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Programme Specifications

Programme Specification

MSc Water and Environmental Management (Distance Learning)

Academic Year: 2015/16

This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if full advantage is taken of the learning opportunities that are provided.

This specification applies to delivery of the programme in the Academic Year indicated above. Prospective students reviewing this information for a later year of study should be aware that these details are subject to change as outlined in our Terms and Conditions of Study.

This specification should be read in conjunction with:

  • Summary
  • Aims
  • Learning outcomes
  • Structure
  • Progression & weighting

Programme summary

Awarding body/institution Loughborough University
Teaching institution (if different) Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC), within the School
Owning school/department School of Civil and Building Engineering
Details of accreditation by a professional/statutory body

Accredited by CIWEM (Charted Institution of Water and Environmental Management) for students who graduate in, or before, academic year 2017-18.

The Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) has accredited the Water and Environmental Management (Distance Learning) MSc programme for intakes 2011-2015 as meeting the requirements for ‘Further Learning’ for a Chartered Engineer (CEng), for candidates who have already acquired an accredited CEng (partial) BEng (Hons) undergraduate first degree.

Final award MSc, PGDip, PGCert
Programme title Water and Environmental Management (Distance Learning)
Programme code CVPT78
Length of programme MSc: 2-8 years, Diploma: 1-5 years, Certificate: 1-3 years. Delivered by Distance Learning (largely paper-based).
Participants have the option of two start dates: Mid-January and Mid-July.
UCAS code
Admissions criteria

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/programmes/departments/civil/water-environmental-management-dl/

Additional information about the programme is available from http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/learn/learn202.html?b=21

Date at which the programme specification was published Tue, 11 Aug 2015 23:26:22 BST

1. Programme Aims

This programme is likely to be of particular interest to applicants who wish to develop careers in planning and managing work in the water and sanitation sector in low- and middle-income countries.  It aims to:

  • Provide graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively plan, manage and coordinate water, sanitation and environmental services in low- and middle-income countries;
  • Develop participants’ understanding of the principles and practice of sustainable water and environmental management for the public good;
  • Equip students with appropriate expertise and skills for work in low- and middle-income countries; and
  • Provide an opportunity for specialisation in one topic through in depth study during the Research Dissertation module.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

This specification has taken into account the descriptors for a qualification at Masters (MSc), Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) and Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) levels that are set out in the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

These postgraduate programmes are taught by the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) in the School of Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough University. WEDC’s postgraduate programmes are multidisciplinary in content so no single-subject benchmarks are wholly applicable to them. There are currently no benchmark statements for Engineering MSc programmes. Although the Subject Benchmark Statement for Engineering applies to first degrees in engineering, and not to postgraduate degrees, it has been used to inform the drafting of intended learning outcomes for this programme, with the expectation that postgraduate students attain a higher level than undergraduate students in relevant outcomes. The Subject Benchmark Statement for Master’s Awards in Business and Management has also been consulted because of the management content of the WEDC programmes; the list of skills for all Master’s programmes listed in Appendix 2 is of particular relevance. Note has also been taken of relevant parts of the Annex to Academic Standards – Engineering MEng Degrees. 

Following an accreditation visit from CIWEM (Charted Institution of Water and Environmental Management) in May 2011, the accreditation panel recommended that the Water & Environmental Management MSc, PGDiploma and PGCertificate, when studied by Distance Learning, be accredited for students who graduate in, or before, academic year 2017-18. Accreditation recognises that this programme contributes to the academic requirements for CIWEM membership. 

Following an accreditation visit in February 2011, the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) accredited the Water & Environmental Management MSc as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who join the programme in, or before, academic year 2015-16, and who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) undergraduate first degree. (See http://www.jbm.org.uk for further information.)

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

Sections 3.1 and 3.2 relate to the outcomes from study for the Master of Science (MSc) award. Section 3.3 gives details about outcomes from study to achieve the Postgraduate Certificate (PCert) and Postgraduate Diploma (PDip) awards.

On successful completion of this programme participants should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

  • the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to public health engineering and environmental management and ways to integrate various perspectives in project planning
  • the links between water, sanitation and health
  • key issues relating to pollution control, particularly relating to aquatic environments
  • ways of integrating technical and non-technical considerations into project planning, design, execution and evaluation
  • key issues in relation to effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and replicability in planning public health infrastructure and services with a view to reducing their impact on the environment
  • key issues in relation to social and institutional aspects, particularly for sustainability of water supply and environmental sanitation services that have minimum impact on the environment
  • major international developments and initiatives, relating to some of the above-mentioned aspects
  • current international perspectives on water resources, the principles of integrated water resources management and its advantages and disadvantages in specific situations.

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, participants should be able to:

  • plan, conduct and report a programme of original research (demonstrated in the Research Dissertation module)
  • integrate and evaluate multi-disciplinary information, particularly that which relates to pollution control for the aquatic environment
  • describe basic water supply and environmental sanitation options suitable for low- and middle-income countries, and be able to select appropriate options subject to specific constraints
  • use an interdisciplinary approach to plan appropriate solutions to meet users’ needs and demands for water supply and environmental sanitation. This will include use of appropriate techniques for technical, financial and institutional analysis.
  • analyse water resources problems at regional or catchment level, identify causal processes for water resources problems and suggest possible solutions.
    This skill will include an ability to:

-  assess water availability using rainfall, river flow and groundwater data

-  develop an integrated programme for improving water resource management.

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

None, other than those already implied in the above statements.

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, participants should be able to:

  • demonstrate originality in tackling and solving problems
  • carry out fieldwork for data and information collection
  • use literature critically, assessing it against other evidence, including personal experience
  • analyse and interpret qualitative and quantitative data using a wide variety of techniques, check their validity and make appropriate use of data when writing reports
  • communicate effectively when writing essays and reports. This will include presentation of findings, data analysis and justification of conclusions
  • show basic skills for word-processing on a computer
  • manage time and work to deadlines
  • continue to advance personal knowledge and understanding of relevant current issues, and develop new skills to a high level.

 

3.3       Intended Learning Outcomes for Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) and Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) Awards

 

Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert)
The intended learning outcomes for studies that contribute to the Postgraduate Certificate are best defined by combining the intended learning outcomes of each of the four modules chosen to contribute to the programme (see Section 4.2).  An index list of all module specifications can be found at http://luis.lboro.ac.uk/epublic/wp5016.main?dept=CV&dept2=CV

Postgraduate Certificate students should obtain the learning outcomes listed above (Sections 3.1 and 3.2) for the MSc programme but not to the extent that will be expected of MSc students. However, the learning outcomes arising specifically from the Case Study, Data Collection, Analysis and Research and Research Dissertation are not relevant because these modules are not options for the Certificate programme.

Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip)
The intended learning outcomes for studies that contribute to the Postgraduate Diploma will be the same as those specified above (Sections 3.1 and 3.2) for the MSc programme other than those that relate to the Research Dissertation module which is not an option for the Diploma.

 

4. Programme structure

4.1   

The programme comprises selections from the following modules that are all studied by Distance Learning (DL).

(A different programme CVPT81, also called Water and Environmental Management, allows a mixture of DL and campus-based modules).

 

Code

 

Module Title

Credit

Weighting

CVP251*

Management of Water and Sanitation (DL)

15

CVP252*

Water and Environmental Sanitation (DL)

15

CVP253*¹

Data Collection, Analysis and Research (DL)¹

15

CVP257*

Wastewater Treatment (DL)

15

CVP262*

Environmental Assessment (DL)

15

CVP265*

Water for Low-Income Communities (DL)

15

CVP268*

Integrated Water Resources Management (DL)

15

CVP269*

Solid Waste Management (DL)

15

CVP272*

Low-Cost Sanitation (DL)

15

CVP273*

Water Utilities Management (DL)

15

CVP278*

Case Study (DL)

15

CVP290*

Short Project – Research Appreciation (DL)

[No longer offered]

15

 

CVP295*¹²

Individual Research Project (DL) (One-year option)¹²

60

CVP296*

Research Dissertation (DL) (Two-year option)²

60

CVP297*¹²

Individual Research Project (DL) (Two-year option)¹²

60

CVP298*

Research Dissertation (DL) (One-year option)²

60

 IMPORTANT NOTES:

*  Fully DL module.

¹  Module CVP253 cannot be studied in conjunction with either CVP295 or CVP297, modules which already include some teaching and assignments relating to research skills.

²  The Research Dissertation module was formally called Individual Research Project.

Module CVP290 has now been discontinued but for students who have already studied it, it can contribute to the programme. 

 

4.2    Modules required for each level of the Water and Environmental Management programme are shown in the following tables. 

For the award of Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert), students must choose the following four modules: 

Compulsory modules

(prefix with CVP)

Optional modules

(prefix with CVP)

251, 252, 262, AND 268

No options

 For the award of Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip), students must choose eight modules from the following: 

Compulsory modules

(prefix with CVP)

Optional modules

(prefix with CVP)

 

251, 252, 262, 268 AND 278

Three of the following:

253, 257, 265, 269, 272, 273, [290]³

Notes:

If a diploma student is planning at some later stage to upgrade his/her diploma to an MSc, he/she should to choose to study module CVP253 (Data Collection, Analysis and Research) as part of the diploma because this is a compulsory module for MSc students, who also need to study CVP296/298 (Research Dissertation). 

³  Module CVP290 has now been discontinued but for students who have already studied it, it can contribute to the programme. 

 

For the award of Master of Science (MSc)

a)  Students who started their programmes before January 2013 will normally choose nine modules from the following: 

Compulsory modules

(prefix with CVP)

Optional modules

(prefix with CVP)

251, 252, 262, 268, 278, AND

295/297

Three of the following:

257, 265, 269, 272, 273, [290]³

However a student starting before January 2013 can replace one of the optional modules with module CVP253 as long as she/he also chooses to replace module CVP295/297 with CVP298/296.

 

b) Students starting their programmes in January 2013, or after, need to choose nine modules from the following: 

Compulsory modules

(prefix with CVP)

Optional modules

(prefix with CVP)

251, 252, 253, 262, 268, 278, AND

296/298

Two of the following:

257, 265, 269, 272, 273

 

 

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

In order to be eligible for the award, candidates must satisfy the requirements of Regulation XXI.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification

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