Water in a Changing World (MSc)

How will I be taught?

We are a friendly and informal school and you will be taught by world-leading experts involved in cutting-edge international research.

Our teaching approach is a mix of lectures and practical sessions on problem solving including discussion sessions, reading seminars, presentations, field visits, and meetings with field professionals.

You will also be encouraged to learn independently and within groups throughout the course, developing a wide range of skills which will be essential for your future employment including project management and organisational skills as well as developing your competence in applying information technology and using state-of-the-art field techniques and equipment.

How will I be assessed?

Assessments vary by module, but will include quantitative problem sets, essays, oral presentations, video presentations, exams containing multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions, and the research dissertation.

Progress will also be evaluated using the formative assessment to help the student to improve their performance. The formative assessments will be fairly short to make sure that the building blocks of learning are being achieved before the next part of the programme. The modules and their assessments will be staggered to balance student workloads. Further details are provided in the individual module descriptions.

You must successfully complete the 120 credits of the taught component of the course before you will be permitted to progress to the research dissertation.

How will I be supported?

We offer a comprehensive support structure to ensure a positive student experience.

At the start of the course you will be allocated a personal tutor, who will serve as a point of contact to advise on both academic and personal matters in an informal and confidential manner.

Feedback

Students have many opportunities for feedback during contact sessions. You will be involved in giving feedback in activities such as video feedback and self-assessment. Additionally, you will receive feedback from teaching staff and stakeholders; providing you with experience of the real-life feedback that you may encounter when you find employment.

Facilities

We have a Learning Central website where you can access videos, images, presentations, lecture handouts, bibliographies, links to further reading, electronic exercises and discussion circles.

You will also have full access to the 24-hour computing facilities in the School of Earth & Ocean Sciences.

Support services

You will have access to the full range of facilities and services provided by the University, including the Careers Service, the Counselling Service, the Disability and Dyslexia Service, the Student Support Service, alongside excellent libraries and resource centres.

Diversity

We aim to create an inclusive, supportive and welcoming environment that respects the dignity of staff and students of all ages, ethnicities, disabilities, family structures, genders, nationalities, sexual orientations, and races, religious or other beliefs, and socio-economic backgrounds. Read about our commitment to the Athena SWAN principles and our Bronze status.

What skills will I practise and develop?

Knowledge & Understanding:

On successful completion of the Programme you will be able to:

• Explain the hydrologic cycle, its global and regional expression in response to climate forcing, and its translation into surface and subsurface water storage;
• Articulate the complex connections between culture, society and water;
• Synthesise the fundamental biological and ecological characteristics of freshwater ecosystems with the organisms that occupy them, as well as their relevant stressors;
• Characterise hazard and risk, and their implications for managing water on the planet using advanced quantitative methods;
• Provide a detailed analysis of the climate system and its evolution under climate change, with particular emphasis on the water cycle;
• Identify and explain a deep awareness of key frontiers in water science. 

 Intellectual Skills:

• On successful completion of the Programme you will be able to:
• Critically evaluate and quantify water fluxes and storage at, above, or below the Earth’s surface;
• Calculate and interpret risk and hazard from existing datasets on water;
• Synthesise and summarise the scientific and social science literature;
• Utilise and manipulate large datasets and/or existing models;
• Analyse and report on advanced interdisciplinary issues related to water problems.

Professional Practical Skills:

• On successful completion of the Programme you will be able to:
• Interact and engage with experts in a range of water-related fields;
• Address and understand environmental problems from multiple perspectives;
• Conduct background literature searches on a targeted topic in order to quickly ascertain the state of the science/art;
• Contextualise local/regional water problems in broader sphere of influence.  
• Lead interdisciplinary group meetings/discussions.

Transferable/Key Skills:

• On successful completion of the Programme you will be able to:
• Conduct sophisticated multi-step quantitative analyses individually and part of a team;
• Synthesise complex information from disparate sources;
• Communicate research to expert and public audiences through various media;
• Write convincingly about in-depth environmental/water problems and publish/present at international forums.;
• Work with interdisciplinary groups to integrate and summarise knowledge.