Climate Adaptation Engineering (M.Sc. / P.Grad.Dip.)

Overview

Course Overview

This one-year course focuses on Climate Adaptation Engineering in practice, deriving balanced solutions across engineering and the applied sciences. Candidates taking this course will develop a range of technical and practical skills through the core programme modules and the unique collaborative industry-led climate adaptation research project.

This engineering-led programme addresses the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in its curriculum through the modules and the industry-led research project. The course will advance knowledge and the capacity for innovation in candidates to support climate adaptation through sustainable oriented design and effective management of assets and resources in the built and natural environments.

The need for climate adaptation is a core part of addressing climate change impacts across all sectors. To effectively design and deliver balanced engineering solutions that supports climate adaptation for society, a multidisciplinary programme that can also provide graduates knowledge of climate and data science has been established.
As such, this MSc in Climate Adaptation Engineering will enhance the technical capacity of graduates through an engineering-lens, supplemented by important holistic skills to recognise the economic, environmental, and societal considerations in delivering effective climate adaptation solutions.

Is This Course For Me?

Anyone interested in understanding and addressing climate challenges through the lens of engineering and applied sciences, then this programme on climate adaptation engineering offers you an opportunity to become an expert in the field. The multi- and trans-disciplinarity nature of this programme is reflected in the course content, how it is delivered and how students engage with project-, problem- and team-based learning.

Career Opportunities

Industrial collaboration in this program will be in relation to providing guest lectures to ground fundamentals and theory in professional practice and to support the industry-led research project. A national industry survey was undertaken in early 2023 to collate perspectives of individuals working in the public and private sectors on availability of positions with knowledge and expertise in climate adaptation. 

Graduates from the M.Sc. in Climate Adaptation Engineering will emerge with valuable skills to The join energy and utility companies, local authorities, engineering consultancies and construction bodies, to fill the existing skills gap exists for graduates with expertise in climate adaptation.

Course Structure

The full programme, comprising 90 ECTS credits, takes one calendar year to complete and leads to the qualification of M.Sc. in Climate Adaptation Engineering, a Level 9 award under the Irish National Framework for Qualifications (NFQ) Level-9.

The course runs full-time over a twelve-month period commencing mid-September and completing early September the following year. Formal teaching is divided into two twelve-week semesters, running from September-December and from January-April. By January, students will have chosen their unique, industry-led professional project, and will work closely with an industry mentor and academic supervisor to undertake a project with real-world application.

Course Content

This E3 MSc will be led by the School of Engineering, with core and optional modules offered by the Schools of Natural Sciences (SNS) and Computer Science & Statistics (SCSS). The core engineering modules will provide a technical basis for addressing climate adaptation measures, from conceptualisation to realisation, with SNS content providing a scientific context for how and why the climate is changing and the associated impacts, and SCSS providing a means to deliver data-driven climate adaptation solutions.

Students will take modules that include: Introduction to Climate Adaptation Engineering, Global Environmental Change, Advanced Spatial Analysis using GIS, Introduction to Machine Learning, Climate Adaptation Engineering Challenge, Climate Adaptation for Infrastructure, Civil Engineering for Sustainable Development, Measuring Environmental Impact: Life Cycle Assessment for Engineering Practice, Human Interactions with Biodiversity, and the Industry-led Climate Adaptation Research Project.