Undergraduate Course: Nuclear Waste Management and Geological Disposal (EASC10139)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines the principles, practice, and policy of nuclear waste management, with a particular focus on deep geological disposal. Students explore how subsurface environments are characterised, conceptualised, and analysed to support long-term environmental safety. Through integrated study of geological interpretation, groundwater flow, and contaminant transport, students develop an understanding of how scientific evidence underpins safety cases, regulatory decisions, and public confidence in nuclear waste storage. The course combines policy, systems thinking, and applied subsurface analysis to reflect the interdisciplinary and professional nature of geological disposal. Lectures and practicals will be supplemented by guest speakers from the nuclear and hydrogeology community - spanning industry, academia, policy, and regulators. |
| Course description |
This course integrates the principles, practice, and policy of nuclear waste management with applied subsurface analysis to provide students with a coherent and practice-oriented understanding of how geological disposal facilities (GDFs) are conceptualised, assessed, justified, and regulated.
The course is structured around the central challenge of managing radioactive waste over geological timescales. Students progressively explore how scientific evidence, geological interpretation, hydrogeological analysis, and societal considerations are combined to support long-term safety and public confidence.
Rather than separating theory and application, the course is deliberately designed as an integrated learning journey. Conceptual understanding, technical analysis, uncertainty evaluation, and ethical reflection are developed in parallel across the semester.
To achieve this the course is delivered through three interconnected strands:
1. A structured lecture and activity-based programme focusing on principles, disposal concepts, and policy.
2. Practical sessions that progressively develop conceptual and numerical models of geologic disposal facilities to explore how the subsurface environment and disposal concepts work together to enable safe disposal
3. Structured synthesis activities including a poster conference and formal debate.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | The course is designed to be accessible to students from a range of degree programmes, including Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geography, and Engineering. No prior experience of numerical modelling or coding is assumed.
Students are expected to have:
- a basic understanding of the subsurface environment (e.g. geology, groundwater, or environmental systems), and
- numeracy skills appropriate to Honours level, including confidence with graphs, simple equations, and data interpretation.
These skills may have been developed through a wide range of prior courses at the student's home institution. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
156 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% coursework
50% Poster and annotated bibliography
50% Subsurface Analysis and Modelling Report
AI tools may be used to identify ideas, key themes, and plan your assessment, but not to generate content. If you use AI, you must acknowledge it in your submission.
On completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate the scientific, regulatory, and societal principles underpinning nuclear waste management, with emphasis on geological disposal and long-term safety cases.
2. Compare and appraise international geological disposal concepts across different host rock environments, including the roles of engineered and geological barriers in achieving safety.
3. Interpret geological and hydrogeological data to develop and justify conceptual and simplified numerical models of subsurface systems relevant to geological disposal.
4. Critically evaluate model performance, assumptions, uncertainty, and scenario evolution, and assess implications for long-term disposal safety and decision-making.
5. Communicate and defend evidence-based positions on technical, regulatory, and socio-political aspects of nuclear waste management through professional formats.
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
| Critically evaluate the scientific, regulatory, and societal principles that underpin nuclear waste management, with particular emphasis on geological disposal and long-term safety cases.
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Reading List
| Reading lists for each topic or thematic area are provided in the LEARN site and through the library Resource List, also accessible through the course Learn page. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course equips students with the technical knowledge and transferable skills valued by employers in the environmental, energy and nuclear sectors. You will develop expertise in critical analysis, problem solving, data interpretation, conceptual modelling, scientific communication, teamwork and evidence-based decision making, while gaining experience of addressing complex real-world environmental challenges under uncertainty. These skills are directly applicable to careers in consultancy, industry, government, regulation and research. |
| Keywords | nuclear waste management,hydrogeology,geology,geological storage,subsurface environments |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Katriona Edlmann
Tel: (0131 6)50 7339
Email: katriona.edlmann@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Sarah Jones
Tel:
Email: sarah.jones@ed.ac.uk |
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