a world-class, peer-reviewed bimonthly journal.