Postgraduate Diploma in SUDS Sizing and Water Quality Control
800-hour online Postgraduate Diploma in SUDS Sizing and Water Quality Control. 8 modules covering CIRIA C753 (The SuDS Manual), EN 752 (external drainage and sewerage systems) and EPA SWMM. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Apply urban hydrology to calculating SUDS design flows.
Select SUDS typologies according to site criteria.
Hydraulically size infiltration, retention and conveyance elements.
Characterise urban runoff pollution.
Explain the treatment processes that take place in SUDS.
Model water quantity and quality in SUDS systems.
Design a control and monitoring plan for a SUDS system.
Who it's for
- Sustainable drainage engineer seeking to specialise in SUDS Sizing and Water Quality Control.
- SUDS designer seeking to specialise in SUDS Sizing and Water Quality Control.
- Runoff quality technician seeking to specialise in SUDS Sizing and Water Quality Control.
- Urban hydrological modeller seeking to specialise in SUDS Sizing and Water Quality Control.
- Stormwater management consultant seeking to specialise in SUDS Sizing and Water Quality Control.
- Municipal water cycle technician seeking to specialise in SUDS Sizing and Water Quality Control.
- Graduates in engineering or science seeking to enter hydraulic engineering and consultancy.
What you'll work with
- CIRIA C753 (The SuDS Manual)
- EN 752 (external drainage and sewerage systems)
- Royal Decree 849/1986 (Regulations of the Public Hydraulic Domain)
- Directive 91/271/EEC (urban wastewater, overflows)
- Instruction 5.2-IC (surface drainage)
- CTE DB HS 5 (drainage of water)
- Directive 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive)
8 modules · 800 h
1.1Urban hydrological cycle and imperviousness1.2IDF curves and design storms1.3Return periods and service levels1.4Rational method and runoff coefficients1.5Unit hydrograph and SCS method1.6Water quality capture volumes (WQV)1.7Design rainfall: alternating blocks1.8Royal Decree 665/2023 and stormwater management1.9Reference guidance: CIRIA C7531.10Workshop: calculating the capture volume of a plot
2.1Green and blue roofs2.2Permeable pavements2.3Infiltration and filter trenches2.4Green swales and filter strips2.5Bioretention areas and rain gardens2.6Detention basins and ponds2.7Constructed wetlands2.8Treatment train and cascade management2.9Selection by soil, slope and groundwater level2.10Practice: SUDS selection matrix for a neighbourhood
3.1Permeability tests and infiltration rates3.2Storage and drawdown calculation3.3Sizing permeable pavements3.4Bioretention: filter media and ponding depth3.5Orifices, weirs and flow restrictors3.6Stage–volume–discharge curves3.7Drawdown times and safety3.8Overflows and emergency spillways3.9Spreadsheets and design software3.10Laboratory: sizing an infiltration trench
4.1First flush and initial washoff4.2Pollutants: solids, metals, hydrocarbons, nutrients4.3Event mean concentration (EMC)4.4Microplastics and emerging contaminants4.5Pollutant loads by land use4.6Water Framework Directive and water body status4.7Directive 2024/3019 on urban wastewater4.8CIRIA pollution hazard index4.9Combined sewer overflows (CSOs)4.10Case study: estimating loads from an urban catchment
5.1Sedimentation and settling velocity5.2Filtration and adsorption in media5.3Biological processes and phytoremediation5.4Nitrogen and phosphorus removal5.5Heavy metal retention5.6Substrate mixes and amendments5.7Removal efficiencies by typology5.8Hydrocarbon separators5.9Aquifer contamination risk5.10Practice: designing the filter media of a bioretention cell
6.1SWMM: LID module6.2Modelling build-up and washoff6.3MUSIC and water quality tools6.4Calibration with field data6.5Continuous versus event-based simulation6.6Rainfall time series analysis6.7Assessing compliance with objectives6.8Uncertainty in water quality parameters6.9Presenting results6.10Laboratory: SWMM model with LID controls
7.1Designing sampling campaigns7.2Automatic samplers and flow meters7.3Continuous sensors: turbidity and conductivity7.4Laboratory analysis and parameters7.5Construction quality control on site7.6Acceptance and infiltration testing7.7Long-term performance indicators7.8Clogging and loss of efficiency7.9Monitoring databases7.10Case study: monitoring plan for a flood park
8.1Catchment analysis and constraints8.2Quantity and quality objectives8.3Selecting the treatment train8.4Hydraulic sizing8.5Treatment design and substrates8.6Modelling and verification8.7Quality control and maintenance plan8.8Budget and construction phases8.9Report and presentation8.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Training 100 % online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine the programme with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is EPA SWMM, InfoDrainage, MIKE URBAN, HEC-HMS, QGIS, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real procedures for in-situ infiltration tests, flow and quality monitoring in SUDS, and urban runoff sampling. Assessment is continuous per module, plus the final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Apply urban hydrology to calculating SUDS design flows.
Select SUDS typologies according to site criteria.
Hydraulically size infiltration, retention and conveyance elements.
Characterise urban runoff pollution.
Explain the treatment processes that take place in SUDS.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. A university degree is not required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient Spanish to follow technical regulatory reading.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme comprises 800 total hours spread over 6 to 8 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with full-time work.
The programme uses EPA SWMM, InfoDrainage, MIKE URBAN, HEC-HMS and QGIS. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An SEIUM own diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrative project. It is in-house training, not an official title from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are credited towards the advanced programme. Check the credit transfer policy when you enrol.
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