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Profile of Programme

(The new Programme in Environmental Engineering applies to students admitted from September 2025 onwards)

The contemporary environmental problems and the emerging challenges faced in the current societal realm both in Cyprus and globally make the institutional upgrading of the scientific field of Environmental Engineering a critical and necessary action. The proposal of the new undergraduate program in Environmental Engineering comes to fill a large gap that currently exists in the country (in the absence of any relevant undergraduate program - any environmentally related studies program and in particular in environmental engineering. It aspires to serve the needs by offering the essential education, know-how, and education of undergraduates and young engineering professionals to become who will be able to conduct a just transition, both in Cyprus and Europe, based on the binding legislative framework of European Green Deal (EGD). The new genre of engineers will be accredited with professional rights acknowledged by the Cyprus Professional Chamber of Engineers (ETEK). The focus areas highlighted by the European Green Deal necessitate the training of new Engineering graduates, Environmental Engineers, who will holistically, comprehensively and coherently cover these necessary cognitive areas within a structured undergraduate curriculum. The UCy-CEE programme was developed with particular care in order to take into account, in addition, the emerging needs of industry and businesses in Cyprus. This was achieved through structured consultation with the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) as well as the ETEK in order to secure a well-connected degree with the real market and societal context. One of the most important and interesting findings of this consultation with industry with their need for holistically trained professional engineers, ideally in Environmental Engineering, who will be able to respond holistically to the wide range of challenges posed by the European Green Deal. In the term "Environmental Engineering", an equal emphasis is given to the term "Engineering", i.e. the heart of the identity of a modern Engineer, to design and propose solutions that respond in real time to the modern challenges of society, bridging the boundaries of existing scientific knowledge with real conditions and taking into account the socio-political dimensions in a modern participatory democracy.

Key Learning Outcomes

The programme was developed with the following considerations in mind: undergraduate programmes of Environmental Engineering in European and international universities, the connection with industrial and societal needs hence the findings of the consultation with the CCCI for the needs of Cyprus, and consultation with a wide range of social stakeholders (state institutions, scientific and professional bodies).
The main expected learning outcome is the development of skills and capacities to identify, formulate, and solve complex issues by using engineering and other interdisciplinary concepts for the benefit of public health, safety, and well-being, taking into account holistically cultural, societal, environmental, and economic concerns.
For this reason, the program blends uniquely elective topics such as climate change justice, environmental economics, environmental socio-politics and entrepreneurship along with a contemporary inter-disciplinary environmental engineering technical subjects.

Key Information

Department: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Faculty: Faculty of Engineering

Programme Name: Environmental Engineering

Direction: Environmental Engineering

Level of Qualification: 1st Cycle (Bachelor's Degree) [8 Semesters]

Programme Category: Conventional/In person

Mode of Study: Full time

Language of Instruction: Greek The program's language of teaching will initially be Greek, however selected courses will be offered in English to attract Erasmus students. Then, depending on the legal framework in Cyprus, opportunities for international cooperation and attracting students will be pursued, as well as the possibility of going and offering it in English.

Coordinator: Professor Marina Neophytou

Curriculum Structure

Course Type ECTS
Compulsory
Compulsory Thesis 10
Compulsory 168
Restricted Elective 45
Free Elective 15
TOTAL ECTS 238

Courses per Semester

Conditions of Study

Specific Admission Requirements

The vast majority of the newly admitted undergraduate students enter the University of Cyprus after succeeding in the highly competitive Pancyprian Examinations organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture for admission into establishments of higher education. The candidates are eligible to apply for admission to the Department through the Pancyprian Examinations if they take a certain number of exams on specific subjects (i.e., Mathematics, Physics, etc.) as specified by the Department and administered by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Other methods of entering the undergraduate programs of the University of Cyprus are the following:

• Admission based on Special Criteria
Candidates who have taken the Pancyprian Examinations and who meet certain special criteria, as these are set out in the Rules and Regulations of Academic and Student Affairs, may seek a limited number of places (14% of Cypriot admissions).

• Top athletes and persons distinguished in International Olympiads
Athletes with top distinctions in sports, as defined by the Council of the University of Cyprus or who have won 1st 2nd or 3rd place medals in International Olympiads (e.g., Mathematics, ICT, Biology, etc.), may be admitted to Departments of the University of Cyprus without examinations simply on the basis of their Lyceum Leaving Certificate.

• Entry on the basis of Panhellenic Examinations
10% of the total number of places offered through the Pancyprian Examinations may be taken up by candidates passing the Panhellenic Examinations. The candidates are selected on the basis of the results of the Panhellenic Examinations, after they have filled in the special online form available at the website of the University of Cyprus. Cypriots who reside permanently in Greece may participate in these examinations.

• Entry on the basis of International Examinations
An additional number of available positions in the Department (3% of admissions from Cyprus) may be claimed on the basis of the results of international examinations such as GCE/GCSE, International Baccalaureate (IB) or other equivalent examinations, by Cypriots belonging to the Republic’s official religious groups, repatriated Cypriots, Cypriots who reside permanently abroad, Greeks of the diaspora, children of officials of the Cypriot Foreign Service, and foreign citizens from the EU states or countries outside the European Union. All candidates must also demonstrate a good knowledge of the Greek language.

• Turkish-Cypriots
Turkish Cypriot graduates of six-grade secondary schools located in the northern part of Cyprus are admitted on the basis of their school leaving certificate or after passing special written or oral examinations organized by the corresponding Department.

• Transfers/Second Degree
Every year the University of Cyprus offers a limited number of positions for internal/external transfers and for obtaining a second degree. The interested candidates apply to the Department and the Department Council decides on these positions after a recommendation is given by the Undergraduate Studies Committee, based on academic merit and availability of said positions.

Rules of Study

Please refer to Undergraduate Study Rules

Graduation Requirements

The Programme is based on the European System of Credit Transfer and Accumulation (ECTS). The degree is awarded after the successful completion of studies in the programme / direction determined by the Department. It is also required to succeed at least 240 ECTS.

Examination Regulations

Assessment and Grading

Evaluation methods and criteria
Students at undergraduate and postgraduate level are assessed in various ways:

 
• Midterm written examination
• Final written examination
• Study
• Teamwork
• Quiz
• Oral examination during the course
• Students’ presentations on a specific subject assigned to them by the instructor
• Simulation, representation of a case study during the course

The process, forms and criteria for student assessment are determined by the instructor considering the content, nature, particularities and degree of difficulty of the course. The instructor must adopt at least two evaluation methods, one of which is the final examination, which may not exceed 60% of the final grade.

Grading System
The course grading system is numeric, from 0 to 10 units, per 1/2 of the unit. The threshold for success is grade 5. The final grade of a student is calculated as the weighted average of all the courses the student has successfully completed, and the weighting is based on the credits of each course, even if the student has succeeded more courses than the curriculum requires.

The student is allowed to repeat a course for grade improvement once, and the most recent grade is counted in the weighted average. If the most recent grade is less than 5, then the final grade is 5.

In case of failure in a compulsory course, the student is obliged to repeat it. In case of failure in an elective course of study, the student is entitled to either repeat the course or to replace it.

Students are entitled to ask for clarification from the instructor on final marks. In case clarifications are not given, the student may request them by the Department Chair.

Final grades of students are posted to the electronic system by the date specified by the Academic Affairs and Student Welfare Service. 

Assessment of Graduate / Bachelor Thesis
It is noted that in most undergraduate programs the thesis is optional. The assignment of Bachelor thesis is made by providing the students with a list of available subjects or fields by the members of the Teaching Research Staff of the Department. Students are invited to state their interest based on the available topics or fields to the members of the Teaching Research Staff. Subsequently, the Department allocates to each student, depending on his / her choice, the topic of his / her thesis and the academic supervisor.
The progress of the student is assessed at the end of the first semester and is evaluated by the supervisor as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. In case of unsatisfactory progress, the student should choose two different courses to meet the ECTS degree requirements.

The evaluation is completed by the Supervisor of the thesis and by a second assessor, who is a member of the Teaching Research Staff of the department, and who is appointed by the department. The process might often involve a Bachelor thesis presentation to the Teaching and Research Staff of the Department.

Quality specifications are determined by the relevant Department and are related to the curriculum in order to be consistent with the learning objectives and the cognitive peculiarities. 

Further Information

Occupational Profiles of Graduates with Examples

Graduates may pursue careers in design, construction, maintenance, management, development, and research. For example, in urban developing areas or industrial centers, civil and environmental engineers serve the public as developers, planners and managers of transport systems, water projects, pollution control services, other urban projects as well as managers of private, public and utility services.

Access to Further Studies


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