Master Degree
Water and Wastewater Processes MSc
Target Audience
This programme targets early- and mid-career professionals seeking to advance or specialise in the water sector, including engineers, scientists, consultants, and policymakers. It is particularly suited for individuals driven to address pressing global water challenges such as resource scarcity, climate change, and sustainable infrastructure development. With its interdisciplinary curriculum, tailored study routes, and industry-informed content, the MSc equips participants with advanced technical and practical skills for roles in water utilities, regulatory bodies, environmental consultancies, and NGOs. The part-time study option also caters to working professionals aiming to enhance their expertise without pausing their careers.
Description
*Discount for IWA members: 5% off on registration fees on the ConnectPlus platform
This MSc offers two study routes that allow you to tailor your studies to your needs and career prospects:
- Engineering route
Study engineering principles for the effective selection, design and operation of water and wastewater treatment processes.
OR
- Environmental Science route
Apply scientific principles to assess the environmental impacts surrounding water and wastewater treatment.
On both routes, you will be supported and guided by academic staff who are world-leading experts in their field and whose cutting-edge research directly informs our teaching to help us go beyond standard textbooks. Throughout the course, you will cover theory, application and practice while working in our world-class facilities. Students learn about relevant challenges such as river health, net zero and resource recovery from a wide range of experts working across the sector. Two water and wastewater treatment site visits allow students to see conventional and novel technologies in the real world. Thesis projects tackle real-world challenges and are often sponsored and supported by water utility companies or other sector stakeholders.
Course details
The course comprises a taught programme of five core modules, two route-specific modules, and one elective module. You will then go on to study a group project and an individual project.
Taught modules are worth a total of 80 credits/800 hours, the Group projects is worth 40 credits/400 hours, and the individual project is worth 60 credits/600 hours.
The taught modules take place annually from October to February. Each taught module consists of 1 week of contact time and 1 week of self-study.
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, the following tables provide an overview of the modules that are currently affiliated with this course. All modules are indicative only and may be subject to change for your year of entry.
Five core modules
| Module 1 | Global Water Sector | The module will equip the students with the basic scientific and engineering principles and knowledge to enable them to investigate and assess the operational performance of water and wastewater treatment processes to define solutions and improvements. |
| Module 2 | Water and Wastewater Treatment Principles | This module is an introduction to key processes used in water and wastewater treatment, and the scientific principles on which they are based. It explores the nature of contaminants in water systems, their contribution to water and wastewater quality and their treatability |
| Module 3 | Process Science for the Water Sector | The module will equip the students with the basic scientific and engineering principles and knowledge to enable them to investigate and assess the operational performance of water and wastewater treatment process to define solutions and improvements including principles on water chemistry, kinetics and reactor theories. |
| Module 4 | Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes | The module is designed to provide students with the process science and engineering knowledge necessary to be able to effectively select, design, and monitor the biological, chemical and physical treatment processes used for conventional water and wastewater treatment. |
| Module 5 | Advanced Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes | The challenges that water and wastewater treatment processes need to tackle to maintain their efficacy of treatment are evolving and in recent times appear to be accelerating in complexity and scale. The combination of climate change, population growth, emerging chemicals and tightening regulations are compounded through greater awareness and response from the public. This module will help you navigate this journey and equip you with the skills and knowledge to thrive in the delivery of solutions against such challenges and feel confident in when and how to adopt new technologies. |
Two route-specific modules
| ENGINEERING ROUTE | ||
| Module 6 | Hydraulics and Pumping Principles for Water and Wastewater | Hydraulics and pumping are essential to water and wastewater treatment processes. It is then critical for engineers involved in the design and operation of water and/or wastewater treatment plants to understand these principles. This module provides the foundation in hydraulics for flows in pipes and open channels, hydraulic structures and pumping of water and sludge with reference to water and wastewater treatment flow sheets. |
| Module 7 | Risk and Asset Management for Water and Wastewater | This module provides you with the skills needed to undertake effective asset stewardship and related risk analysis. It provides an advanced understanding of asset management principles and planning processes as well as competencies in assessing asset health, linking this to the prioritisation of maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement strategies. In addition to appreciating the regulatory and operational context for asset management in the water sector, you will learn about asset condition and maintenance tools and techniques and how to select appropriate intervention strategies based on an understanding of asset health. |
OR
| ENVIRONMENTAL ROUTE | ||
| Module 6 | Catchments and climate change | Climate change and human activity are having profound impacts on catchments. Increasing temperatures, more frequent and intense rainstorms, and more prolonged droughts are causing direct and indirect changes to vegetation, soils and rivers that affect water quantity and quality via multiple mechanisms. In this module, you will develop the knowledge and skills to conceptualise the climate change impacts on the water environment, at the catchment scale, based on an understanding of hydrological, geomorphic, chemical and ecological processes. |
| Module 7 | Environmental Water Quality
|
Water of good quality is necessary for domestic, environmental, industrial, recreational and agricultural applications. As a result of the conditions prevailing in the catchment area, natural and anthropogenic constituents in water bodies will define potential uses according to established criteria. This module provides you with an overview of the Water Framework Directive and other relevant water quality regulations and policies that govern the management and assessment of surface waters. It also provides background in ecological processes, aquatic communities, and survey design and data analysis to help those working in environmental water management to interpret water quality data in the context of the catchment characteristics and pressures. |
One elective module
| Module 8 | Nature-based Solutions Design | The increasing global concern for water scarcity, pollution, and the need for sustainable infrastructure calls for the importance of nature-based solutions (NBS) for water and wastewater treatment. To understand the roles of NBS and their functional mechanisms, learning from existing successful implementations is essential to support system design and operational guidance, allowing NBS to deliver not only regulatory standardised treatment effluent but also contribute to broader ecological benefits. This module aims to equip you with a cutting-edge education that combines theoretical knowledge with practical design skills on NBS for water and wastewater treatment. |
| OR | ||
| Module 8 | Resource Recovery for Water and Wastewater | The water sector is embracing sustainable practices to effectively manage water and wastewater, aligning with circular economy principles and striving towards NET-ZERO goals while promoting resource recovery. This paradigm shift entails comprehensive, interdisciplinary strategies that prioritize not only technological advancements but also the establishment of metrics and key performance indicators. Considering regulatory frameworks and engaging local stakeholders are pivotal aspects. This module offers insights into the latest advancements in resource recovery from water, municipal, and industrial wastewater. It explores the drivers, challenges, opportunities, success stories, and tools essential for evaluating resource recovery implementation within the water sector. |
Informed by industry
The Water and Wastewater Processes MSc is supported by organisations from across the water sector, including water utilities, consultancies, regulators, and NGOs. They contribute to the programme through guest lectures, setting problem-based activities, webinars, hosting field trips, and sponsoring thesis projects. These interactions provide networking opportunities and give you a real-world perspective on the topics discussed in the classroom.
Study Part-Time
Delivered by our world-renown academics in the field, and informed by industry, our MSc also offers a flexible part-time option, which presents multiple benefits:
- Structured to fit around work and other life commitments.
- Skills and knowledge development while maintaining a career.
- Strengthening of professional identity.
- Diverse delivery methods from traditional style lectures to design and research projects, laboratory practicals, tutorial site visits and more.
Our part-time master’s courses are typically of two to three years duration and are structured to fit around your work and other life commitments.
Learning objectives
In a world where the pressures on and competition for water resources and services present immediate and long-term challenges, the water industry is constantly evolving to respond to climate change and water scarcity, and to transition to a sustainable model. However, a global shortage of water professionals trained to post-graduate level is delaying our collective response to these challenges .
Our MSc in Water and Wastewater Processes is designed as a truly interdisciplinary course to equip you with the necessary skills to become the innovators, specialists, and knowledge integrators of tomorrow who will design, lead, and deliver transformative solutions and change agendas.