International Land and Water Management (MIL) / MSc

Profile

The MSc programme International Land and Water Management focuses on the scientific analysis of land and water management issues at various scales. An integration of physical, technical, socio-economic and political dimensions in coherent approaches is sought to understand and tackle land and water management problems.
Land Degradation and Development
This specialisation deals with land and water management interventions in farming systems (at both field and watershed scales) aiming at preventing, reducing or recovering losses of soil, water and plant nutrients. Topics covered include erosion processes and the planning, design and socio-economic evaluation of soil and water conservation measures.
Irrigation and Water Management
Students in this specialisation get extensive knowledge on water use in agriculture. Irrigation -from the farm level to the watershed level- is the main focus. Topics include irrigation of agricultural land, design of irrigation systems, improving the social and technical performance of existing farm irrigation systems and practices, and irrigation in its wider water management context.
Integrated Water Management
This specialisation focuses on the integrated management of hydrological features such as catchments and river basins. Integrated water management involves a process of participatory planning, decision making and implementation to achieve sustainable use of land and water resource systems.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of the MSc programme graduates are expected to be able to:
- understand and apply knowledge on scientific paradigms and theoretical approaches to land and water management issues;
- formulate a problem definition, research objective, and research questions, resulting in an adequate research design, in the domain of international land and water management (research design);
- apply appropriate methods and techniques to collect, analyse and interpret data from literature and empirical research in the domain of international land and water management (carry out a research or design project);
- understand and apply interactive approaches with stakeholders and actors at the respective levels for different agro-ecological systems;
- analyse policies and policymaking processes, the institutional contexts and the multi-facetted consequences of interventions in land and water management;
- propose interventions for alternative management systems for land and water issues at local and watershed level;
- have developed a cross-disciplinary attitude;
- function in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams or groups in complex land and water management contexts;
- communicate convincingly their research or design findings in a clear and concise manner, both in writing and verbally, geared toward various audiences;
- reflect critically on personal competences and also on problems, theories and research results in the domain of international land and water management;
- identify the ethical and value-driven aspects of research and intervention strategies, and the various roles of the specialist in the domain.
Specialisation A; Land Degradation and Development
After successful completion of the specialisation Land Degradation and Development graduates are expected to be able to:
- assess and analyse, in a cross-disciplinary manner, land degradation processes and to design, predict and evaluate the effects of interventions;
- analyse and evaluate, interactively with stakeholders, institutional and infrastructural design for land and water management interventions in a cross-disciplinary manner.
Specialisation B: Irrigation and Water Management
After successful completion of the specialisation Irrigation and Water Management graduates are expected to be able to:
- assess and analyse, in a cross-disciplinary manner, different forms of water use and water resources management strategies applied at field, scheme and catchment level by different stakeholders;
- analyse and evaluate, interactively with stakeholders, institutional and infrastructural designs for sustainable irrigation and water management interventions in a cross-disciplinary manner.
Specialisation C: Integrated Water Management
After successful completion of the specialisation Integrated Water Management graduates are expected to be able to:
- understand and apply theoretical concepts that play a role in integrated water management and related policy processes;
- analyse and evaluate from a researcher's perspective, in a cross-disciplinary manner, complex, multi scale and multi stakeholder water issues in catchments.

Specializations

- Land Degradation and Development;
- Irrigation and Water Management;
- Integrated Water Management.

Programme Director

- Ir C.F. Heijmans
Phone: 0317-(4)82770
Email: erik.heijmans@wur.nl or mil.msc@wur.nl

Study Adviser(s)

- Ir B. Bruins
Phone: 0317-(4)83706
Email: bert.bruins@wur.nl
- Ir N.C. Post Uiterweer
Phone: 0317-(4)82916
Email: nynke.postuiterweer@wur.nl
Mil.msc@wur.nl

Programme Committee

Chair: Dr S.M. Visser
Secretary: Dr ir A. Bolding

Internet

http://www.mil.wur.nl/ Chairgroups
http://www.ldd.wur.nl/UK/
http://www.iwe.wur.nl/UK/
http://www.ess.wur.nl/UK/
Portal
https://portal2.wur.nl/sites/BIL-MIL/default.aspx

Study Association

NITOCRA
Email: ilw.nitocra@wur.nl
Website: www.nitocra.nl