Water and Environment

At Aalborg University, you have the chance to specialise in Water & Environment, provided you have a background within Civil Engineering or similar. As an engineer in the field of Water & Environment, you will have the opportunity to work in the area of resource- and environmental management with specific reference to the use of water. With your background in and understanding of the way in which industrial plants, roads, buildings and other constructions impact on the natural environment, you will be a key person in evaluating the environmental effects of major installations. This often means looking at the ways in which physical, chemical and biological processes interact. You learn to model and calculate the complex inter-connecting factors involved in environmental problems.

You will get the opportunity to carry out experiments in the laboratory or to do measurements in the natural environment, using hydrological, hydrographic, geological and hydro-geological techniques as well as advanced computer modelling.

1st semester: Lakes and seas

During the 1st semester, you will work on special environmental problems relating to rivers, lakes and coastal areas. The project location may be a river, a lake or a fjord where you will determine for example the quantities of nutrient salts and survey the hydraulic and physical conditions. One such project location is Mariager Fjord where in the summer of 1997, deoxygenating caused severe deterioration in environmental conditions. Students set up a model for the locality which among other things is used to evaluate what can be done to improve the situation. The semester includes a field week at the fjord in which chemical, biological and hydrographic conditions are investigated.

2nd semester: Soil and groundwater pollution

Starting by examining a polluted industrial site or a cultivated agricultural area, you will look at how various substances are transported and transformed in the soil's saturated and unsaturated zones, and consider among other things whether pollution in the given area constitutes a threat to the groundwater. Computer modelling and measurement are important tools in determining the physical composition of the soil and the transport and transformation of different substances. As part of the project, you will also consider various possible methods for purifying polluted soil and groundwater.

3rd semester: Experimental and numerical techniques

The 3rd semester involves in-depth study of physical and mathematical modelling, including computer modelling which has become an important tool in modern engineering work. In this part of the course, you will acquire first-hand knowledge of and competence in the most widely used models. During this semester, you will also have the opportunity to go behind the polished user interface and develop a model yourself. Your starting point will be a large-scale natural system, such as soil or water. You will analyse numerical problem-solving techniques and consider how measurement methods and modelling can best be combined: for example, whether a model can be made automatically to adapt to measurements taken in the field or the laboratory. During this semester, it is usually possible to conduct a project in association with one of the research departments at Aalborg University or outside the university.

4th semester: Master's thesis

On the last semester, you will do an in-depth study of a scientific or engineering problem that is of particular interest to you. You will be given the chance to decide for yourself on which subject you wish to focus.

Entry requirements

Applicants must hold a B.Sc. degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering or in a related field. In any case, a basic understanding is required of physics, hydraulics, chemistry, microbiology and geology. Furthermore, applicants should have a good understanding of analytical and numerical solution of ordinary and partial differen­tial equations as well as statistics and probability. Students who want to study for a single semester only are encouraged to require information on the student exchange programmes of Aalborg University.

All international applicants (Scandinavian students exempted) must document basic written and spoken English by taking an IELTS test (International English Language Testing System). You must obtain a score of minimum 6.5 to be admitted. The test must be either the original document or a copy verufied by your home university with stamp and signature. Please remember that you may only send a verified copy once; it is not allowed to make a verified master copy and then make copies from this and send them out. Therefore, if you wish to apply at more than one university, you must make verified copies with stamp and signature for each of them.

Facilities

Graduate students enrolled in the M.Sc. Programme in Water and Environment have access to the laboratories of the Department of Civil Engineering. This includes the Hydraulics Laboratory and the Geotechnical Laboratory. Also the chemical and microbiological laboratories of the Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering are available. More information about the respective laboratories may be found on the homepage of the Department of Civil Engineering and Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering. In addition to this, each group of approximately 6 students will have their own office/group room on campus.

Career opportunities

As a civil engineer specialising in Water and Environment, you have many job opportunities both in the private and public sector. Aalborg University cooperates with industry, and thus, you may obtain valuable contacts during your study here for use once you have finished your degree.

With the increased focus on protecting the environment and salvaging the earth's resources, civil engineers from the Water and Enviroment programme are and will be in high demand. You may for instance work with pollution; how to prevent it and how to decrease the impact on already polluted areas. As these are tasks of high importance; engineers within this field must be well educated. Aalborg University provides you with the best possible abilities to fulfil this demand.