ECRMs

Course Description

Initiated by the AGEMERA project, the course starts on October 15, 2024 and is open to students from TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TBUAF), Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), University of Oulu (OU), University of Lapland (UL) and University of Zambia (UNZA).

The course is designed to complement the Master's and Dipl.-Ing. university programmes of prospective scientists and engineers interested in a career in the raw materials sector, who wish to learn about the importance of critical raw materials (CRMs) in our everyday life, in particular rare earth elements (REEs) and battery raw materials (BRMs), and the challenges associated with the digital and green transition.

In 7 chapters you will learn about:

• CRM geology, REEs and BRMs in Africa and the EU and advanced exploration technologies like drones, cosmic ray density characterisation, passive seismics and data visualization.
• Geopolitical factors affecting CRM supply and demand and strategies of major global economies like the USA, EU and China.
• International partnerships, responsible sourcing, the circular economy and the role of education and entrepreneurship in the mineral sector.
• Social aspects in the raw materials sector, relevant for planning and stakeholder involvement.
• Environmental topics, including environmental impact assessments (EIA) and related EU legislation such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD) or Natura 2000.
• Sustainability, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) and get an overview of mineral economics and international frameworks like United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC), United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS) and the Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards (CRIRSCO).

Certification of Attendance, Online Written Examination, ECTS Credits 

Upon successful completion of Opal's automated online performance assessments and giving feedback to course coordinators through an online questionnaire, you will receive a certificate of attendance. This certificate is a pre-requisite for taking a 90 minute, online, graded, written examination. For the written examination, representatives from each partner university pose questions related to the seven chapters. 

After successful completion of the online written examination (in March 2025) and enrolling to the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, you are eligible to receive 3 credits through the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). People that have succesfully completed the written examination receive a final certification of attendance.

Recognition of ECTS Credits at Your University

• Before enrolling in a course, it is your responsibility to verify whether the course and its ECTS credits can be recognized within your study program. If you have any questions during this process, consult with your academic advisor to determine if the ECTS credits can be awarded to you.
• If you are part of  a study program at TUBAF and have successfully passed the written examination and wish to have your ECTS credits recognized, please complete the “Application for Credit Recognition and Transfer”, which can be found here: https://tu-freiberg.de/en/study/study/study-organization/forms. Submit the completed application including the final certificate to the chairman of the examination board of your study program, who will decide on the recognition of the ECTS credits. Once you receive confirmation from the chairman, the student office will handle the subsequent steps.
• Doctoral/ PhD students at TUBAF should communicate with the Graduate and Research Academy also known as GraFa regarding their credit recognition process.

Schedule for the Winter Semester 2024/2025

• Room TUBAF: UBH-0208 (Seminar rooom 3) / University library / Winklerstraße 3

Changes in schedule are always possible and will be annouced to people subscribed to the course. 

Fees

Please note that by registering, you will be considered a guest auditor, if you are not enrolled at TUBAF. Please register as a guest auditor, if you are not enrolled at TUBAF. A fee of €30.00 is currently charged for auditors who are not enrolled at TUBAF, as well as for those who are not pupils or apprentices. However, students from other universities who can provide a current enrollment certificate do not have to pay this fee. In general, a fee of €50.00 is charged for a module examination, if you are not enrolled at TUBAF. For more details on possible fees for people not enrolled to TUBAF, please click here: "Amtliche Bekanntmachungen der TU Bergakademie Freiberg Nr. 41 vom 13. Dezember 2022: Hochschulgebühren- und Entgeltordnung vom 12. September 2022".