Water and Environment
Water resources are under increasing pressure from overuse and pollution, intensified by population growth and climate change. Finding ways to secure sufficient supplies of water of a quality suitable for drinking and agricultural production while ensuring the stability of ecosystems is crucial.
The two-year MSc programme in Water and Environment at the Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research (SDC) in China will prepare graduates to work professionally with the challenges of:
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reducing and preventing water pollution
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promoting sustainable use of water
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protecting the environment
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improving the state of water ecosystems
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reducing the effects of floods and drought
The demand for this competence profile is increasing worldwide and you will have the option of working internationally.
Study in China
The MSc programme in Water and Environment will take place in China.
In 2012, teaching will take place in Beijing. From 2013, most activities will take place in the House of the Danish Industry Foundation located on GUCAS' Yanqihu Campus in Huairou District, 60 km northeast of Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
The Yanqihu Campus, situated near the beautiful Yanqi Lake, is currently under construction. The building will be designed by
Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects and reflect the high standards of Danish design. The building will be constructed with the greatest possible emphasis on energy savings, environmentally friendly solutions and sustainability.
About the programme
As a student of Water and Environment you will start with courses in the basic disciplines of hydrology, freshwater ecology, applied statistics, nutrient cycling and biogeochemistry, contaminants and ecotoxicology, methods in numerical decision systems and modelling.
In the second semester you will take more specific solution-oriented courses such as water pollution control, soil and groundwater remediation, geospatial ecology, urban water management, global change and integrated catchment modelling.
The programme thus brings together essential courses that equip you to make well-informed decisions in respect to the aquatic environment, land use and ecology.
The teaching is organised in small, exclusive classes in alternation with intensive, practical exercises and excursions over two-three days. You will also do joint projects drawing on courses offered in the same semester. These activities ensure a high level of learning and let you apply research and investigative methods in practice as well as theory.
In the third semester you will specialise your studies through core courses that prepare you for the six months of independent experimental thesis work in the final semester.
All courses and coursework will be conducted in English.
On completion of the MSc programme you will be awarded the title Master of Science (MSc) in Water and Environment.
Structure
Water and Environment is a two-year MSc programme focusing on the following areas:
- hydrology and water resources
- freshwater ecology and eutrophication
- biogeochemistry, nutrient cycling and contaminants
- hydrogeology and groundwater protection
- hydro-eco-informatics and catchment modelling
- water treatment and nutrient reuse
- ecosystem restoration, mitigation and adaptations
- sustainable land use and management
- planning and governance
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Compulsory courses |
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Core courses |
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Preliminary thesis assignment |
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Thesis |
The programme comprises 120 ECTS credits equivalent to two full years of study. In accordance with the current (draft) programme regulations, the programme must include the following elements:
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Thesis of 30 ECTS credits.
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Compulsory courses of 65 ECTS credits. Each course corresponds to 5 ECTS credits.
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A minimum of two core courses out of four corresponding to 10-20 ECTS credits. Each course corresponds to 5 ECTS credits.
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Preliminary thesis assignment of 5-15 ECTS credits.
Core courses and Preliminary thesis assignment must comprise 25 ECTS credits in total.
Career opportunities
With an MSc in Water and Environment you can work within research, administration, consultancy, and project management. Through employment in, for example:
- Engineering consultancy companies
- Manufacturing companies, including companies that manufacture environmental technology products
- Ministries and public administration institutions that set the political framework for the regulation of water and environment and carry out supervisory tasks
- Educational institutions
- Research institutions and companies
- International organisations
- Food and pharmaceutical companies
- Professional agricultural organisations, including consultancy firms
you can contribute to reducing and preventing water pollution, promoting sustainable use of water, protecting the environment, improving the state of aquatic ecosystems and alleviating the effects of floods and droughts.
Admission requirements
To be admitted to the MSc programme in Water and Environment, you must have:
a. A successfully completed Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or higher in a natural science field such as Agricultural Science, Biology, Environmental Sciences, Engineering or Natural Resources. The Bachelor’s degree must as a minimum include basic courses in mathematics, chemistry, biology and statistics.
b. High-level English language proficiency.
The following BSc programmes give direct access to the MSc programme in Water and Environment:
- BSc in Natural Resources, specialisation in Environmental Science
- BSc in Biology
- BSc in Biotechnology
- BSc in Agriculture, Food and the Environment, specialisation in Agriculture and the Environment
- BSc in Geology
- BSc in Environmental Technology
Application and Tuition
Deadline for applications to begin the programme in September 2012 is 1 April 2012.
- Download application form.
Tuition fees are currently under negotiation. It is expected that students who are EU/EEA citizens and are enrolled at a Danish university in a BSc programme that gives access to the MSc programme in Water and Environment when they apply on 1 April 2012 will be exempt from tuition.
Contact
The Danish SDC secretariat
Niels Jensens Vej 2
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Phone: +45 8942 8237 or +45 8942 8238
Email:
More information:
For further information about studying in China and SDC, please visit www.sinodanishcenter.dk.
For information about application procedures and the Water and Environment programme, please contact Jill Archer at
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The Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research (SDC) is a joint project on education and research between the eight Danish universities, the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The overall aim of the SDC is to promote and strengthen collaboration between Danish and Chinese research and learning environments for the benefit of both countries.
The Danish SDC secretariat is located in Aarhus but the Center itself will be located in China at the future Yanqihu Campus (near Beijing) of the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS). The Center will be fully operational in March 2013 and will accommodate 100 researchers from both countries. Moreover, the Center will offer high-quality master programmes for 300 students as well as PhD training programmes for 75 PhD students. Read more on the SDC homepage.
The SDC will be launching four MSc programmes in China in September 2012. The University of Copenhagen is the coordinator of one of these programmes: the MSc programme in Water and Environment. In Denmark, the Technical University of Denmark, Aarhus University and the University of Southern Denmark are also involved in the programme. Successful graduates of this double degree programme will receive a diploma from the University of Copenhagen and a diploma from the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS). |
Kirsten Jenlev, - last update:14 March 2012