MSc in Hydrogeology

Who will you study with?

The optimal number of students is around 25. This allows sufficient time to be spent by staff on individual students, while still gaining the important interactions arising from larger groups of diverse backgrounds, including different subjects, countries, and therefore legislative systems, and professional experiences. Overseas students comprise 20-50% of the group and originate in all parts of the world. Though, as with any one-year MSc course, the work is intensive, the group spirit is invariably inclusive and supportive, and we encourage students to learn from each other as well as from the staff and external speakers.

Most students will have little or no experience in groundwater employment, but some will have been working for a range of different types of employers. For students without working experience, we help them transition into professional careers. For those with experience, we help them advance their technical and other professional capabilities, and in particular, broaden their capabilities into areas that they may not have encountered in their previous employment.

The Course (180 credits) runs from late September to the end of August. The taught modules are split into two terms: Autumn (September to December) and Spring (January to March). During this period (September to March), the subject is developed through 120 credits of modules comprising lectures and practical sessions interspersed with activities such as fieldwork, seminars, and at least one visit to a national hydrogeological meeting. The remaining 60 credits of the Course are provided by the individual Project undertaken between mid-May and the end of August.

There is a part-time option, the ‘split registration’ option, whereby students undertake the degree over two consecutive years. In the first year, the Autumn term taught modules are taken on a full-time basis, and in the second year, the Spring term modules are taken, again on a full-time basis. The project is taken over both years, being submitted by the end of August in the second year.

Deciding on Your Next Steps

If, after looking through this website, you would like to know more, the University organizes Postgraduate Open Days. If you would like to visit the University at other times, or simply talk to or email someone to discuss your possible application please contact the Course Leader, Professor John Tellam. If you would like to gain some work experience, please also contact John: sometimes opportunities exist, though usually only for applicants who have accepted offers for a place on the course.

Taught Modules

The Course modules are reviewed regularly to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research, and, using a panel of external specialists, satisfy the requirements of industry and academia. The modules contain what the industry panel views to be necessary coverage for groundwater professionals. There are thus no optional modules, though specialization is possible when undertaking the project.

Almost all modules have practical classes integrated into the teaching sessions. These are problem-solving sessions, usually often involving calculations, and are supervised by lecturers, in some cases supported by demonstrators.

Groundwater Hydraulics (20 credits) [Autumn Term]

Aims: To develop a working understanding of

• the physical processes controlling groundwater movement and solute transport
• the mathematical models used to describe these processes
• the laboratory and field hydraulic tests available to characterize the subsurface hydraulically.

Delivery: The module combines lectures, practicals, computers, fieldwork, and laboratory work.

Assessment: By examination (50%; groundwater flow and solute transport theory) and assessed exercise (50%; hydraulic property assessment)

Surface Water and Groundwater Interactions - Theory, GIS, and Programming (20 credits) [Autumn Term]

Aims: To develop

• a quantitative understanding of the physical processes occurring at the ground surface boundary to groundwater systems
• GIS skills for advanced mapping, data processing, and in aid of numerical modeling
• programming skills, which are then applied to solve practical problems using the theory introduced in this and other modules.

Delivery: Through lectures and practicals.

Assessment: By two assessed exercises, one on hydrological investigations and the other, working in teams, on the development of a basic groundwater code using Python.

Borehole Design, Construction and Maintenance (10 credits) [Autumn Term]

Aim: To develop a working understanding of the theory and practice of the design, construction, and maintenance of boreholes, including pump choice and borehole geophysics.

Delivery: Through lectures and practical sessions, two-thirds of which are taught by an external, industry-based lecturer. [Note that this module is formally combined for administrative purposes with the Inorganic Chemistry and Groundwater module into one 20-credit module.]

Assessment: By two assessed exercises, one developing a borehole design given a client requirement, and the other developing an interpretation of a suite of borehole geophysical logs.

Inorganic Chemistry and Groundwater (10credits) [Autumn Term]

Aim: To develop a working understanding of aqueous inorganic chemistry appropriate to facilitate the interpretation of groundwater chemistry data sets to solve problems relating to regional groundwater flow, groundwater contamination, and well design.

Delivery: Through lectures and practical and computer modeling sessions, with some fieldwork. [Note that this module is formally combined for administrative purposes with the Borehole Design, Construction, and Maintenance module into one 20-credit module.]

Assessment: By examination covering the analysis and interpretation of water sample compositions.

Groundwater Organic Contaminant Pollution and Remediation (20 credits) [Spring Term]

Aim: To develop a working understanding of

• contaminant sources; toxicology, environmental standards, and example legislative drivers
• organic compound behavior (phase partitioning, reaction) in the subsurface and how it can be evaluated quantitatively
• groundwater contaminant risk assessment and remediation scheme design, including monitoring design.

Delivery: Through lectures and practical sessions, with fieldwork. A significant contribution to practice is provided by guest lecturers from industry remediation and groundwater monitoring specialist organizations.

Assessment: By the development of a report of the analysis of a particular contamination scenario, from conceptual model development through to monitoring design and remediation option evaluation.

Groundwater Flow Modelling (10 credits) [Spring Term]

Aims:

• to develop a working understanding of groundwater flow modeling
• to refine skills in conceptualizing groundwater systems from limited data
• to gain practice in the use of professional groundwater flow modeling software
• to produce technical reports of professional standard.

Delivery: All lectures and practicals are held in a specialized teaching computer cluster. A combination of group work and individual work, small group tutorials, and online support are provided to aid the development of skills. The software is supplied free to students for the year for use also on their machines by Stantec. [Note that, formally, this module is combined with Contaminant Transport Modelling to form one 20-credit module.]

Assessment: By coursework - the development and calibration of a groundwater flow model.

Contaminant Transport Modelling (10 credits) [Spring Term]

Aims:

• to develop a working understanding of contaminant transport modeling
• to gain practice in the use of professional solute transport groundwater modeling software
• to produce modeling reports of professional standard.

Delivery: Similar to the Groundwater Flow Modelling Module including lectures, practicals, group work, individual work, tutorials, and online support. [Note that, formally, this module is combined with Groundwater Flow Modelling to form one 20-credit module.]

Assessment: By coursework - the development, calibration, and application of a solute transport model.

Further Topics (10 credits) [Spring Term]

Aim: To develop an understanding of important, more advanced aspects of groundwater science and engineering, including further unsaturated zone flow theory and practice; further exploration of recharge estimation; variable density flow theory and practice; and fracture flow theory and practice.

Delivery: By lectures and practical exercises. [Formally, this module forms 50% of a 20-credit module including also Water Resources Studies.]

Assessment: By coursework.

Water Resources Studies (10 credits) [Spring Term]

Aims:

• to develop an understanding of how hydrogeological assessments are structured
• to develop ability in hydrogeological interpretation and water resources assessment for different geological settings, climates, and socio-economic requirements
• to develop an understanding of how the various aspects of hydrogeological investigation are integrated
• to provide an introduction to the hydrogeological research and industry community
• to enhance technical writing and presentation skills.

Delivery: Tutorials, team working, and a visit to a national groundwater scientific conference. [Formally, this module forms 50% of a 20-credit module including also Further Topics.]

Assessment: Students work in teams to produce a report on particular hydrogeological environments, and present their findings to their colleagues in a day of talks.

Overview

Throughout the world, the issues of water scarcity, water security, water economics, water health, and sanitation, engineering, and geo-energy all rely on high-quality hydrogeology knowledge. Hence graduates with an MSc in Hydrogeology are in significant demand. In the UK, for example, Hydrogeologists are on the Tier 2 Shortage Occupation List, and currently (September 2022) there are far more groundwater job opportunities than can be filled in the UK. Many companies send their job opportunities to be circulated to our students (past as well as present) and each year we run a careers day when around 20 companies visit the University to meet students.

Employment Record of the Course and Destinations of Graduates

The employment record for the Course is excellent. We would normally expect all students to obtain employment in the groundwater industry. Graduates take up careers mainly in groundwater or engineering consultancy companies, in the UK and abroad. Come join regulators (e.g. in England, the Environment Agency), or government scientific services (e.g. in the UK the British Geological Survey). Many take up PhD opportunities and move into research. Others obtain employment within humanitarian aid organizations or energy companies.

Graduates provide a vital role in the development, protection, and remediation of groundwater, and in the management of groundwater in engineering and energy contexts. They include many with senior industrial, academic, and governmental positions, in the UK and overseas. A number have won national and international awards for their contributions to the understanding of groundwater. Many volunteers contribute their expertise and get involved with the Course each year.

Recent destinations of students include AECOM; Affinity Water; Arcadis; Arup; Atkins Global; and B.A.Hydro Solutions; BCL; British Geological Survey; Envireau Water; Environment Agency; Geosyntec; Golder; Groundwater Relief; Groundwater Science; GWP; Hafren Water; Hydrock; IE Consulting; Jacobs; MJCA; Mott-MacDonald; Piteau; RSK; SRK; Stantec; universities in UK and overseas; Wardell-Armstrong; Wood; WSP; and overseas governmental organizations in the Middle East and Asia especially.

Consultancies

Some consultancies are UK-based, but many are international and/or undertake work internationally. Some are small concerns, others very large businesses with offices throughout the world. Although some consultancy companies specialize, many undertake a very wide range of groundwater-related work providing consultants with interestingly varied careers. Thus companies may be purely groundwater consultants, general environmental consultants, or engineering consultants with environmental and geotechnical divisions; companies may tackle all groundwater problems, or be specialists, for example in water resources, contaminants and waste disposal, geotechnics, mining, or energy. Work may thus be concerned with a wide range of client problems, anywhere in the world. Examples include:

• siting large public irrigation or industrial supply wells for water supply anywhere in the world
• siting village wells in hard rock terrains in a developing country, or developing major groundwater supplies for large refugee camps
• developing catchment protection measures for vulnerable groundwater supplies like public water supplies or bottled water plants
• assessing the effects of future stresses on public or private water supplies, including the impacts of climate change
• contaminated land assessment
• designing and implementing schemes for remediation of contaminated groundwater
• designing landfill sites and associated monitoring networks
• developing regulator procedures and assessment techniques, from source protection protocols to unconventional hydrocarbon development evaluations
• designing radioactive waste disposal facilities
• assessing wetland or archaeological site vulnerability to abstraction or mining
• determining groundwater pressures and flows for engineering projects, including for tunnels, slopes, and foundations
• designing and developing mine dewatering and water supply systems
• developing mine restoration plans
• designing geothermal systems, from individual building space heating to regional electrical supplies.

The vast majority of jobs undertaken by consultants, by their nature, are far from routine, each presenting its challenges. Many companies are multi-disciplinary, and there is often an opportunity to widen further your environmental experience and skills whilst maintaining your specialist expertise.

Research Organisations

In research organizations, e.g. universities or governmental services, you may get involved in a very wide range of projects including ones in water resources in developing countries, assessing emerging contaminants, engineering, hydrocarbons, geo-energy, carbon sequestration, climate change, and various types of waste disposal. In addition, groundwater skills are important for research in many geological fields, from diagenesis, mineralization, and taphonomy, through structural geology and ice sheet movement, to climate change.

Regulators

In a regulator, e.g. a governmental environmental protection agency, you may find yourself becoming an expert on the hydrogeology of your region, making sure that the groundwater systems are protected for future generations by issuing licences for abstractions or waste facilities or, often partly through commissioning work from consultants, developing new national procedures and policies, and techniques for implementing them. This will often require detailed knowledge of national legislation.

Water Providers

Water providers, either private water companies or governmental organizations, also employ hydrogeologists who may undertake work ranging from source maintenance and protection to researching new ways of developing existing resources to designing regional or national water resource provision.