Master of Water Resources Engineering (Leuven et al)

The Master of Water Resources Engineering addresses water-related issues in developed and developing countries, with a focus on problems in the latter. The general program objective is to educate professionals and scientists who contribute effectively to the development and management of water resources on both a local and global scale.

What is the Master of Water Resources Engineering all about?

The Master’s program provides multi-disciplinary and high-quality university education in the field of water resources engineering. Students will be trained with the technical and managerial knowledge and skills to:

(i) successfully plan, design, operate and manage water resources projects; and

(ii) advise and support authorities in decision-making and policy-making that enhance the safe exploitation and re-use of wastewater and the equitable distribution and conservation of local, regional and global water resources.

Water Resources Engineering deals with the methods and techniques applied in the study of:

• water needs for agriculture, industry, households, recreation, navigation, hydroelectric power generation.
• problems related to stormwater drainage and flood damage mitigation.
• problems related to water quality in streams and aquifers, erosion, sedimentation, protection of ecosystems and other natural resources.
• integrated water management.
• institutional, socio-economic, and policy issues related to water resources development and management.

Through the choice of 3 elective courses and a specific topic for thesis research, you can tailor your study program to fit your interests.

The IUPWARE program offers a good opportunity to form a solid foundation for anyone aspiring to pursue more advanced studies or a specialized career in the field of water resources engineering. One of the strengths of the program is its nice mix of theory and practice, giving students a complete insight into the topics addressed. IUPWARE also offers an excellent opportunity to meet a variety of people and learn different cultures.

Objectives

A graduate (can)

1. Possesses technical and scientific knowledge and integration skills to advise and support authorities in decision making and the development of policies and regulations to manage water resources, meet the water needs and safeguard the availability for current and future generations.
2. Possesses specialized knowledge of modeling tools and practical skills in running simulations for planning, designing, operating and managing specific water resources systems.
3. Analyse and interpret hydrological data and spatial data for managing water resources and employ measurement techniques to monitor water resources.
4. Understand and analyze institutional, socio-economic and policy issues related to water resources development and management.
5. Understand and analyze problems related to stormwater and flood control, irrigation and drainage, groundwater, water treatment, water quality protection of ecosystems and other natural resources.
6. Interact with other relevant science domains and integrate them to come up with sustainable solutions supporting the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles through an appropriate science-policy interface.
7. Demonstrates critical consideration of and reflection on known and new theories, models or interpretations within the specialty.
8. Plan and execute target oriented data collection or model simulations independently, and critically evaluate the results.
9. Present personal research, thoughts, ideas, and opinions of proposals within professional activities in a suitable way, both written and orally, to peers and to a general public.
10. Function in an interdisciplinary team.