Masters Degrees in Earth Science, Netherlands

In the Master in Earth Structure and Dynamics programme, you will explore the composition, structure, and evolution of the Earth’s crust, mantle, and core. During this two-year programme, you will learn to link geological, geophysical, geochemical, and geodetic observations made at the Earth’s surface to physical processes operating within the planet.

The programme combines physics, chemistry, mathematics, geology, and field studies to address how the solid Earth works. It allows you to specialize in virtually any aspect of solid Earth science, ranging from theoretical geophysics to pure geology or geochemistry. Many students choose a combined geology-geophysics focus.

STUDY PROCESSES BELOW THE EARTH'S SURFACE

The main subject areas you will study consist of seismology, tectonophysics, mantle dynamics, structural geology, metamorphism, magmatic processes, basin evolution, hydrocarbon and mineral deposits, and the properties of Earth materials. You will examine processes ranging from slow geodynamic processes – such as mantle convection, plate tectonics, and mountain building – to those that can have an impact during a human lifetime. These include active crustal deformation, seismicity, and volcanism as well as subsidence, uplift, and seismicity induced by hydrocarbon production and geological storage of CO2.

Tracks

You can choose one of three specialization tracks based on your interests in the field:

• Earth Materials: Deformation and metamorphic and igneous processes operating in the crust and upper mantle.
• Physics of the Deep Earth and Planets: An in-depth geophysical approach to understand the deep interior of the Earth and other planets.
• Basins, Orogens, and the Crust-Lithosphere System: Combine courses from other tracks to create a hybrid Geology-Geophysics track

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The programme aims to deepen the knowledge, insight and skills for hydraulic engineering (part of civil engineering), hydroinformatics (a technology discipline) and hydrology (an earth system science).

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The new Joint Erasmus Mundus programme in Flood Risk Management integrates the complementary topics of global changes and monitoring natural processes, modelling their behavior and interaction, formulating the decisions based on interrogation of these integrated models and implementing these decisions in the context of socio-economic and institutional framework.

The subjects covered include hydrology, meteorology, monitoring, hydroinformatics, modelling, various types of flooding (fluvial, urban and coastal), risk management, spatial planning and socio-economic and institutional framework.

The Erasmus Mundus Programme in Flood Risk Management is offered by a consortium consisting of:

•IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (the Netherlands)
•Technical University of Dresden (Germany)
•Technical University of Catalonia (Spain)
•University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

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MSc Water Technology

The Water Technology programme is a two year programme with a joint degree. The programme is offered jointly by Wageningen University, University Twente and University of Groningen with education being provided at the Technological Top Institute for Water technology (TTIW Wetsus), in Leeuwarden

Programme summary

There are a lot of new and existing global problems related to the availability and quality of water for personal, agricultural and industrial use. And these problems require sustainable solutions with a minimal impact on the environment. Water technology has unfortunately not been a focal point of most academic research and education programmes, despite its enormous importance to society. Instead, the expertise of various research groups is usually concentrated on other processes and in some cases, only later dedicated to water treatment in spin-off projects. New technologies will be necessary to develop new concepts for the treatment of waste water. And also for the production of clean water from alternative sources like salt (sea) water, waste water or humid air in order to minimise the use of precious groundwater. These challenges require academically trained experts who can think out-of-the-box and help to find practical solutions in the near future. A dedicated joint Master Water Technology programme has been created to train and educate these experts.

The MSc Water Technology is situated in Leeuwarden, the capital of water technology, and is offered jointly by three Dutch universities: Wageningen University, the University of Twente and the University of Groningen. A combined technological approach, based on state-of-the-art universities in science and technology, will search for solutions to several developments within business and society; with a worldwide impact on the demand for and use of water. One dedicated Master programme with joint degree allows for flexibility and can be adapted to the changing needs of the labour market. Wageningen University offers a strong focus on environmental sciences, the University of Twente on science and technology, and the University of Groningen on fundamental sciences. Students will be educated in the multidisciplinary laboratory of the technological top institute for water technology called Wetsus.

The MSc Water Technology programme specifically targets students interested in beta science and technology. The programme offers a unique combination of scientific insights and technological applications from the field of Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering. This combined approach for problem solving within the global framework of water problems is an asset to the programme. The programme is a valuable addition for postgraduate students with a completed bachelor degree in Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology; or in related fields with a strong knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry and/or biology, and with affinity of water processes. Students are challenged with examples and case studies of real (research) problems that they might encounter as water professionals.

Students apply for the MSc Water Technology programme at Wageningen University, but will be registered at the other two universities as well. They will have access to the facilities of all three universities. Upon the successful completion of the programme, students receive one joint degree MSc Water Technology issued by all participating universities.

Specialisations

There are no official specialisations within the programme Water Technology. Students specialise themselves by doing a thesis within one of the research fields. Some examples are: Priority compounds, Virus Control, Applied water physics, Desalination, Concentrates, Biofouling, Aquatic worms, Advanced waste water treatment, Algae, Separation at source, Resource recovery, Membrane processes and operation for wastewater treatment and reuse and Sensoring.

Your future career

This study domain is becoming more and more relevant due to the urgent need for new technologies to meet global water problems. Water technology for public drinking water production and sewage water treatment is a very large market. Furthermore, the largest use of fresh water is for irrigation purposes. The industrial water supply and industrial waste water treatment also represent a significant market. There is no question that businesses involved in water technology will grow tremendously. Besides this, human capital is a basic condition to guarantee the success and continuity of the development of sustainable technologies. In many EU countries, the lack of talented technological professionals is becoming an increasingly limiting factor. The programme prepares students for a professional position in the broad area of water technology. Graduates have good national and international career prospects in business and research.

Student Stefanie Stubbé.
"Wetsus gave me the opportunity to get personalized education: teachers that take the time for you and fellow students that challenge and collaborate with you at the same time. Water technology is going to be huge in the future; I already experienced that at several companies when I searched for an internship. Although it is sometimes hard work and far away from the "city-life" in the Netherlands; I've never regretted my choice to start this Master!"

Related programmes:
MSc Biotechnology
MSc Environmental Sciences

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Together with its partners TU Dresden and University of Lisbon, UNESCO-IHE conducts the Joint Erasmus Mundus Programme in Groundwater and Global Change - Impacts and Adaptation (GroundwatCH).

Groundwater and Global Change - Impacts and Adaptation seeks to offer a distinctive curriculum built on the cornerstones of hydro(geo)logy, climatology, impacts and adaptation, within a framework of human pressures, global change and feedbacks, around the following academic focal areas:

General Hydrogeology
Groundwater Data Collection
Interpretation and Modelling
Climate Processes and Modelling
Integrated River Basin and Water Resource Management
Groundwater and Environmental Impacts
Groundwater, Society and Policies
Groundwater, Climate and Global Change Impacts and Adaptation

With this curriculum GroundwatCH aims to address the current gaps in higher education with regard to the understanding of the interactions between groundwater, surface water, climate and global change, and how we need to consider and can benefit from these interactions when dealing with adaptation.

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