Welcome to the Postgraduate Program “Physics of Atmospheric Environment and Global Changes”.

The postgraduate program “Physics of Atmospheric Environment and Global Changes” is offered by the School of Physics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The aim of the MSc is to provide a high level of postgraduate education, focusing on academic excellence. The main orientation of the MSc is the training of specialized Physicists-Environmentalists, capable of supporting basic and applied research in scientific fields such as atmospheric physics, climate change, global changes in the atmosphere and climate, remote sensing of the atmosphere, regional climate, air pollution at local, regional and global scale and the effects of industrial activities. Graduates of the MSc are able to meet the demands of the labor market for the management of a variety of environmental problems.

Expected learning outcomes

Upon completion of their studies, graduates of the MSc acquire skills related to:

(a) research and management of air pollution on a local and global scale, (b) the study of global change and climate, (c) the analysis of environmental data, (d) the design and execution of environmental parameters measurements, (e) quality control and evaluation of measurements of environmental parameters, (f) the preparation of environmental impact studies, (g) the use of specialized software and programming languages, (h) the application of atmospheric models and the use of databases, (i) the development of environmental management and informatics applications, (j) the development of environmental applications and satellite remote sensing services, (k) the development of management tools related to climate change, and (l) the enhancement of their skills in the design and management of research and consulting projects related to the Environment.

Graduates receive the specialization title (MSc) after three semesters of study and can continue to obtain a doctoral degree (PhD), with a minimum duration of three additional years.

The structure of the MSc

The postgraduate program has an interdisciplinary structure within the School of  Physics combining teaching staff from different Departments and Laboratories related to environmental issues. The main role belongs to the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics and is complemented by the scientific fields of Optics, Astronomy, Nuclear Physics. Part of the teaching staff also comes from the Schools of Geology and Mechanical Engineering of the Polytechnic Faculty of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Courses taught include lectures in Environmental Physics, Fluid Mechanics, Atmospheric Optics, Meteorology, Environmental Chemistry, Applied Statistics, Environmental Report synthesis and more.

The MSc is an evolution of the MSc “Environmental Physics” that operated from 1993 until 2024.