The programme is built on strong links with industry and government agencies. 30 of the 90 credits involve an independent research project with the majority of the taught course components delivered through field and laboratory based activities. The course offers a unique opportunity for international students to gain EU based work experience while studying for their Masters. There is currently a global high demand for graduates with environmental geology skills and that this is projected to grow in the coming years.
Geology - Applied Environmental Geology
Entry requirements
2017 Entry Requirements: Candidates must hold at least a Second Class Honours, Grade II, NFQ Level 8 degree or equivalent in a Geological/Earth Sciences/Civil Engineering/Environmental Sciences area or a related relevant degree or have reached an equivalent standard through completion of a relevant postgraduate qualification.
Detailed Entry Requirements
Candidates must hold at least a Second Class Honours, Grade II, NFQ Level 8 degree or equivalent in a Geological/Earth Sciences/Civil Engineering/Environmental Sciences area or a related relevant degree or have reached an equivalent standard through completion of a relevant postgraduate qualification.
If you are applying with Qualifications obtained outside Ireland and you wish to verify if you meet the minimum academic and English language requirements for this programme please click here to view the grades comparison table by country and for details of recognised English language tests.
Duration
1 year Full-time; 2 Years Part-time
Subjects taught
This M.Sc. in Applied Environmental Geology covers the areas of hydrogeology, contaminated land, engineering geology, applied geophysics, geoinformatics, environmental monitoring and assessment, environmental law, offshore environmental geology, field geology techniques and an industry based environmental geology research project. The courses have been designed with the current needs of industry taken on board. Emphasis on real world, industry based examples is prevalent throughout.
Students in Part I take taught modules to the value of 60 credits involving field study, lectures, practical classes, seminars, workshops, and self-directed learning.
Students in Part II will also undertake a substantial Research Project to the value of 30 credits in an area of Environmental Geology. Part II consists of a research dissertation based on independent research to the value of 30 credits (GL6019), completed over the summer months. Students will complete a research project during a five month placement in industry or a research group within the School of BEES. In some cases the number of available industry placements may be limited and students who are unsuccessful in obtaining an industry placement will complete their research project in the School of BEES.
Part 1
EV6011 Principles of Environmental Assessment and Monitoring (10 credits)
Outline the principal steps of a monitoring programme and describe the associated quality assurance procedures. Evaluate the reliability and comparability of monitoring programmes for air, soil and sediments, and water quality using field and laboratory techniques.
GL6020 Hydrogeology, Contaminated Land and Assessment (10 credits)
Identify and apply hydrogeological principles and evaluation methods to groundwater based assessments. Contaminated land issues and attenuation. Risk assessment methodologies and their application.
GL6021 Engineering Geology (10 credits) Describe and classify soils as engineering materials. Execute and analyse standard laboratory soil tests (soil classification tests, compaction test, permeability tests, oedometer test). Apply principles of rock mechanics to design of shallow foundations and develop awareness of ground improvement techniques.
GL6022 Environmental Planning and Regulation (5 credits) Appraise the role of and responsibilities of an environmental geoscientist in complying with environmental legislation.
GL6023 Offshore Environmental Geology (5 credits) Demonstrate competence in designing and implementing an offshore geology survey.
GL6024 Applied Geophysics (5 credits) Relate geophysical techniques to appropriate environmental geology applications.
GL6025 Geoinfomatics for Environmental Geology (5 credits Identify appropriate data structure(s) for representing a range of geographical objects and phenomena drawn from the real world.
GL6026 Field Geology Techniques (5 credits Identify and classify Quaternary sediments based on field analysis and carry out detailed structural geological analyses.
GL6027 Industry Case Studies (5 credits) Design a suitable project assessment methodology for a case study project.
Part II
GL6019 Applied Environmental Geology research project (30 credits) Liaise with and work with industry collaborators or as part of a research team located in the School of BEES on an Environmental Geology Project. Source information from industry, public and published sources, critically evaluate and incorporate this information in to the study where relevant. Collect original field data and/or critically review existing data . Make in depth analysis of original field and laboratory data. Present findings from their research in the form of technical report (dissertation).
The course is made up of 137 hours of lectures, 84 hours of practicals, 55 hours of seminars and 15.5 days in the field. In addition the students spend 5 months investigating their industry based research topic.
Assessment method
The course depends heavily on continuous assessment, practical reports, essays, field reports, seminars and in class tests are the main assessment methods employed, along with the production of the final dissertation.
Course fee
Costs: 2017/2018 Irish/EU fee: Full-time 7,000 (excl. Bench Fee); Part-Time 4,000 (excl. Bench Fee). A 1,000 Bench Fee is also required, payable directly to the department.