The course focuses on developing the professional skills required for a rewarding career as water focused environmental scientist. The importance of accurate assessment of the potential and existing impacts on the water environment from industrial practices, abstraction and agriculture sit at the heart of this course. This master’s degree focuses on developing the professional skills and advanced knowledge required for a rewarding career as water focused environmental scientist. Knowledge is assessed throughout the course through a combination of formative methods (to provide you with constructive feedback to help you develop your skills and understanding) and summative methods (to assess your performance). Formative assessment takes the form of feedback on essays, reports, presentations and the research project, and is stressed from the beginning of the course. Formative assessment is delivered in part through informal assessment of work that does not contribute directly to your results (e.g. class debriefings on oral presentations). Summative assessment takes the form of unseen and open-book examinations and tests, presentations, project work and coursework. On completing the course, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: the importance of environmental concepts, terms, principles and methods, and the need for multi- and interdisciplinary approaches; the value of a holistic approach to environmental science by using techniques and ideas in different subject disciplines; the socio-economic context of environmental issues and the legal framework through which environmental regulation is facilitated; and current issues, paradigms and approaches within a specialist subject area of the environmental sciences. The PG Diploma and PG Certificate are exit points only and are not standalone qualifications.