MSc Hydrogeology

This class will explore the controls of chemical composition of water resulting from geochemical reactions in nature. Students will develop an understanding of geochemical thermodynamics, as well as an understanding of weathering.

The class covers the areas of:

• Hydrogeology and Subsurface Fluid Flow
• Well Hydraulics and Pumping Tests
• Contaminant Transport in the Subsurface
• Real-world applications of Hydrogeology

Within the background of land redevelopment (residential, industrial/commercial and gardens/parks), this class, run by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, aims to provide insights into the remediation of contaminated land, including the regulatory framework and risk assessment, sampling and analysis, and various remedial techniques for contaminated land.

On completion of this class the student is expected to be able to:

• identify possible human health and environmental risks associated with contaminated land management
• demonstrate a working knowledge of the regulatory framework in place in the UK for contaminated land management and remediation, including relevant legislation, policies and regulations
• evaluate critically the range of technologies that may be suitable for various types of contamination present.
  make informed decisions about technologies for contaminated land remediation based upon technical solutions, risk assessment & management, planning and financial constraints

 This class, run by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, aims to provide students with the ability to:

• recognise the issues relating to overall global water policy and its interactions with other global issues
• discuss the impact of climate change and economic development on water resources and availability
• explore the different implementation issues based on regional case studies
• explore the role of stakeholders on the acceptance and achievement of policy objectives

The class also covers water policy from an international perspective focusing on transboundary issues and a review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that tie into water law and water policy.

 This class provides you with an understanding of:

• Groundwater Flow Modelling Principals
• Well Hydraulics and Pumping Tests Analysis using Groundwater Flow Models
• Contaminant Transport Modelling
• Geochemical Modelling 

In this class, dedicated to the MSc and MRes students in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, students will acquire familiarity with, and practice of, research techniques, and examine different ways of, and gain experience in, presenting research results. The course discusses the key principles, and practical exercises, on both quantitative and qualitative research methods, such as observation methods, survey methods, interviewing techniques and statistical methods. The course also includes discussion of ethical issues. Finally, the course covers writing skills and use of literature, which is relevant to all classes

This class explores the complete sequence of a site investigation:

1. Desk study
2. Site sampling organisation and techniques
3. Data collection
4. Chemical analysis

The class also covers data modelling and interpretation using risk assessment models.

This class, run by the Department of Civil Engineering, will help you to:

• gain an understanding of Hydrogeology as a discipline
• discuss and explore the physical mechanisms of water movement in the subsurface
• undertake experiments in the lab that demonstrate key principals of groundwater movement
• explore hydrogeological issues based on case studies

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) relates to the process of identifying, evaluating, and mitigating the biophysical, social, economic, cultural and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made. This class, run by the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering but open to all MSc and MEng students across the University, introduces the methods used to predict environmental impacts, and evaluates how these may be used to integrate environmental factors into decisions. 

The class draws principally on the UK planning context of environmental impact assessment of individual projects (project EIA), but also takes account of EIA experience in other countries and international organisations. Participants evaluate the quality of Environmental Statements (or EIA Reports) and of the EIA process using the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) methodology. 

The class discusses how EIA can be used a pro-active design tool for projects and how it can contribute to the enhancement of environmental, social and health issues. Students are also introduced to key principles of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and biodiversity net gain (BNG). Class has the contribution of key practitioners in the field and includes different case studies, such as proposed onshore and offshore windfarms.

This class provides you with an understanding of:

• environmental forensics as a subject
• a range of contaminants found in the environment, and their fate and transport
• approach and analytical techniques to determine the responsible parties for contamination found in the environment
• real-world applications of environmental forensics

This class, run by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, introduces Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis. The course covers the key theory with a strong focus is on practical applications. Students will develop skills to apply GIS independently to real world datasets and problems. The student will need to independently develop spatial research questions, find, or collect relevant data and perform a state-of-the-art spatial analysis. GIS is a digital tool for analysing spatial phenomena. It focusses on spatial data, so data where the location of the data is just as important as the data itself. GIS allows us to organize, visualize and analyse this data in a spatial context, so that we can interpret and understand the underlying processes. GIS can be used in a wide range of fields for example in engineering (site selection, flood risk, transport planning, impact of construction), environmental science (e.g. soil erosion, health and disease, pollutant transport, landscape visual impact assessment, wildlife preservation), business (e.g. asset management, customer relations) to policy making (e.g. urbanization, deforestation, spatial distribution of crime).

This class, run by the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering but open to all MSc and MEng students across the University, allows students to carry out projects and placements with industry to develop and refine professional skills while gaining credits in the process. Since 2012 students have carried out more than 300 industry projects as part of this class for a very wide range of organisations. Approval of students being able to take this module is done on a case-by-case basis by staff and industry contacts. Students are selected by competitive application and CV. Although this is a S1+S2 class, realistically most of the work is done in S2 (approximately 25% in S1 and 75% in S2). It is highly recommended that all students that are potentially interested in taking this module attend the first information session in September in week 1 of S1 (find room number by searching class CL973 in the timetables).  

This class, run by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, covers organisational and regulatory aspects of waste management practice in the UK: legislation, composition of domestic and industrial wastes, storage, collection, reception, and disposal of solid wastes, clinical wastes, sewage sludge disposal, recycling and recovery. The class discusses common methods used in the management and treatment of solid municipal waste: recycling, thermal treatment of solid waste (incineration, gasification, pyrolysis), biological treatment of solid waste (anaerobic digestion and composting), and landfill as a disposal option.

This class, run by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, aims to develop an understanding of the physical, chemical and biological parameters within surface water and how these relate to water quality, water quality objectives and pollution control strategy. The class also provides knowledge on the design and control of water and wastewater treatment processes. On completion of this class students are expected to be able to:

• understand the properties of surface water and how alterations to these, e.g. due to pollution events, can have an impact on water quality, biodiversity and human health
• discuss the impact of legislation on surface water quality
• discuss collection and treatment of community wastewater
• discuss treatment and provision of drinking water

This class, run by the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, introduces microbiology in a manner that is of practical importance in environmental engineering and science. Topics covered include:

• the microbial ecology and microbiology of dilute nutrient solutions such as lakes, subsurface environmental and biological treatment processes
• microbial physiology
• biochemistry
• biodegradation
• public health aspects of microbiology

This class, run by the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, aims to explore the hydrological cycle and the influence of weather, climate and the key processes of the environment.

You'll develop application of hyrdological cycle for engineering analysis and design, including:

• estimating precipitation, including spatial distribution analysis techniques
• estimating evaporation and evapotranspiration
• estimating other hydrological losses, including infiltration

You'll also develop skills examining catchments using Engineering Hydrology approaches, including:

• analysing relationships between precipitation, runoff and storage
• analysing hydrographs
• examining the influence of urbanisation and land management practices
• introducing drainage design techniques and analysis
• sustainable urban drainage systems

This class aims to explore the evaluation of the water environment using the natural abundance of stable and radioisotopes. Students will also develop the application of Isotope Hydrology Principals, develop skills examining water resources management using natural stable and radioisotopes, and skills examining water resources management using atmospheric gases.

This class aims to develop skills of working within a large cross-disciplinary group, on a substantial project over a sustained period of time.  In addition to the group working skills, the participants should apply and further develop specialist skills in their own discipline as well as gaining a knowledge of another field. The research outputs should also emphasis and develop the student’s ability to conduct independent research to a high standard.