Testing the water as an MSc student

Testing the water as an MSc student

Considering an MSc in Water and Environment management? Meet Matilda Lee, a recent graduate who took the time to share her course experience. 

What was your course and why did you choose Bristol?

I’ve recently graduated with an MSc in Water and Environmental Management. I was looking to study a Master’s in water-related management, and among all the top universities in the UK, Bristol had everything I was looking for.

The course is technical yet includes modules in policies and regulations on water and environmental management. As Bristol is known for its high-quality education and research, especially renowned for engineering, I was excited and proud to have been offered a place on this course.

What was your research project about?

My dissertation topic was on figuring out if we could predict bathing water quality at Fylde Coast, England. In my study, I investigated how two types of data-driven predictive models, multiple linear regression (MLR) and random forest (RF), can analyse microbial data from routine compliance monitoring, along with basic official environmental data. By comparing these methods with more traditional ones, I wanted to see if they could give us useful information quickly enough to keep people safe whilst entering these waters.

What was your course experience like?

It was an amazing experience to have studied this course with my lovely classmates and be taught by the experts in this field. The lecturers are super friendly, and I must take this opportunity to praise my supervisor, Dr Miguel Rico-Ramirez, for how supportive and encouraging he was throughout my dissertation. The modules are quite intense, but I’ve had a lot of fun learning and developing new skills. This course was everything I was looking for and more.

Did you have any prior experience in this field?

Before travelling to the UK, I undertook a major in Chemistry and minor Psychology which did not include any engineering or water and environmental management focus. My first experience with water came after my undergraduate studies where I was working in an analytical laboratory testing water sample.

At first, I was worried I may struggle without the basic civil engineering knowledge; however, this course is structured perfectly with introductory units. I had no trouble catching up as the modules were designed to help and guide me.

What advice would you give students looking to study your course?

Don’t be afraid to take this course even if you have no experience and knowledge in water and environmental management. The lecturers, personal tutors and supervisors are very friendly and supportive, and they are patient to answer any type of question. The course can be quite intensive as it covers a lot of content within the year, but every piece of knowledge is important to understand – and its great fun to learn!