Annual Salary
£28,000 to £45,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Hydrologists study rainfall, rivers and groundwater systems to help develop sustainable ways of managing water.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally
There will be
2.4% more Hydrologist jobs in 2027.
As a hydrologist, you could:
Green job
As a hydrologist, you'll develop sustainable ways of managing water. This can have a positive impact on the environment.
Find out more about green careers
You could work in an office, in a laboratory or in the countryside.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.
You can get into this job through:
You'll need a first degree, and often postgraduate training, to get into hydrology. Degrees include:
Postgraduate courses
After finishing your degree, you could complete a postgraduate course. You can find postgraduate courses through the British Hydrological Society.
You'll usually need:
You could apply for an Environmental Practitioner Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship before specialising in hydrology.
This can take up to 5 years to complete and is a mix of learning on the job and studying at an approved university.
You could start as an assistant hydrologist or technical officer, if you have a degree in a science or environmental subject.
Your employer may encourage you to take a postgraduate qualification while you're working, like a master's degree in hydrology.
You'll need to:
The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has information about hydrology, including work on water pollution, flooding and drought.
You can join the British Hydrological Society or Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management.
This could help you find:industry news; advice on professional development; networking opportunities
You can learn about different types of hydrology work through the British Hydrological Society.
You can also find out more about being a hydrologist from The Geological Society.
You could become a senior hydrologist, managing a team of researchers, hydrologists and engineers.
You might also work as a consultant, advising government departments, charities and commercial companies on:sustainable water use; water engineering projects; flood risk management; international development projects and emergency relief
You could also go into academic research or university teaching in your specialist field.
Hydrologists study rainfall, rivers and waterways and are needed in the West of England to advise policy makers on sustainable water use, to investigate the causes and impact of flooding and drought and to analyse water samples for chemicals and pollutants.
There are several different routes you can take to get into working as an hydrologist which you can explore further in the 'Routes into this job' section above.
Click here for an explanation of the different course and apprenticeship levels.
Click here to find a local provider
Click here to search for a local apprenticeship
Click here to search for other university courses
For more local employment opportunities see the 'Live job vacancies by region' section above.
Click here for a profile of Helena Preston, a Flood Risk and Drainage Engineer at Cole Easdon Consultants in Swindon.
You'll need: