River Basin Management MSc

River basins are of fundamental importance to the world’s population, meaning that research training in water dynamics and management are in high demand by both industry and academia.

Our River Basin Management MSc will advance your knowledge in critical areas like river basin hydrology, whilst offering a broad range of optional topics so you can start building an extensive skill set in the areas that interest you the most. Plus, you’ll also have the chance to focus on your professional development too.

This highly practical course advocates 'learning by doing' and is assessed largely by a variety of types of coursework. We host guest lecturers from business, industry and academia, visit workplaces places and conduct a series of field, laboratory and PC-based practicals. You’ll also have the chance to do a work placement with an outside organisation or an academic at Leeds.

The University of Leeds has a world-class reputation for water-related research and hosts water@leeds, one of the biggest and most productive water research centres in the world; and our Masters degree in River Basin Management builds on that success. This means you’ll be learning about the latest issues and practices in this field, fed directly from our world-leading research.

This means that, once your graduate, you’ll be fully equipped with the relevant and topical knowledge sought after by employers and the technical skill set you’ll need to compete in this industry and pursue the career that you want.

Why study at Leeds:

• Graduate with an MSc from a university that ranks 10th in the world for geography, 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

• Learn the latest innovations in critical areas such as water supply, sanitation, water quality and flooding from our world-leading research conducted right here on campus that feeds directly into the course.

• Advance your knowledge and skills in river basin dynamics and management, and hydrological processes and analysis.

• Tailor the course to suit your career aspirations and explore your interests with a selection of optional modules such as GIS and environment, water quality, programming for geographical information analysis and geographicals data visualisation.

• Conduct your own project work which will allow you to develop skills as a researcher focusing on a real-world problem. Explorethat explores your specific interests whilst gaining professional experience in interacting with external organisations, like environmental consultancies, to complete your project.

• Experience expert theoretical and practical teaching delivered by a programme team who are actively engaged in topical research and are part of River Basin Processes and Management research group and water@leeds.

This course delivers advanced pure and applied education and training in key modern and developing fields of catchment dynamics and management. You'll learn about hydrological processes that underpin all water management, contemporary issues and the skills needed to address these, as well as what employers are looking for and how to get on in your career.

You'll also gain a detailed understanding of the principles of water resource management and an appreciation of the institutional and legal frameworks impacting on river basin management. You'll learn to formulate important research questions and design methodological approaches to answer them; and to develop quantitative analyses skills.

You can choose options from a wide range of water management areas including sanitation, water supply, water quality, environmental assessment, GIS, remote sensing and programming.

Work will be undertaken in a host of ways including field, lab and computer classes, group tasks and independent learning.

You'll interact with external organisations such as environmental consultancies and water companies and ultimately bring all of the skills you have learnt throughout the course together in your dissertation.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork is a fundamental part of river basin management and you'll undertake a two-day residential course in the Yorkshire Dales as well as a day trip to reservoirs and farms in South Yorkshire.

Fieldwork is also a common component of work placements and dissertations.

Project work

The dissertation project is one of the most satisfying elements of this course. It allows you to apply what you’ve learned to a piece of research focusing on a real-world problem, and it can be used to explore and develop your specific interests.

Example dissertation themes for River Basin Management MSc students include:

• Natural flood management

• Water quality

• Stream ecology

• Flood risk assessment

• Agricultural stewardship

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read River Basin Management MSc in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Learning and teaching

Teaching for this Masters course is delivered through lectures, tutorials, fieldwork, lab classes and seminars. You'll also have the opportunity to interact significantly with industry and business.

Our Virtual Learning Environment will help to support your studies: it’s a central place where you can find all the information and resources for the School, your programme and modules.

You can also benefit from support from within the curriculum to develop your academic skills, and through online resources, workshops, one-to-one appointments and drop-in sessions.

Programme Team

The Programme Leader, Professor Paul Kay, is Professor of Water Science in the School of Geography and his research focuses on the impacts of land-use on hydrology and water quality.

The wider team is made up of academics and researchers who are actively engaged in cutting-edge research and part of the River Basin Processes and Management research group and water@leeds.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

Assessment is mainly by coursework. You'll need to show that you can conduct independent in-depth enquiry and evaluate and criticise received opinion. You'll apply breadth and/or depth of knowledge to a complex specialist area and will complete an independent masters-level dissertation.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in geography, environmental sciences, ecological sciences, engineering, chemistry, biology or a related science subject.

Relevant work experience is viewed positively and is taken into account particularly for candidates whose first degree grade is slightly below our requirement. If you’re interested in this programme but are unsure if you have the necessary background, please get in touch with us to discuss your position.

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information please contact the Admissions Team.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component.. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks). 

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. You could study a part-time online course starting in January, or a full-time course in summer. Find out more about online pre-sessionals.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

Application deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

30 July 2023 - international applicants

10 September 2023 - UK applicants

Apply

This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023

Fees

• UK: £12,250 (total)
• International: £27,000 (total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

Scholarships are available.

River basin management is absolutely critical to the needs of society, the economy and wildlife – meaning skilled people in this field are highly sought after to ensure everything from rivers to estuaries, wetlands to groundwater is managed properly.

The specialist skill set and technical knowledge you’ll learn on this course will give you a solid grounding to pursue a career in industry, whether that be working at home or abroad.

Managing water is work that is applicable all over the world too, so the opportunity to travel could also be available to you once you graduate.

Graduates could typically work for environmental consultancies, the water industry, regulators and NGO’s.

Plus, the University of Leeds is in the top five most targeted universities in the UK by graduate recruiters, according to High Fliers’ The Graduate Market in 2022 report.

Careers support

At Leeds, we help you to prepare for your future from day one — that’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers. The University’s Career Centre is one of the largest in the country, providing a wide range of resources to ensure you are prepared to take your next steps after graduation and get you where you want to be.

• Dedicated Employability Officer — gain quality advice, guidance and information to help you choose a career path. From CV and cover letter writing to supporting you with job applications, our School’s dedicated Employability Enhancement Officer is on hand to help maximise your capabilities through a process of personal development and career planning.

• Employability and networking events — we run a full range of events including the School of Earth and Environment Careers Fair with employers who are actively recruiting for roles and a dedicated Industry Recruitment Day, giving you the opportunity to network with industry sponsors. 

• MyCareer system — on your course and after you graduate you’ll have access to a dedicated careers portal where you can book appointments with our team, get information on careers and see job vacancies and upcoming events.

• Opportunities at Leeds — there are plenty of exciting opportunities offered by our Leeds University Union, including volunteering and over 300 clubs and societies to get involved in.

Find out more at the careers website.