Degree Courses

• University College Dublin

  Full Time

  Environmental and Engineering Geoscience MSc (with Hydrogeology core module)

  Ireland

  Environmental and engineering geoscience is the application of knowledge on Earth’s near-surface materials and processes to inform the design, implementation and operation of solutions in our natural and built environments. Such insights are key to multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (e.g. clean water, affordable clean energy, sustainable cities and communities), as they underpin resilient construction projects (e.g., transport infrastructure, buildings, dams, tunnels), efficient renewable energy systems (e.g., wind farms, geothermal energy), and effective water resource and land management (e.g., groundwater supply, waste disposal, land decontamination).
  
  This one-year MSc programme will provide graduates in geoscience (or cognate subjects) with high-level knowledge and technical skills relevant for the vibrant environmental and geotechnical sectors in Ireland and elsewhere.
  
  The MSc includes a core module in Hydrogeology (GEOL40840), with additional potential for a hydrogeology-focused research project. The description for GEOL40840 is below:
  
  The availability and sustainability of freshwater is inextricably linked to geology. While surface water storage and transport are fundamentally shaped by catchment topography, the subsurface infiltration, flow, and capacity of groundwater are set by the geological properties of aquifers. Hydrogeology is the study of this critical interaction between water and geology, encompassing both physics (e.g., water flow and storage) and biogeochemistry (e.g., water quality, contamination, and chemical fluxes between the hydrosphere and biosphere). The purpose of this module is to train you in the fundamentals of hydrogeology, which include (i) how to obtain hydrogeological data, (ii) understanding of water balance on a catchment scale, (iii) quantitative analyses using real-world data to assess recharge, flow, and hydrochemical processes, and (iv) numerical models of groundwater dynamics. You will also learn about the diverse nature of careers in hydrogeology, interact with guest lecturers from industry, and participate in a day-long field trip to apply standard hydrogeological methods to examine local aquifer properties. The emphasis in this module is to gain familiarity with both conceptual and quantitative fundamentals of hydrogeology and to develop a skillset transferrable to either industrial or academic career paths.

   https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=COURSE&MAJR=F290&KEYWORD=f290