Department of Environment
Purpose
The purpose of establishing the undergraduate course in environmental sciences and engineering is to train knowledgeable experts in various fields of environmental sciences who understand ecological processes within natural ecosystems and their interactions with a variety of human uses and social parameters. Therefore, they will be able to participate and act as environmental experts to protect and maintain the fundamental aspects of the environment sustaining human welfare for today's and tomorrow's generations.
The environment has a broad meaning that encompasses various components of nature and human life. The unsustainable economic development has currently posed many problems to human life in the world. On a global scale, issues such as climate change and global warming, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and the spread of different types of environmental pollution in water, air, soil and food resources, have challenged human life.
In Iran, the widespread destruction of natural resources, unauthorized land-use change, habitat destruction and loss of valuable plant and animal species, concerns caused by a variety of environmental pollution, the exploitation of forests and pasture lands, overfishing of inland and marine water bodies, illegal hunting of animal species such as birds and mammals, water crisis, massive soil erosion, Land subsidence, climate change, destructive floods, sand and dust storms, and many other environmental challenges have raised serious concerns.
Many of these problems occur because of improper human actions, misuse and unwise use of natural resources due to the lack of public awareness and also lack of knowledgeable experts. These Knowledgeable and skilled graduates know how to integrate scientific knowledge with local understanding of a given issue to protect the environment and develop strategies to wise use of natural resources in a sustainable way.
Degrees and research fields
Department of Environment at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad started its activities in 2005 with a bachelor's degree, which were already named "Natural Resources Engineering - Environment" and has now been renamed to "Environmental Sciences and Engineering". After more than 15 years, the number of staff has increased and this department has been equipped with laboratory space and necessary equipment. Since 2015 the department of Environment has been accepting students in master’s degree in the field of "Environmental Sciences and Engineering" with a focus on "Management and Conservation of Biodiversity".
The total number of undergraduate courses is 140 units which include basic courses: 30 units, general courses: 22 units, specialized courses: 78 units and optional courses: 10 units.
The total number of courses in master’s degree is 32 units which include specialized courses: 10 units, optional specialized courses: 16 units, and dissertation: 6 units.
One of the main objectives of education and research in the undergraduate degree of this field is helping students to acquire knowledge and skills to understand and solve the environmental problems. To achieve this aim, academic staff in the department of Environment try to do their best to enable graduates to gain the necessary skills in three main disciplines in environmental sciences named biodiversity management and conservation, land evaluation and land-use planning, and environmental pollution.
In the field of biodiversity management and conservation, students will get familiar with a wide range of courses in plant and animal biology, ecology, wildlife ecology and habitat management in order to protect animals in nature. In the area of land evaluation and land-use planning, students learn how to evaluate land suitability for various human uses. They learn methods for environmental impact and risk assessment, tourism and recreational planning, conservation planning for natural habitats and earth’s biodiversity hotspots to be able to achieve sustainable development along with environmental protection. In the realm of environmental pollution, students will be introduced to the issues and ways to control pollutants in air, water and sewage, and manage municipal solid wastes including commercial and domestic wastes.
Provided by: Dr. Azadeh Karimi
