Course description
The MSc in Environmental Engineering has been designed to meet the needs of Scotland's and Europe's urban regeneration, environmental protection, and infrastructure investment portfolios. A distinctive feature of this course is that it is highly topical. Glasgow succeeded in winning the bid for the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and therefore there will be an extensive urban regeneration programme. This includes building on land that has been contaminated in the past. Therefore students on this course will have challenging 'real world' issues to study 'on the door step' of the University. The real-world input ensures that the curriculum is relevant to industry's needs and assists with graduate employment.
The MSc in Environmental Engineering is available full-time (1 year) and part-time (2 or 3 years), and is offered to students from engineering, earth sciences, environmental management or other relevant disciplines.
The Programme and its International Context
The Institution of Civil Engineers introduced the CEEQUAL Awards in 2003 to encourage the attainment of environmental excellence in civil engineering projects and thereby to deliver improved environmental performance in project specification, design and construction. Thus the entire profession now acknowledges the need for environmental engineering, and with the investment in new infrastructure in the west of Scotland and throughout Europe there will be a continuing increase in demand for well-qualified graduates.
Closely aligned with industry's needs, this MSc aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to equip them for a career in environmental engineering. The course has a modern approach to environmental engineering, integrating modern applied techniques and giving students a thorough grounding in European environmental policy. The course prepares students to think and act holistically with regard to environmental and sustainability issues, by developing their ability to make sound judgements in relation to the built and natural environments, while meeting the principles of sustainability.
Programme Structure
The Diploma and MSc courses run concurrently, involving a curriculum of six core modules (totalling 70 credits) and a wide range of optional modules (minimum of 50 credits). Each module is taught two to three hours per week over eight to 12 weeks. In addition, MSc students undertake a dissertation (60 credits). Progress to the MSc is dependent on performance in the instructional modules.
For part-time study the modules can be taken over two years (attending classes typically one day per week) with the dissertation completed in years two or three. In addition to the dissertation topics proposed by course leaders and industrial partners, students may propose topics themselves that can be of relevance to their employer.
Core Modules
* Recycling Urban Land
* Waste Management and Landfill Design
* Site Investigation and Risk Assessment
* Hydrogeology
* Environmental Impact Assessment
* Environmental Chemical Analysis and Intro to Research Methods
Optional Modules
(Not all classes may be offered each year)
* Ground Improvement and Reinforcement
* Ecology, Biodiversity and Sustainability
* Principles of Sustainable Development
* Applied Strategic Environmental Assessment
* Air Pollution Control
* Atmospheric Pollution Impact Assessment
* Fundamentals of Environmental Forensics
* Pollution and Rehabilitation of Degraded Ecosystems
* Spatial Query and Analysis using GIS
* UK and EU Environmental Law
Normal course length
MSc: 12 months full-time; 24 months part-time
PgDip: 9 months full-time; 18 months part-time
PgCert: 6 months full-time; 12 months part-time
Career Prospects
The career prospects of graduates are excellent due to the huge skills shortage in the environmental engineering industry Europe-wide. The course has been designed so that people from industry can complete the MSc in part-time mode over 2-3 years.
