Course summary

Up to 7 million people are estimated to die every year due to the harmful effects of air pollution. Degradation in air quality is now the leading environmental cause of premature mortality - exceeding deaths due to unsafe drinking water, malaria and HIV combined. Understanding the factors controlling the emission, processing and fate of air pollutants is vital to effectively mitigate these harmful effects and to assess the effectiveness of policy interventions. Our solutions-driven Masters programme will cover a broad range of air quality-related topics, including emissions, monitoring, modelling, pollution exposure, health impacts and policy and economic appraisal. The programme will also explore the synergies of air quality with climate change. You'll be taught by academics who are experts in each of these topics and have contributed to the UK being a world leader in air policy design, delivery and evaluation. This Masters gives you the chance to be hands-on, applying and designing interventions using state-of-the-art modelling tools and appraising the expected benefits. You’ll use conventional and research-led pollution-monitoring techniques and novel data analysis tools – all of which will support the substantial independent research project you’ll undertake in the final semester. The course draws on the globally-renowned research from five Schools: the Institute for Transport Studies, the School of Earth and Environment, the School of Civil Engineering, the School of Chemical and Process Engineering and the School of Chemistry. This ensures you’re learning the latest innovations in the field, preparing you for a career in industry. The valuable knowledge and skills you’ll acquire throughout your Masters could lead you to pursuing a career in consultancy, the public sector and regulatory bodies, non-governmental bodies, industry and further research. Why study at Leeds:

• Our broad expertise across all facets of air quality-related research feeds into your course, shaping your learning with the latest thinking in crucial areas such as emissions control, atmospheric science, health impacts – and everything in between.

• Take a hands-on ‘systems approach’ to tackling critical issues in air quality, exploring solutions for both the UK and internationally.

• Engage with the Air Quality Living Lab initiative that brings high quality, personal air quality exposure and health monitoring together with novel data analysis and visualisation techniques.

• Advance your knowledge and skill set in developing solutions to air quality problems covering areas like indoor air quality, sustainability, air quality sources and principles of air quality.

• Become a competent data scientist and analyst through training across all taught modules in different aspects of computer modelling and data science.

• Experience expert theoretical and practical teaching delivered by a programme team made up of researchers and academics from the Institute for Transport Studies, the School of Earth and Environment, the School of Civil Engineering, the School of Chemical and Process Engineering and the School of Chemistry who all have extensive expertise across a variety of air quality areas.

• This course offers flexible study options where you can study full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 or 36 months.