Environmental Science and Technology

Structure & contents

This specialization consists of 14 modules covering a total of 12 months, this is followed by a 6-month research and thesis phase. Graduates of the programme will be awarded 106 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits.

• October - April

  UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands
  • Introduction to Environmental Science 1 Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. Make a critical analysis of the global and national agendas and policies for "Water and Environment" in the context of sustainable development;
    2. Identify and describe the major global, regional and local environmental problems;
    3. Identify and describe the basic natural, chemical, hydrological and socio-economic processes in relation to the environment;
    4. Explain basic environmental concepts, such as ecological footprint, feedback mechanisms, ecosystem dynamics, carrying capacity and nutrient cycling.
    5. Apply basic principles of data analysis, statistics, environmental modelling and GIS
    6. Apply the principles of the scientific method to design, develop and communicate a research project
  • Introduction to Environmental Science 2 Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. See under module 1
  • Integrated Project Environmental Science Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. describe environmental quality and identify its main elements and parameters
    2. explain the concept of sustainable development and to discuss its main challenges.
    3. compare and contrast relevant scientific information from a variety of sources and present the findings in a concise report
    4. make an oral presentation of scientific information
    5. statistically analyze, evaluate and present scientific data
  • Industrial Resource Management and Cleaner Production Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. suggest options for preventing pollution within urban and industrial water management settings;
    2. assess the environmental impact of products and processes;
    3. suggest treatment/disposal methods for industrial wastewater from which the value has been taken out;
    4. understand the importance of environmental management systems in the industrial context;
    5. indicate how the sustainable use of resources can be beneficial for reducing environmental burden(s);
    6. analyze the different system tools that support industrial ecology and make basic calculations related to life cycle analysis.
  • Environmental Systems Analysis Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. List and describe environmental systems analysis (ESA) concepts and methods, and in particular the Ecosystem Services framework
    2. Perform a problem analysis and stakeholder analysis for a given environmental system
    3. Perform an analysis of ecosystem functions and services and their drivers of change for a given environmental system
    4. Construct a simple dynamic simulation model of an environmental system
    5. Discuss critically the strengths, weaknesses, missing information, advantages and disadvantages of the analyses
    6. Communicate effectively the methods, results and conclusions of a case study (presentation and written report)
  • Environmental Engineering Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. Describe the basic chemical and biological processes and their engineering in water and wastewater treatment;
    2. Categorize different air pollutants and distinguish the different physico-chemical and biological air pollution control techniques for particulate and gaseous contaminants;
    3. Apply basic thermodynamic principles to determine reaction rates of environmental processes under a given set of operating conditions
    4. Describe the different water treatment methods and with the help of simple examples, evaluate the performance of water treatment plants;
    5. Solve problems pertaining to the design and operation of different environmental systems
  • Environmental Monitoring and Modelling Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. Describe and apply main monitoring requirements and programmes for surface water, groundwater and air, and some common analytical techniques used therein.
    2. Describe and apply the different criteria for successful monitoring of lakes and rivers.
    3. Describe and apply basic Environmental Impact Assessment techniques.
    4. Describe and apply a number of water quality models as a tool in Environmental management.
  • Foreign Fieldtrip and Fieldwork Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. The international fieldtrip is an exposure tour to interesting sites in Europe and is aimed to become familiar with environment-related organisations and companies in Western Europe.
    2. After completion of the fieldwork participants will be able to conduct experimental fieldwork.
  • Aquatic Ecosystems Processes and Applications Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. Conduct laboratory techniques used for basic limnological studies. Specifically, you will be able to measure physical-chemical properties, chlorophyll a concentration in seston and periphyton; measure and calculate primary production and community respiration, measure nutrient concentration and turbidity, calculate and measure ash free dry mass, and perform zooplankton counts.
    2. Develop a research question based on the experimental design.
    3. Analyze data using either statistical or modeling techniques to answer your research question.
    4. Produce a report in the format of a scientific article that presents your research question, the data supporting it, and a discussion of your results, including a review of relevant literature.
    5. Critically analyze your colleagues' work in the form of a professional peer review.
  • Solid Waste Management Elective
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. suggest options for waste reduction at source so as to reduce quantities of waste generated;
    2. choose from an array of options to turn waste into economic goods;
    3. suggest treatment/disposal methods for waste from which the value has been taken out and to make basic calculations related to the conceptual design thereof;
    4. assess the impact of waste and waste management on other environmental compartments;
    5. roughly assess financial consequences of proposed management aspects in SWM;
    6. conceptually develop a solid waste management scheme for an urban area.
  • Watershed and River Basin Management Elective
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. describe the main natural and anthropogenic interactions at a watershed scale; and how they can be aggregated to rive basin scale
    2. describe the role of water in sustaining different land uses, including ecosystems
    3. understand the watershed planning and management approaches, specifically in terms of soil and water management
    4. explain temporal and spatial scales issues in hydrology
    5. characterize the fundamental economic issues in watersheds and river basins and the role of economic valuation of acquatic ecosystem services in watershed and river basin management
  • IWRM as a Tool for Adaptation to Climate Change Elective
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. describe the expected impacts of climate change on water resources and water use sectors in relation to (other) human activities
    2. identify the consequences of the predicted impacts of climate change and climate variability for integrated water resources management
    3. integrate climatic change conditions at different time and spatial scales into (risk) management in the water sector
    4. justify decisions on adaption to the impacts of climate change under uncertainty
  • Wetlands for Livelihoods and Conservation Elective
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. understand the concept of ecosystem functions and services, and means of assessing it;
    2. develop adaptive management for wetlands in response to climate change;
    3. analyse problems and formulate objectives according to the Objective Oriented Planning (OOP) method;
    4. analyse systematically the role that stakeholders have in wetland planning and management;
    5. develop and carry out stakeholder interviews and surveys;
    6. construct a wetland management plan based on the guidelines of the Ramsar Convention.
  • Summer Course - Research Methodology for ES Elective
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. Discuss the latest insights, context and concepts of a contemporary issue of choice
    2. Able to justify his or her research in the context of UNESCO-IHE research lines, personal professional interests and preferably in local, national and regional contemporary issues.
  • Groupwork ES Elective
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. Solve complex environmental problems by integrating the content of the preceding modules;
    2. Make decisions on the basis of a limited amount of information;
    3. Work in a team to solve complex environmental problems
  • MSc Preparatory Course and Thesis Research Proposal for ES Required
    Upon completion, the participant should be able to:

    1. concisely define the intended research topic, state precise aims and objectives, describe the research methodology, argue expected relevance and justification, and identify boundary conditions and self- or externally imposed limitations;
    2. list available literature and replicate main arguments expounded in the literature on the specified research topic;
    3. demonstrate analytical problem-analysis skills and the ability to distil the strategic issues to be addressed in the research phase;
    4. plan the research process in weekly time-steps and indicate essential milestones, targets and indicators, required human, financial and other resources, deliverables and perceived threats and constraints at each stage of the research project;
    5. develop and formulate the research proposal in a clearly written, well argued and convincing report, submitted within a set deadline;
    6. develop and formulate the research proposal in a clearly written, well argued and convincing report, submitted within a set deadline; successfully present and defend individual work, cross-reference it to and critically evaluate it in light of contemporary thinking in a specific field of study.

Tuition & fellowships

Information about tuition fees can be found here.

The following fellowships are recommended for prospective students who wish to study Environmental Science and Technology

• Joint Japan Worldbank Graduate Scholarship Programme (JJ/WBGSP)

  Participants from World Bank member countries can apply for a fellowship from the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Programme (JJ/WBGSP). Please note that the deadline for JJ/WBGSP scholarship applications for the academic year 2016-17 has passed.

  more info: www.worldbank.org

• Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP)

  The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) promote capacity building within organisations in 51 countries by providing training and education through fellowships for professionals.

  The overall aim of the NFP is to help increase both the number and the competencies of skilled staff at a wide range of governmental and non-governmental organisations. You have to be nominated by your employer to be eligible for the fellowship. There also has to be a clear need for training within the context of your organisation. 

  Fellowship application procedure per modality: 

  • For more info about how to apply for a NFP fellowship for a MSc Specialization at UNESCO-IHE click here -  Please note however that the UNESCO-IHE NFP application deadline for MSc programmes starting in 2016 passed.
  • For more info about how to apply for a NFP fellowship for a Short Course at UNESCO-IHE visit the Short Course webpage.

  more info: www.studyinholland.nl

  Tip

  Use the Nuffic Grantfinder to find a suitable fellowship
   

• Stuned Scholarship Programme

  The stuned Scholarship Programme is open for professionals from all over Indonesia who have completed a Bachelor study, in particular educators, government officials, ngo officials and journalists. Stuned aims at a balanced gender representation (minimum 50% women) and gives preference to candidates from less developed areas in Indonesia.

  more info: www.nesoindonesia.or.id

  Tip

  The deadline for applications for a Stuned Scholarship is March 1 for Short Courses and April 1 for Masters Programmes.

Application & Admission

Admission requirements

Academic admission to the Master programmes may be granted to applicants who provide evidence of having:

• a university level Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate field for the specialization, which has been awarded by a university of recognised standing.
• a good command of the English language, if this is not the first language. All non-native English-speaking applicants must satisfy the English language requirements for all UNESCO-IHE's educational programmes.

Working experience in an environment related to the specialization is an asset. At least three years experience is in general preferred.

Application procedure

For admission to the programme please complete the online application form. The link is available at the top of this page. Collect the required documents and attach them to the online application form:

• Certified copies of degrees/diplomas.
• Certified copies of academic transcripts. Authenticated or certified copies are copies with an official stamp to verify that the copies are true copies of original documents. This official stamp may be from one of the following: a solicitor/notary, the educational institution from where the student gained the diplomas or the local council/local authority/local government office.
• Two reference letters, preferably one from a person that can judge students' professional abilities and one from a person that can judge his/her academic abilities. One recommendation letter has to come from the current employer (if available) and another one from the university the student graduated from. Letters have to be printed on company (logo) paper and signed.
• Motivation letter (maximum 500 words explanation why he/she applies for admission to the choosen programme).
• Copy of passport.
• Copy of results of English language test score (if required, see English language requirements).

Please note all documents are required to be in English, or officially translated into English.

Once academically accepted this admission remains valid for three consecutive years. In principle one can not apply for more than one programme per academic year. However, if a student applies for an Erasmus Mundus programme, he/she can also apply for another programme as long as it is not also an Erasmus Mundus programme. Academic admission to the programmes will be granted on the basis of a decision taken to that effect by the Academic Registrar, upon advice of the programme coordinator.

More information

Further questions about the application procedure can be addressed to:

Ms Marlies Baburek
Admission and Fellowship Officer
Email: m.baburek@unesco-ihe.org