Sustainable Water Management, MSc

Program Overview

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Sustainable Water Management, MSc

Introduction

Our water systems are under increasing pressure from a variety of sources, including climate change, population growth, and waste. Recent weather events in the UK and abroad, for example, have highlighted the need for urgent innovative solutions to minimise the impact of flooding on communities and ecosystems.

The MSc Sustainable Water Management is designed to equip you with the tools to tackle the environmental and socio-economic challenges related to water resource management, from flood management and hydraulic modelling to climate resilience and ecosystem-based adaptation.

Study Information

At a Glance

• Learning Mode: On Campus Learning
• Degree Qualification: MSc
• Duration: 12 months or 24 months
• Study Mode: Full Time or Part Time
• Start Month: September
• Location of Study: Aberdeen

Water is fundamental to many of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals including climate, energy, the environment, food security, equality and health. The management of water resources therefore requires an understanding of complex environmental, economic, social and political challenges, which is what this MSc programme is designed to provide.

In just 12-months (or 24 months if studying part-time) you will gain the skills and knowledge required to solve complex issues in sustainable water management, including water security, the impacts of climate and land use change on water resources, flood risk, water pollution, maintaining ecosystem services, and related management approaches.

Choose from 3 Pathways:

We offer you three distinct pathways, so that you can choose your courses based on your particular interests:

• Hydrological sciences pathway – with a focus on the technical and environmental science skills
• Water and Society pathway – with a focus on socio-economic aspects of sustainability
• Open pathway – a combined mix of both hydrological sciences and socio-economic aspects

The MSc Sustainable Water Management is founded on the School of Geosciences’ strong international profile in hydrology and water resource management. You will also avail of the excellent interdisciplinary strengths in cognate areas of water science, policy and water resources law through optional courses offered by other Schools across the University, which contribute a strong interdisciplinary dimension to the programme.

Sustainable water resource management is essential to addressing many of the environmental, economic and social challenges we face today and so this programme prepares graduates from different academic backgrounds to become the highly skilled professionals needed to tackle these challenges and manage the sustainable use of water resources at local, national and international level.

What You'll Study

The School of Geosciences has a strong international profile and tradition in water resource research which provides the foundation for this Masters programme. Moreover, the University of Aberdeen also has excellent interdisciplinary strengths in cognate areas of water science, policy and law spread across various Schools which can leverage an attractive interdisciplinary dimension to the Programme through optional courses.

Semester 1

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD5006)
  • Water in the Environment (GG5079)
  • Integrated Water Resources Management (GG5080)
• Optional Courses:
  • Students will also take an additional 30 credit points from related courses. The courses you take will depend on your chosen pathway.
  • Hydrological Sciences Pathway: Students on this pathway must take the following:
    • GG5065 Introduction to GIS Tools, Techniques, Cartography and Geovisualisation
    • GL5059 Near Surface and Environmental Geophysics
  • Water and Society Pathway: Students on this pathway must take the following:
    • GG5065 Introduction to GIS Tools, Techniques, Cartography and Geovisualisation
    • GG5072 Sustainability Transitions - Challenges and Opportunities
  • Open Pathway: Students on this pathway must take two courses from the following:
    • GG5059 UAV Remote Sensing, Monitoring and Mapping
    • GG5065 Introduction to GIS Tools, Techniques, Cartography and Geovisualisation
    • GG5072 Sustainability Transitions - Challenges and Opportunities
    • GL5059 Near Surface and Environmental Geophysics

Semester 2

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Hydrological Extremes Under Global Change (GG5578)
  • Sustainable Water Management in Scotland: Field Course (GG5581)
• Optional Courses:
  • Students will also take an additional 30 credit points from related courses. The courses you take will depend on your chosen pathway.
  • Hydrological Sciences Pathway: Students on this pathway must take the following:
    • EK5807 Catchment Management
    • GG5567 Advanced Spatial Analysis and Programming
  • Water and Society Pathway: Students on this pathway must take the following:
    • GG5557 Governance and Political Economy of Sustainability
    • GG5571 Partnerships for Sustainability
  • Open Pathway: Students on this pathway must take two courses from the following:
    • EK5807 Catchment Management
    • GG5516 Research Methods
    • GG5557 Governance and Political Economy of Sustainability
    • GG5567 Advanced Spatial Analysis and Programming
    • GG5571 Partnerships for Sustainability

Semester 3

• Compulsory Courses:
  • MSc Sustainable Water Management Dissertation (GG5982)

Fee Information

• EU / International students: £22,000
• UK: £10,000

Scholarships

All eligible self-funded international Postgraduate Masters students starting in September 2025 will receive an £8,000 scholarship.

Entry Requirements

• Qualifications: 2:2 UK Honours degree, or an Honours degree from a non-UK institution which is judged by the University to be of equivalent worth, in any discipline.
• English Language Requirements:
  • IELTS Academic: OVERALL - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
  • TOEFL iBT: OVERALL - 90 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
  • PTE Academic: OVERALL - 62 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
  • Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency: OVERALL - 176 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169

Careers

The global water crisis is also worsening because of a shortage of water professionals. In fact, one industry expert recently estimated that the world will likely fall short of at least 10 million water professionals in the coming decade.

The strong interdisciplinary focus of this programme is ideal preparation for a career in the expanding water sector, where a wide variety of career opportunities can be found across the public, private, and charity sectors.

Water management career opportunities are found with government, regulators, and environmental and conservation agencies involved in river and coastal maintenance, flood defences and flood warning systems such as the Environment Agency (England and Wales) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

There are also various career opportunities in the private sector, working as an environmental consultant as well as NGOs and charities working on sustainable development projects around the world.

Our Experts

The MSc Sustainable Water Management programme director is Dr David Haro.

Other experts involved in the delivery of the programme include:

• Dr Josie Geris
• Prof Christopher Soulsby
• Dr Jean-Christophe Comte
• Dr Jamie Stevenson

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

• Aims to equip graduates with the necessary tools to address environmental and socioeconomic water resource management challenges.
• Focuses on technical, environmental, social, economic, commercial, and political aspects of sustainability.
• Welcomes students with diverse backgrounds in social sciences, environmental science, geosciences, and engineering.
• Designed for completion in 12 months (or 24 months for part-time study).
• Provides students with the skills and knowledge to solve complex issues in water resource management.
• Covers topics like water security, climate change impacts on water resources, flood risk, water pollution, ecosystem services, and related management approaches.
• Offers three pathways: Hydrological sciences, Water and Society, and Open Pathway (combining both).

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Outline:

The program structure comprises three semesters:

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Semester 1:

• Introduces core concepts and provides foundation knowledge for both pathways.
• Emphasizes the physical hydrology aspects and their link to water resource availability and quality.
• Covers "Introduction to GIS Tools, Techniques, Cartography & Geovisualization," "Near Surface & Environmental Geophysics," "Sustainability Transitions: Challenges and Opportunities," "Water in the Environment," and "Hydrological Extremes under Global Change".
• Offers optional courses for each pathway.

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Semester 2:

• Focuses on advanced topics and builds on the foundation laid in Semester 1.
• Explores "Catchment Management," "Advanced Spatial Analysis and Programming," "Governance and Political Economy of Sustainability," "Partnerships for Sustainability," "Research Methods", "Integrated Water Resources Management," and "Sustainable Water Management in Scotland: Field course".
• Offers optional courses for each pathway.

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Semester 3:

• Culminates with the MSc Sustainable Water Management Dissertation.
• Requires students to independently complete a research-based dissertation project in their chosen field of water resource management.

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Assessment:

The program utilizes various assessment methods to evaluate student understanding and performance, including:

• Examinations: Written tests assess knowledge and comprehension of theoretical concepts.
• Coursework: Assignments and projects evaluate application of knowledge and analysis skills to practical scenarios.
• Presentations: Oral presentations assess communication skills and ability to effectively convey research findings.
• Dissertation: A rigorous independent research project demonstrating critical thinking, research methodology, and writing skills.

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Teaching:

The program employs various teaching methodologies to cater to diverse learning styles and enhance understanding:

• Lectures: Experts in water resource management deliver theoretical foundations and key concepts.
• Seminars: Interactive sessions facilitate discussions, critical analysis, and problem-solving.
• Field trips and practical work: Hands-on experiences and data collection exercises reinforce theoretical learning and develop field skills.
• Individual and group projects: Encourages collaboration, communication, and application of knowledge to solve real-world problems.
• Independent study: Promotes self-directed learning, research skills, and critical analysis.

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Careers:

The program equips graduates for successful careers in various sectors related to water resource management:

• Government agencies and environmental organizations involved in river and coastal management, flood defenses, and flood warning systems.
• Private sector opportunities with environmental consultants, engineering firms, and water management companies.
• Opportunities for further research and PhD studies in the field of water resource management.

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Other:

• The University of Aberdeen holds the #5 ranking in the UK and #70 globally for the SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation within the THE Impact Rankings.
• Partnerships and collaborations exist between the university and organizations like The Glenlivet distillery, NatureScot, and the Scottish Government, leading to real-world research collaborations and solutions for sustainable water management.

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EU / International students

£22,000

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UK

£10,000 In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips.