Universidad
Politécnica de Madrid

There is growing concern about environmental issues by both governments as public opinion of European Union countries. This has generated environmental concerns that universities offer degrees and specific teaching on this subject, both from the perspective of Experimental Sciences and Engineering, from twenty years ago, under the generic names of Environmental Sciences (Environmental Sciences) or Environmental Engineering (Environmental Engineering), depending on the profile that such lessons are offered. The economic, political and social development of countries has been the main factor of the rate at which educational initiatives have been implemented, so it is not possible to detail an exact date will mark the beginning of such teachings, but can be considered that the teachings of this branch began to become popular in the mid 90s of last century.

The need to adapt to EU legislation on environment imposes an increasingly large number of graduates, researchers and practitioners with diverse training, first general training on environmental issues and on the other hand, the acquisition and practical application of knowledge involving a high specialization, new developments at the scientific-technical, methodological, engineering, technology, instrumentation and control systems of assessment and to use, develop and implement methods of analysis, lines of research and innovation, technological development and management adapted to the different areas, which in one way or another, are related to environmental technology. This is especially relevant in the various areas where urban development, industrial and tourism creates pressure and negative externalities on the physical environment.

Environmental Engineering is the branch of engineering that studies the environmental problems in an integrated manner, taking into account their ecological, social, economic and technological, with the aim of promoting sustainable development or sustainable. She has an enormous interest for its multidisciplinary character and its important contributions in many fields of science, both past and present and future.

In all industrial and production sector there are important contributions of this branch of engineering.

From 1970 to the present have been published in 639 European Directives regarding environmental protection, which gives an idea of the importance and relevance are taking environmental issues into the EU.

Many of the directives have been transposed into Spanish Law and are expressly designed to regulate environmental issues that are also accompanied in the different framework programs through which cover important areas of research that find solutions to different problems in our society.

The Master program is presented to science education to help professionals respond to the enormous social demand that exists in this field.