Program Overview

---

Freshwater Quality Monitoring and Assessment (Online)

The MSc Freshwater Quality Monitoring & Assessment online programme is designed to provide existing or future water professionals with the necessary knowledge to design and implement freshwater quality monitoring programmes and to assess water quality.

Course Outline

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Outline the steps involved in designing a monitoring programme and the different factors that must be considered in each step of the design
• Identify appropriate monitoring approaches in relation to monitoring objectives
• Select suitable methods for use in the field and laboratory and perform sampling and analytical procedures
• Produce a quality assurance plan for a monitoring programme
• Analyse monitoring data using a range of graphical, statistical and GIS-based approaches and write a water quality assessment report suitable for technical and non-technical audiences

Programme Content

The programme is offered in a part-time, online format that facilitates study in your own time. It is useful to those already working in the water sector, including government agencies, and to staff in higher-level education institutes who wish to gain a specialised postgraduate qualification in surface and groundwater monitoring, quality assurance and control, and data analysis and presentation.

Year 1: Core Modules

• EV6001: Monitoring Programme Design for Freshwater Bodies
• EV6002: Quality Assurance in Water Quality Monitoring Programmes
• EV6003: Data Handling and Presentation for Water Quality Monitoring Programmes

Year 2: Specialised Modules

• EV6005: Monitoring and Assessment of surface waters
• EV6007: Monitoring and Assessment of groundwater
• Any two of the following:
  • EV6004: Water Quality Monitoring in the Field (field course abroad or in Ireland)
  • EV6008: Water Quality Monitoring using Biological and Ecological Methods
  • EV6009: Water Quality Monitoring with Particulate Material

Year 3: Dissertation

• EV6010: Dissertation in Freshwater Quality Monitoring and Assessment

Course Practicalities

Teaching is online with each module running for 16 weeks (10 credits) or 8 weeks (5 credits), with the exception of the one-week, full-time optional field module EV6004 in Year 2. This module enables students to gain experience in practical freshwater quality monitoring methods. Students are expected to spend approximately 15-20 hours per week on study effort per module, of which approximately 6 hours would be online engagement.

Career Opportunities

This MSc is designed to give students a strong foundation in all aspects of water quality monitoring and assessment, equipping them to work in the area of water quality management in public or private sectors, including water and environment ministries, regulatory agencies, agriculture and industry.

Why Choose This Course

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) GEMS/Water Capacity Development Centre (CDC) was founded in 2015 to provide global capacity development in water quality monitoring and assessment to UNEP's global water quality monitoring system (GEMS/Water), through the provision of education, training and expert advice.

Requirements

• Candidates must have a BSc in Environmental Science or cognate discipline with a minimum grade of a Second Class Honours Grade II (NFQ, Level 8)
• All candidates are required to have a sufficient level of English. Candidates, for whom English is not their primary language, should possess an IELTS of 6.5 (or TOEFL equivalent) with no less than 6.0 in each individual category

Fees and Costs

See the Postgraduate EU and Non-EU (International) Fee Schedule for the latest information.

How To Apply

1. Check dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process.
2. Gather documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal.
3. Apply online: Apply online by clicking the application portal link. Note most of our courses have a non-refundable application fee.