UH 066 447 Master programme Water Management and Environmental Engineering

Water is the source for any kind of life. Therefore its protection in quantity and quality is of primary importance for society. Human activities in water use and consumption require interventions and planning regarding balanced and optimized utilization of this limited resource, regulations on the provision of water and consideration of future demands. Critical developments can be caused by the growing global population and the related increase in water demand. Additional impacts are expected due to climate change with associated global warming and regional change of precipitation pattern.

The study program “Water Management and Environmental Engineering” provides knowledge and skills to recognize the environmental and social aspects related to water, to understand the processes of water transport in the environment and its linkages to the environmental systems. Furthermore the technical background for design and development of technical solutions for water supply, purification and sectoral demands is gained. Water related risks like floods and droughts as well as risks related to alpine hazard processes like landslides, avalanches or rockfall are addressed and knowledge for their recognition, prevention and recovery is imparted. . .

The master program offers the choice of a specialization among the water management / engineering branch and mountain risk engineering.The former comprises the field of sanitary engineering, rural water management, hydrology and water management, hydraulic engineering, aquatic ecology, wetland management and waste management. The latter includes mountain hazard processes and related mitigation measures as well as an introduction to integral risk management. Additionally economy and law with some special focus on policies in developing countries are included in the program.

The aim of the curriculum is the education and training of engineering experts with excellent skills in technical planning and a solid understanding of environmental processes with consideration of the interaction between water, soil and atmosphere. The gained knowledge will enable the graduates to develop and enhance the social and environmental well-being of human society by means of sound and sustainable technologies in the water sector. 

Career prospects:

As a graduate of the international master program “Water Management and Environmental Engineering” students gain a wide range of technical, academic and interpersonal skills enabling them to obtain top professional positions at the national and international level.

The possibilities for employment are manifold in the fields of

• private enterprises like planning bureaus, civil engineers and consultancies,
• in public services like research institutions and water management boards,
• in public administration like environmental ministries  and local governments,
• in non governmental organizations (NGO) and development cooperations and
• in international environmental agencies e.g. EU.

Further information:

For the subscription in the master program some basic knowledge in natural science, technical science and hydraulic engineering is required. A bachelor degree in technical or/and natural sciences is required. Some minor deficits can be compensated during the master study by attending basic courses. Details can be found in the curriculum description.