Abstract:

At present, it is essential that students at all levels of education receive training in sustainability and environmental protection. This requirement applies equally to higher education; moreover, depending on the specific field of knowledge within which an academic program is situated, sustainability and environmental protection may assume a more prominent role in some disciplines than in others. In the specific case of programs or degrees in Chemical Engineering, sustainability and environmental protection acquire particular significance, as most pollution control technologies and waste and effluent treatment processes fall within the field of Chemical Engineering, including both separation processes and the transformation of matter.

It should be emphasized that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as articulated in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, underline the responsibility of higher education institutions to ensure that students acquire the knowledge, competencies, and values necessary to contribute actively and responsibly to sustainable development within their respective professional and societal contexts. Moreover, several SDGs explicitly state that educational programs at all levels should integrate the principles of environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic viability, thereby promoting a coherent and holistic approach to the three interconnected dimensions of sustainable development. In alignment with the principles of the European Higher Education Area established through the Bologna Process, sustainability is increasingly embedded as a transversal component within competency-based curriculum design.

If one examines the curricula of Chemical Engineering programs in any country, it becomes evident that most of them include courses on pollution remediation technologies or on the treatment of solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes and effluents. The majority of these technologies are based on physical, chemical, or biological processes that can be regarded as intrinsic to the field of Chemical Engineering. Moreover, in the specific case of Spain, the regulation “Order CIN/351/2009”, which establishes the requirements for the verification of official university degrees qualifying graduates to practice as Technical Industrial Engineers, explicitly includes the competence “Basic knowledge and application of environmental technologies and sustainability.” Consequently, all bachelor’s degree programs in Chemical Engineering in Spain include at least one course through which students acquire this competence.

Hence, this study examines the presence and characteristics of course(s) on sustainability and environmental technologies offered in most Chemical Engineering degree programs in Spain, considering aspects such as the number of credits, course title, content, and the academic year in which they are typically taken. The analysis is conducted using, as a comparative framework, the course offered within the bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering of Universidad de La Laguna.

Keywords:

Bachelor’s degree, chemical engineering, education, sustainability, environmental engineering.