MSc in Soils & Environmental Pollution

NERC studentships are available worth 8,500 p.a. with course fees also paid.

 

Pollution of the environment is an ever present problem: the redevelopment of contaminated land, pesticides in aquifers, industry and waste incineration, metal impact of sewage sludge disposal, and acid rain; all these issues share a common environmental focus - the soil, and the water entering and passing through it.

The MSc in Soils and Environmental Pollution has been running for 15 years and provides a thorough understanding of the key principles of Soil Science which are widely applicable to vocational specialisations in environmental assessment, protection and management.

The course is ideal for those wishing to bridge the gap between the completion of a degree and taking up a position working in the environmental sector. It provides the intellectual tools required by professionals in environmental consultancy, contaminated land management and land remediation.

Career Prospects

Graduates have excellent employment prospects, the majority enter the environmental consultancy sector, but other destinations include national and local government regulators. The course also provides the opportunity to develop a research theme which may become the basis of a PhD.

Programme Structure

This MSc is a one-year full-time course. It may also be taken as a two-year part-time course and is very suitable for in-service training enabling the student to study 1 day a week over three years.

The programme is structured to teach the scientific principles of Soil Science, Polluted Soils and the Risks associated with them in the Autumn Term and the Applied Vocational Specialisms in the Spring Term, followed by a research project where you have the opportunity to apply the knowledge you have learnt.

Modules:

Term 1

• Site investigation and Risk Assessment
• Soil contaminants
• Quantitative data analysis
• Soil Microbiology
• Transport processes in soils
• Generic Skills

Term 2

• Soils, Waste and Environmental Management
• Remediation
• Soil and Water quality
• Practical Site Investigation
• Business Skills

Term 3

• Research project

Recent projects include:

• Remediation of soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons using quicklime, hydrated lime, pulverised fuel ash, gypsum and ground granulated blast furnace slag
• An investigation to assess the ability of different phosphorus sources, to immobilise contaminant metals during remediation, using the earthworm Eisenia fetida as a biological indicator
• Groundwater and Flooding in Oxford: Examining Key Soil Processes Plant Stress Parameterisation in the JULES Model: An Alternative Approach
• The Release of Nitric Oxide from Nitrogen-Fertilized Soils Under Different Wetting Regimes
• The Release of Nitric Oxide from Nitrogen-Fertilized Soils Under Different Wetting Regimes

Industrial partners for the projects have included DEFRA, RAW consulting, Golders Associates, r3 technology, BIFFA, WRAP.