Make a difference in Water and Wastewater with your career
Our MSc in Water and Wastewater Processes offers you two distinct study routes to ensure you can tailor your study to your specific needs and career prospects. In this Environmental Science route, students will apply scientific principles to assess the environmental impacts of climate change, pollution discharges and emerging contaminants on the quality and treatability of water resources, proposing solutions in a water and wastewater treatment context. Water and Wastewater Processes MSc - EngineeringOverview
- Start dateFull-time: October, part-time: October
- DurationFull-time: one year, part-time: two-three years
- DeliveryTaught modules: 40%, group project: 20%, individual project: 40%
- QualificationMSc, PgDip, PgCert
- Study typeFull-time / Part-time
- CampusCranfield campus
Who is it for?
Your career
Hear from Ranj Rihal from Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies at the Cranfield careers fair
This MSc equips the students with the knowledge and skills required to pursue a career in environmental science in both public and private sectors. In addition to providing a basis to pursue further studies (PhD), the course prepares the students for a wide range of careers including process scientist, regulatory scientist/inspector, researcher government and NGO roles, catchment scientist, environmental consultant, water quality scientist, sustainability scientist.
Cranfield Careers and Employability Service
Cranfield’s Career Service is dedicated to helping you meet your career aspirations. You will have access to career coaching and advice, CV development, interview practice, access to hundreds of available jobs via our Symplicity platform and opportunities to meet recruiting employers at our careers fairs. Our strong reputation and links with potential employers provide you with outstanding opportunities to secure interesting jobs and develop successful careers. Support continues after graduation and as a Cranfield alumnus, you have free life-long access to a range of career resources to help you continue your education and enhance your career.
Learn more about career opportunities with a postgraduate degree in water
Cranfield opened a lot of doors for me. I got my job offer with Mott MacDonald, three months away from finishing the course. I believe the experience I got from Cranfield, and especially the group project helped me.
It is the best place because the interactions between students and lecturers are superb.
The MSc Water and Wastewater Engineering course has been challenging but also stimulating and exciting. The lectures are very interactive and engaging and oftentimes, there are even external presenters including Cranfield alumni, who deliver presentations on certain topics.
The deep learning I have acquired, especially in the key principle of wastewater treatment systems, the constant opportunity to interact with experienced water professionals during classes and the site visits to UK water company facilities have helped me a lot to deepen the knowledge that I have acquired during classes.
Why this course?
Hear from Tapuwa Sahondo, who studied the Water and Wastewater MSc
Water and wastewater systems are under increasing strain from demographic and climatic changes. Our course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to help find sustainable solutions to those pressures and make a real difference for future generations. On this course you will:
- Study a truly interdisciplinary course, rooted in a system-level understanding of water and wastewater
- Complete your thesis on a real-world project to suit your interests
- Learn from internationally leading faculty who undertake cutting-edge research
- Hear about relevant challenges (like sewage and river health) from a wide range of experts working across the sector
- Visit active water and wastewater treatment sites to see technologies in the real world
- Benefit from innovative, problem-oriented teaching activities
- Develop practical skills and networking opportunities
Read Samantha Ayesigwa's blog about why she chose to study Water and Wastewater MSc
Informed by industry
This MSc is supported by organisations from across the water sector, including water utilities, consultancies, regulators, and NGOs. They support us with guest lectures, problem-based activities, by hosting field trips (see our recent field trip to an industrial water recycling site), and by sponsoring thesis projects. These links can give your career a boost by providing networking opportunities and giving you a real-world perspective on the topics discussed in the classroom. Many of our graduates have gone on to take up jobs within the organisations that participate in our course.
Course details
In the Environmental Science route, students will critically assess the water environment and its quality, how it is monitored, its influence in water and wastewater treatment systems, and how treated wastewater influences environmental water quality. They will also assess the processes that influence water resources, the impact of weather events and climate change and their consequences on water quality and availability.
The course comprises a taught programme of of five core modules, two route modules, and one elective module. You will then go on to study a group project and an individual project.
Course delivery
Taught modules: 40%, group project: 20%, individual project: 40%
Group project
The group project is an applied multidisciplinary team-based activity. It provides students with the opportunity, whilst working in teams under academic supervision, to apply principles taught during modules whilst taking responsibility for project tasks. Success is dependent on the integration of various activities, working within agreed objectives, deadlines and budgets. Students submit project reports and present their findings to representatives from industry. This develops professional practice in communication skills for technical and business areas of process development. Part-time students complete a single design project individually in a field of their choice.
Recent group projects include:
Individual project
Students select their individual project in consultation with the thesis project coordinators. This provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate independent research ability working within agreed objectives, deadlines and budgets. The project is sponsored by industry and usually includes a four-month placement with the sponsoring company. Placements previously have been offered by all ten of the UK water utilities, the leading two French utilities, as well as multinational companies and SMEs operating in the water sector. Part-time students usually undertake their individual project with their employer.
Modules
Keeping our courses up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. The modules we offer reflect the needs of business and industry and the research interests of our staff and, as a result, may change or be withdrawn due to research developments, legislation changes or for a variety of other reasons. Changes may also be designed to improve the student learning experience or to respond to feedback from students, external examiners, accreditation bodies and industrial advisory panels.
To give you a taster, we have listed the compulsory and elective (where applicable) modules which are currently affiliated with this course. All modules are indicative only, and may be subject to change for your year of entry.
Course modules
Compulsory modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.
Global Water Sector
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Water and Wastewater Treatment Principles
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Process Science for the Water Sector
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Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes
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Advanced Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes
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Environmental Water Quality
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Catchments and Climate Change
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Elective modules
One of the modules from the following list need to be taken as part of this course
Nature-based Solutions Design for Water and Wastewater
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Resource Recovery
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Teaching team
How to apply
Click on the ‘Apply now’ button below to start your online application.
See our Application guide for information on our application process and entry requirements.
