We offer two qualifications in this area:

• MSc in Air Pollution Management and Control
• Postgraduate Diploma in Air Pollution Management and Control

The full-time MSc course runs over a 12-month period, starting in October. The taught modules are delivered in the Autumn and Spring terms, while the summer months focus on the major research project. The full-time Postgraduate Diploma (taught modules only) lasts nine months, from October through to June of the following year. 

Both courses are also available on a part-time basis, running over two years.

Taught Modules

The course represents 120 credits in total :

• Causes and Effects of Air Pollution
  The sources, behaviour and fates of air pollutants, and their impact on human health, the built environment, ecosystems and global climate are described in this module. The module also addresses the use of emission inventories, methods and procedures for air pollutant measurement, and integration of these to give effective monitoring networks. Current and future developments in road vehicle technologies are covered, and the process of defining emission standards is studied.
• Theoretical Meteorology: Atmospheric Physics and Composition
  This course reviews the basic nature of the atmosphere in terms of its overall physical properties and chemical composition; introduces a range of physical laws relevant in meteorology such as the first law of thermodynamics and the equation of state; reviews cloud microphysics and cloud formation processes as they relate to atmospheric thermodynamics; and introduces the basic radiation laws and radiative transfer processes in the atmosphere.
• Small-scale and Air Pollution Meteorology
  This course explains how the temperature structure and motion of the atmosphere determines the dispersion of air pollutants. Air pollution modelling techniques are also introduced.
• Air Pollution Chemistry
  The basic principles that determine the composition of the atmosphere are introduced and the processes leading to the formation and removal of atmospheric pollutants are described. There is a focus on the chemistry of air pollution phenomena such as urban air pollution (including photochemical smog and ozone formation), acid rain and stratospheric ozone depletion, in the context of changing climate.
• Air Pollution Management and Control Technology

  Students will study the policy and institutional framework for the management of air quality, and the monitoring of air pollutants for compliance and the role of air pollutant emission reduction strategies. External experienced consultants will be invited to teach how to use air quality management models for resolving real-world management issues. This module will also introduce the basic principles and design criteria for the engineering control of air pollutant emissions, from sources ranging from power plants to individual vehicles. Removal technologies of both particulate and gaseous contaminants are included. This module is taught in the context of the Clean Air Strategy.

• Carbon Management 
  Carbon Management is an increasingly important consideration for individual organisations through to national governments, with recognition that responsible management and sustainable development require minimising carbon emissions where feasible. This module provides an introduction to all aspects of carbon management. Topics covered include the overall scientific context of the global carbon cycle, global policy aspects (Kyoto, Copenhagen and current UK / EU targets), carbon offsetting and emissions trading, the impact of changing energy sources (biofuels and renewable energy resources, including impacts on air quality) and local carbon management, with a focus on the techniques used by local authorities and individual organisations. The module concludes with a realistic review of the likely near-future global emissions trajectory, considering economic trends in the BRIC nations, and the scope for renewable energy on a national level.

• Air Quality Data Analysis and Interpretation

  This module aims to provide students with skills necessary for the collection, processing and analysis of air quality data sets. The statistical software packages R will be taught in this module. The OpenAir software package will be taught for advanced air quality data analysis and interpretation.

Research Component

The research component of the course comprises an individual research project into an area of the students’ choice (60 credits).

Research project

The Research Project allows you to explore an area of air pollution of your choosing to develop an in-depth understanding.  Projects may involve laboratory experiments, field measurements of atmospheric composition, computer-based modelling studies or analysis of existing atmospheric data.  You will have access to the School’s research and laboratory facilities and atmospheric measurement instrumentation, and also frequently draw upon external links and data sources (for example, through local authority air quality monitoring).

You are able to select your own research project topic, and will be supervised on a one-to-one basis by a member of staff with relevant expertise and/or research interests.  Projects usually involve a design and planning phase (Jan – March) followed by the main research phase during spring / summer. The project is assessed through a written dissertation and an informal viva (oral examination). 

Examples of recent projects include:

• A preliminary investigation into how the introduction of the London low emission zone has affected PM10 levels as measured along the Marylebone Road
• Assessment of ozone levels and meteorological effects in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
• Characterisation of vehicle exhaust emissions using remote sensing technology
• An ADMS-based investigation into particulate dispersal in the vicinity of the Scunthorpe steelworks
• Changes to levels of particulate air pollution in hospitality premises across Newcastle following the introduction of the smoke-free England legislation
• An analysis of the May 2008 ozone pollution episode in the West Midlands
• An investigation of airborne ammonia concentrations at two contrasting locations in the West Midlands conurbation
• The atmospheric role of methyl iodide in the continental boundary layer
• The chemistry of HOx radicals and HONO within a street canyon – A modelling study
• Evaluation of ADMS-roads in rural street canyons
• Spatial and temporal variation of ozone in Hong Kong and its effect on the surrounding human population
• Is air quality measured to best effect in the Sparkhill area of Newcastle?
• The effect of ambient particulate matter levels in the UK on visibility