Higher Technical Professional Course in Environment Quality

The “Curso Técnico Superior Profissional em Qualidade Ambiental” aims to make ready professionals capable of design and make the assessment, treatment and recovery of the environment quality; use environmental management instruments and decide on best practices based on legislation and other regulations; create educational activities for the conservation and sustainable use of resources.
The course lasts 4 semesters and is composed by: general and scientific formation (27 ECTS), technical training (63 ECTS), and a workplace training period (30 ECTS).

a) Holders of a secondary education course or legal equivalent;
b) Applicants aged over 23 who succeeded in specific exams to assess their capacity to attend a concrete higher education course.
c) Holders of “Diploma de Especialização Tecnológica”, “Diploma de Técnico Superior Profissional” or graduates who intend to undertake his reskilling.

Main activities of the professional profile:
Identify ecosystems and environmental problems and propose management solutions for their elimination or mitigation.
Design and execute sustainability education activities and divulgation actions.
Manage effluents and waste, distributing each for appropriate treatment and/or recovery according to their nature.
Sample collection and perform physical-chemical and biological laboratory analyses, evaluate the quality of the experimental data, and carry out their analysis and report.
Identify invasive and potentially invasive species, assess invasion risks and propose control measures.
Identify pollutant sources, estimate and measure presence and emission rates, and evaluate effects and impacts on the quality of the environment.
Assess the quality of environmental parameters that directly impact human health (water potability, noise, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, carcinogens, etc.) and proceed to problem regularization.
Identify and quantify environmental risks and participate in the design of safety measures and emergency plans.
Manage environment technical information to satisfy licensing and communication requirements to regulatory authorities.
Monitor environmental studies to fulfill regulatory requirements, individually or in teams, in industrial and service companies.

Learning and evaluation languages: Portuguese

The student will acquire the following skills:
Monitor the necessary parameters for the characterization of the environment regarding the levels of pollution
Apply computational resources to develop training and awareness materials aiming at the reduction of pollution and the sustainable use of resources.
Analyse and interpret the results of analyses performed and make decisions according to the results obtained
Apply techniques of physical and chemical analysis to obtain parameters related to environmental quality.
Apply computational and statistical tools for data analysis
Find out and apply legislation relevant in the scope of environmental management and assess its compliance
Propose water, energy, noise, waste, and effluents adequate management.
Handle measurement, monitoring, and control equipment proficiently.
Plan and perform sample collection and preservation.
Consult and interpret technical documentation and write technical reports and manuals.
Apply statistical tools and others to prepare technical information
Apply sampling plans and legally established analytical methods, interpreting ISO and other standards.
Plan, implement and execute security plans.
Assess the quality and functioning of ecosystems.
Apply invasive species control methods.
Select and apply biomonitoring techniques and interpret the resulting data.
Apply physico-chemical techniques to remove pollutants or prevent their formation.

Licenciatura (Bachelor programmes)