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MSc Environmental Engineering (H2UM)
First established in 1950 as Public Health Engineering, the Environmental Engineering MSc course at Imperial College is a vocational programme, central to which are the concepts of sustainability and delivery of engineered solutions to conserve resources and protect the environment and human health. The programme deals with major topics in the provision of environmental services such as water supply, wastewater treatment, municipal solid waste and hazardous waste management and resource conservation and recovery as applied to both developed and developing countries. The multidisciplinary nature of the subject is reflected in the staff involved in the course whose backgrounds include chemistry, biology, statistics, geology, materials and medicine, as well as civil engineering.
MSc in Environmental Engineering with Data Science (H2UMD)
Building on our existing Environmental Engineering MSc we now offer our MSc with a special focus on Data Science. Data Science is central to the design and operation of modern resilient, sustainable engineering systems and the specialism complements the core environmental engineering to enable our students address environmental engineering challenges and solve a range of complex civil and environmental engineering problems.
MSc in Environmental Engineering (H2UM)
Aims and objectives
The Environmental Engineering MSc Cluster programmes provide for both engineers and scientists a rigorous treatment of the fundamental principles and practices of assessing and protecting the environment and human health. The programme deals with major topics in the provision of environmental services such as water supply, wastewater treatment, municipal solid waste and hazardous waste management, and resource conservation and recovery as applied to both developed and developing countries. The multidisciplinary nature of Environmental Engineering is reflected in the staff involved in the course, whose backgrounds include chemistry, biology, statistics, geology, materials and medicine, as well as civil engineering.
Distinctive features of this programme include its broad coverage of problems and issues concerned with the supply of clean water, sustainable waste management and pollution control; clear focus on providing the underlying science and technology to develop and understand engineering solutions to these problems; and opportunities to carry out research in key areas of environmental engineering as part of national and international research projects.
The MSc Cluster programmes aim to:
- Equip graduates with the skill-base for careers in industry, the public sector and non-governmental organisations;
- Provide, through taught modules and a research-based dissertation, the basis for understanding the major challenges, features and opportunities within environmental engineering or the protection of the environment and public health;
- Develop an understanding of how this knowledge may be applied in practice in an economic and environmentally sustainable manner;
- Foster the acquisition and implementation of broad research and analytical skills related to environmental engineering;
- Attract highly motivated students irrespective of race, gender, background and physical disability, from the UK and overseas;
- Develop new areas of teaching in response to the advance of scholarship and the needs of the community including vocational training;
- Provide an introduction to the subject for students from other relevant disciplines.
Course structure
The year comprises two separate periods. The first, the taught programme comprising lectures, tutorials and individual coursework assignments in the autumn and spring terms, and the second, in the summer term, comprising of a period of independent research towards submission of a research dissertation. The dissertation may be undertaken at College, within a Partner Research Institute or university, or in collaboration with industry. A number of projects have involved a period of data collection or field study abroad in countries including China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Malta, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
The course maintains a careful balance between the issues affecting developing and the developed countries. Particular emphasis is placed on the selection of appropriate technology regardless of the area of application, based on economics and environmental impact factors as well as the construction and operating skills available in the community.
Assessment
Assessments include individual and group coursework; projects and presentations; written examinations and a research dissertation. To complete the requirements of the degree, all assessments must be undertaken to the appropriate level. Successful candidates will be awarded the MSc degree of Imperial College London and the Diploma of Imperial College (DIC).
Links with industry and other stakeholders
The MSc Cluster programmes in Environmental Engineering are vocational courses so the engagement with industry is of considerable importance at a number of different levels. Links with industry for the benefit of the Cluster programmes are four-fold:
(i) Contributions by industry practitioners bringing specialist expertise to the taught programme from the water utilities, consultants, waste practitioners, government departments, manufacturers and research institutes. In this context, a formal link exists with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who contribute to the course on health aspects of water management in developing countries.
(ii) Hosting of visits to industrial sites and facilities of particular relevance to the taught programme;
(iii) Collaborative research with industry for the Individual Research Projects; and
(iv) Interface with The Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management (CIWEM) which holds meetings at the Department and all students are encouraged to attend these and become Members of this Institution and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM). In addition, the British Hydrological Society also holds meetings in the Department. The Cluster programme benefits from its further links with industry through its two Visiting Professors, Prof. David Balmforth (MWH) past-President of the ICE and Prof. David Wilson (Consultant) and President of the CIWM, as well as its long-established links with Atkins; AECOM; Black & Veatch; Jacobs; Thames Water; and The Water Conservation Trust.
Further resources for this programme
| Type | Document |
|---|---|
| Webpage | Handbook |
| Webpage | Syllabus and modules |
| Webpage | Programme Specification - Environmental Cluster |
| Pdf document | Professional skills development for Master's students |
| Webpage | Imperial College Terms and Conditions |
| Webpage | Entry on the College Prospectus |
| Resources for this course | |
MSc Application Information
Minimum academic entry requirements
- A good Upper Second or First Class Degree result (or International equivalent), in engineering or another numerate discipline, or Masters level degree qualification
- Good mathematical skills (B or above at A-level or equivalent qualification)
- Relevant Postgraduate industrial experience is favoured
- English Language qualification (where relevant)
Applicants for whom English is not their first language will be required to present an English language qualification, passed at the appropriate level. This may follow the application if not available at the time of submission. Please see the College English language requirements for postgraduate applicants for information. Please also check that your previous study meets the minimum academic requirements by country index.
Note: The Department may set higher requirements than those specified by the College as minimum entry requirements and that places are not guaranteed for any applicant. Relevance of degrees and eligibility can be checked with the Department.
Scholarship and funding opportunities
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The application process and essential information
Our community in numbers*
Our academics
- 50+ full-time academic staff
- 20 part-time, honorary and visiting
- 50+ research staff
- 40+ Professional Services and Technicians staff
Our student population
- 225 PhD students
67% male; 33% female
48 nationalities - 314 MSc students
61% male; 39% female
53 nationalities - 367 Undergraduates
71% male; 29% female
45 nationalities - Total 906 students
67% male; 33% female
* all numbers are approximate
Measures of success
Research Assessment Exercise
- REF 2021. 75% of research assessed to be 4* (highest rating), 25% assessed to be 3*.
QS World Universities rankings
- Subject Ranking. Civil Engineering = 6th (2021); 6th (2020); 6th (2019); 3rd (2018)
The Times Higher Education world ranking
- Subject Ranking. Civil Engineering = 4th (2021); 11th (2020); 12th (2019)
National Student Survey
- Overall Satisfaction, 92% (2022), 90% (2021); 78% (2020); 88% (2019)
