Hydro engineers are essential professionals who help capture and distribute hydropower to local areas. Many professionals pursue this type of career to make a lasting impression on the energy industry and often want to help reduce the environmental effects experienced by other electrical power sources.

Program Description

Hydro Engineering is the engineering science that manages and controls hydro-power resources using engineering or non-engineering techniques based on the study of the natural characteristics of the water. The technical domains of hydrology, hydraulics, water resources engineering, and environmental fluid dynamics are the emphasis of hydro engineering . Hydro Engineering is chiefly concerned with the flow and storage of water. Hydrological engineering also focuses on preventing floods and lessening the effects of floods, droughts, and other natural disasters. 

Hydro Engineering, belonging to the water conservancy project, is the discipline that studies the major technological problems directly related to hydropower engineering safety, progress, and investment in the surveying, design, construction, and operation management of water conservancy and hydropower engineering, such as high dam design theory and method, high dam construction technique, high and steep slope reinforcement physical simulation, new technology of hydraulic structure monitoring (especially the technology of optical fiber monitoring and CT), dynamic interaction of hydraulic structure foundation and the base seismic wave input research, dynamic coupling research of dam and reservoir water, the strength of the earthquake damage mechanism research, material properties, multi-axial high-performance concrete dam, earthquake, and random dam research on the reliability of hydraulic structure and seismic analysis, etc.

Levels of study

Hydro engineering can be studied at the bachelor, master, and PhD levels.

Bachelor of Science in Hydro Engineering is a 4-year undergraduate degree. Bachelor's degree programs in hydro engineering may include courses in hydrology and hydraulic engineering that teach students about the issues associated with designing around groundwater, fractured soil, dams, and spillways. Some programs may offer a concentration specifically in fluid mechanics and hydraulic engineering. Students often take part in hands-on lab work and are required to complete an internship or work experience. Students learn to draft water redistribution systems, design hydraulic systems, control pollution, and mitigate environmental damage. Because this field is based on the practical application of learned skills, programs have internship opportunities and involve an important amount of lab work. Applicants are expected to have completed high school.

Students interested in learning about hydraulic engineering at the graduate level can consider earning a master's degree in hydro engineering. These 2-year programs are available in thesis and non-thesis formats, though non-thesis programs may require students to complete a research or design project instead. Applicants are often required to hold a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field.

PhD gives students the knowledge in design and calculation justification of hydraulic structures, building structures, mechanical equipment, equipment for hydroelectric power plants, nuclear power plants, and pipelines. Substantiation of the strength and reliability of dams, hydroelectric units of HPPs, together with equipment for static, thermal, and dynamic loads. A master's degree in a related specialty is required.

The best choice

According to the rating of the Best universities of QS, one of the best universities hosting programs for the study of hydropower are Oxford University, Delft University of Technology, and Imperial College London. All these universities offer very high-quality education, as well as guaranteed employment. Excellent students are provided with scholarships and other types of funding.

Future career

This study program allows students to pursue work as hydrological engineers and hydrologists upon program completion. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the most popular industries for hydrologists in 2018 included architectural, engineering, and related services and federal, state, and local government.