Civil and Water Engineering (MSc)
- Duration: 1 year
- Mode: Full time
Open day
Find out more about studying here as a postgraduate at our next Open Day.
Why study this course
This course aims to complement a relevant undergraduate degree by introducing students to hydro-informatics, computational hydraulics and environmental hydraulics, including water quality indicators and sediment transport processes in coastal, estuarine and inland waters.
Major project
Students will complete an extended research project within one of the water engineering fields as a major part of the programme.
Flexible course
The degree programme is available on a one-year full-time basis or on a three-year part-time basis. Students are able to study related subjects in Civil and Geoenvironmental Engineering through a choice of optional modules.
Professionally accredited course
This course is accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and the Institute of Highway Engineers on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Candidates must hold a CEng accredited undergraduate first degree to comply with full CEng registration requirements.
In recent years, there has been a growing world-wide concern about environmental water management issues, including concerns about coastal and estuarine water pollution, river flooding and urban drainage, wetland and mangrove management, and ecological aspects of lakes and reservoirs, to mention but a few. In addressing these and other environmental challenges, engineers and environmental managers are using sophisticated numerical models for predicting complex hydrodynamic, water quality and sediment transport processes. These models are increasingly complemented with decision support software systems and a wide range of related hydroinformatics software tools.
The MSc in Civil and Water Engineering will offer you the knowledge and expertise that you need for a career as a consulting water engineer within this specialist professional area of civil engineering. The course aims to complement a relevant undergraduate degree by introducing you to hydroinformatics, computational hydraulics and environmental hydraulics, including water quality indicators and sediment transport processes in coastal, estuarine and inland waters.
The MSc is aimed at graduates in Civil Engineering, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Bio-Sciences. Good mathematical skills are an advantage. The degree programme is also aimed at engineers/scientists working in relevant areas wishing to upgrade or refresh their qualifications.
Accreditations
Where you'll study
School of Engineering
Study in one of the UK's leading engineering Schools for the quality of research and teaching.
Admissions criteria
In order to be considered for an offer for this programme you will need to meet all of the entry requirements. Your application will not be progressed if the information and evidence listed is not provided.
With your online application you will need to provide:
- A copy of your degree certificate and transcripts which show you have achieved a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant subject such as architectural, civil, coastal, hydro, structural, water, water supply, or water waste engineering, or an equivalent international degree. If your degree certificate or result is pending, please upload any interim transcripts or provisional certificates.
- A copy of your IELTS certificate with an overall score of 6.5 with 5.5 in all subskills, or evidence of an accepted equivalent. Please include the date of your expected test if this qualification is pending. If you have alternative acceptable evidence, such as an undergraduate degree studied in the UK, please supply this in place of an IELTS.
If you have a degree in biosciences or earth sciences, you may still apply but should provide additional evidence to support your application such as a CV and references.
Application Deadline
We allocate places on a first-come, first-served basis, so we recommend you apply as early as possible. Applications normally close at the end of August but may close sooner if all places are filled.
Selection process
We will review your application and if you meet all of the entry requirements, we will make you an offer.
Find out more about English language requirements.
Applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK must present an acceptable English language qualification in order to meet UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) requirements.
Criminal convictions
You are not required to complete a DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check or provide a Certificate of Good Conduct to study this course.
If you are currently subject to any licence condition or monitoring restriction that could affect your ability to successfully complete your studies, you will be required to disclose your criminal record. Conditions include, but are not limited to:
- access to computers or devices that can store images
- use of internet and communication tools/devices
- curfews
- freedom of movement, including the ability to travel to outside of the UK or to undertake a placement/studies outside of Cardiff University
- contact with people related to Cardiff University.
Course structure
The MSc in Civil and Water Engineering is run by the School of Engineering and is designed to provide specialised, postgraduate training in environmental water engineering whilst having a measure of flexibility to permit some study of related subjects in Civil and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
The aim of the programme is to enhance your engineering skills and the completion of an extended project within one of the water engineering fields forms a major part of the programme. The course will complement an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering, or similar, by introducing you to hydroinformatics, computational hydraulics and environmental hydraulics, including water quality indicators and sediment transport processes in coastal, estuarine and inland waters. You will have the opportunity to work with some of these models in an extended project. The degree programme is available on a one-year full-time basis or on a three-year part-time basis.
The course is comprised of taught modules in the Autumn and Spring semesters, followed by an individual research project. The degree programme is available on a one year full-time basis or on a three year part-time basis.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum. Final modules will be published one month ahead of your programme starting.
Once you have completed the taught section of your course in Part 1, you will be required to undertake an individual research project in a specialist area of civil and water engineering, leading to the preparation of a dissertation. Project work is undertaken under the direct supervision of a member of staff in one of the three participating departments.
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Engineering Studies | ENT521 | 10 credits |
| Environmental Fluid Mechanics | ENT602 | 10 credits |
| Environmental Policy and Regulation | ENT620 | 10 credits |
| Sediment Transport Dynamics | ENT710 | 10 credits |
| Engineering Case Study | ENT725 | 20 credits |
| Flood Design | ENT750 | 10 credits |
| Soil and Groundwater Chemistry | ENT752 | 10 credits |
| Dissertation (Civil, Structural, Geoenvironmental, Water) | ENT509 | 60 credits |
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Numerical Techniques in Civil Engineering | ENT501 | 10 credits |
| Industrial Practice | ENT512 | 10 credits |
| Big Data and AI in Civil Engineering | ENT680 | 10 credits |
| Coastal and Estuarine Engineering | ENT767 | 10 credits |
| Building and Infrastructure Information Modelling | ENT768 | 10 credits |
The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.
Learning and assessment
How will I be taught?
A wide range of teaching styles will be used to deliver the diverse material forming the curriculum of the programme. You will attend lectures and participate in examples classes. You must complete 120 credits in Stage 1 in order to progress to the dissertation, for which you will be allocated a supervisor from among the teaching staff. Dissertation topics are normally chosen from a range of project titles proposed by academic staff, usually in areas of current research interest, although you will be encouraged to put forward your own project ideas.
How will I be assessed?
Assessment is conducted via coursework and examinations.
You will be required to undertake an individual research project in a specialist area of Water Engineering, leading to the preparation of a dissertation. Project work is undertaken under the direct supervision of a member of staff in one of the three participating departments.
How will I be supported?
You will receive supervision from experts in their field during your project and dissertation, and will have access to the research facilities of the School.
Feedback
You will receive written feedback for written coursework assignments and oral feedback for assessed presentations.
What skills will I practise and develop?
You will practise and develop the following skills:
Knowledge and understanding
- Understand the multidisciplinary nature of hydro-environment engineering and the need for the integration of knowledge from a range of engineering disciplines in the management of hydro-environment engineering challenges.
- Describe the techniques used to characterise the hydrodynamics of free surface flows, including species and particle transport.
- Describe and model the principal geochemical processes affecting contaminant mobility in the ground and their role in impacting the quality of groundwater and surface waters.
- Describe surface water biota and biological processes, and the effects of contaminants on the ecology of surface waters.
- Describe the modelling of river systems and the interpretation, using IT, of the results.
- Understand the basis of the finite element and finite difference methods and apply the methods to 2D water problems.
- Demonstrate knowledge which is at the forefront of a range of disciplines selected from: geological, geoenvironmental, flooding, environmental law, environmental and highway engineering and the management of engineering.
Intellectual skills
- Use knowledge and scientific, evidence-based, methods in the assessment and solution of hydro-environment engineering challenges, often on the basis of limited and possibly contradictory information.
- Deal with complex water engineering issues both systematically and creatively.
- Critically review the background to a hydro-environment engineering problem and to formulate a programme of works to address the issue.
- Systematically undertake a significant research project in hydro-environment engineering which includes originality in the application of knowledge and the exercise of critical engineering judgement.
- Show originality in tackling both familiar and unfamiliar problems.
- Collect, evaluate, synthesise and interpret qualitative and quantitative data in a variety of ways, and identify means to gain new data where needed.
- Conceive, plan, execute, and communicate the results of an extended in-depth piece of individual project work.
- Sustain a critical argument, both in writing and through presentations.
Practical skills
- Use appropriate mathematical and experimental methods for the modelling and analysis of hydro-environment engineering problems.
Transferable skills
- Manipulate, present and report data in a variety of ways.
- Manage resources and time.
- Communicate ideas, principles and theories effectively by oral, written, and physical or practical means.
Tuition fees for 2025 entry
Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on your fee status. Your fee status could be home, island or overseas.
Learn how we decide your fee status
Fees for home status
| Year | Tuition fee | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | £11,700 | None |
Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland
If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national, your tuition fees for 2025/26 be in line with the overseas fees for international students, unless you qualify for home fee status. UKCISA have provided information about Brexit and tuition fees.
Fees for island status
Learn more about the postgraduate fees for students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Fees for overseas status
| Year | Tuition fee | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | £29,450 | £2,500 |
More information about tuition fees and deposits, including for part-time and continuing students.
Financial support
Financial support may be available to individuals who meet certain criteria. For more information visit our funding section. Please note that these sources of financial support are limited and therefore not everyone who meets the criteria are guaranteed to receive the support.
Additional costs
Will I need any specific equipment to study this course/programme?
No specific equipment is needed for this course.
Living costs
We’re based in one of the UK’s most affordable cities. Find out more about living costs in Cardiff.
Funding
Career prospects
The record of employment of graduates of the Cardiff University MSc in Civil and Water Engineering is excellent, with the majority of graduates joining engineering consultancies. A small number of graduates each year go on to further study, typically a PhD.
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HESA Data: Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2021. The Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data. Data is from the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, published by HESA in June 2022.
