Water Management and Governance

The MSc programme in Water Management and Governance provides a unique combination of knowledge, skills and competencies to help comprehensively analyze, critically reflect and effectively contribute to solving contemporary water problems. The question of how to balance objectives of social equity with those of ecological integrity and productivity are at the heart of societal efforts to deal and live with water.

In answering this question, science and data are always deeply entangled with particular visions on development, moral world views, and economic or geopolitical interests. This is why the study programme pays explicit critical attention to the definition and workings of authority and power, and to the organisation of democracy in water.

As solutions to water problems always consist of a combination of engineering, institutions and organisations, this programme brings together insights about water quality and quantity - and hence of key biophysical and hydrological processes - with understandings of the infrastructural, political and institutional arrangements to regulate its access, allocation, treatment, use and discharge. Courses on offer thus range from those that are rather technical or natural science oriented (focusing on physical, biological or technical processes) via more skills-oriented modules aimed at acquiring the abilities to 'do' water management and governance effectively (law, conflict resolution, mediation, modelling, environmental assessment) to more interpretive social science courses. Throughout the programme, there is a lot of attention to different ways of integrating these different disciplines and sources of knowledge.

Tailor-made and Thematic Study Profiles

The programme starts with a foundation phase consisting of an introduction to “Who and what make Water Management and Governance expertise?” and introductory modules about Water Resources Management and Water Governance. During this foundation phase the students will, under guidance of a coach, identify their personal learning goals, based on their professional background and career ambitions. Based on these goals, the students will select modules after the foundation phase that fit with their educational needs as part of their tailor-made track.

The tailor-made track modules help to either broaden or deepen the student’s understanding of specific management and governance issues, to strengthen interpersonal and research skills, and to learn how to apply the necessary tools relevant for water management and governance. To some extent modules can be selected from other MSc programmes. Students can also opt for a module that they design themselves, referred to as Capita Selecta, which may include an internship, project assignment or a mini-thesis. Instead of choosing an individual tailor made track, students can also opt for one of the thematic profiles for which specific learning objectives are set and relevant modules are suggested. Currently the programme offers thematic profiles on River Basins and on Urban Waters.