Master of Water Resources Management

Flinders University offers a postgraduate suite of courses in Water Resources Management in partnership with the following Australian universities:

• Deakin University
• Central Queensland University
• The University of Adelaide
• The University of South Australia.

The Master of Water Resources Management is a 54-unit program offered at Flinders University by the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

The course articulates with the Graduate Certificate in Water Resources Management and the Graduate Diploma in Water Resources Management, and the sequentially developed topics allow progression through the three awards. Candidates who have completed either of these courses are awarded credit for related topics.

• Admission requirements
• Course aims
• Learning outcomes
• Program of study
  
  

Admission requirements

Applicants who do not hold the Graduate Diploma in Water Resources Management must meet the following requirements for admission:

• completion of a four-year undergraduate degree including honours in a recommended field* (Australian or equivalent); or
• completion of a four-year undergraduate degree in a recommended field (Australian or equivalent) with relevant experience**; or
• completion of a three-year undergraduate degree plus honours in a recommended field* (Australian or equivalent).

*Engineering and Science are considered as recommended fields.

**Relevant experience will need to be demonstrated to an appropriate level and will be assessed at the discretion of the Program Director.

It is assumed that all applicants will have a demonstrated background in mathematics at least equivalent to Year 12 mathematics in Australia (eg Mathematical Studies in South Australia).

International students who speak English as a foreign language must have obtained one of the following standards two years prior to admission:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Test - Band 6.5 with a score no less than 6 for sub-tests; or
• previous successful completion of secondary or tertiary study where English was the language of instruction.

Course aims

The program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to increase their breadth and depth of knowledge and application of skills in the area of water resources management. The wide variety of specialised coursework electives and study options enable students to create a program of study that meets their individual needs.

Study options include further coursework, a research project or an industry project. The industry project has been designed to assist students in becoming professionally aware through quality interaction with industry leaders.

Learning outcomes

Graduates of the course are expected to be able to:

• apply science and engineering fundamentals to solve current problems and to anticipate, mitigate and prevent future problems in the area of water resources management
• recognise and appreciate social, political, economic and environmental impacts on water resources management
• communicate effectively both orally and in writing, the nature of, and solution to, water resources management issues and problems.
  

Program of study

To qualify for the Master of Water Resources Management, a student must complete 54 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, as outlined in the program of study below and in accordance with the following:

• 18 units of core topics;
• 18 units of optional topics* ## (at least 3 topics must be taken from the stream offered by Flinders University);
• 18 units selected from one of the following study options:

       Study Option 1 - Optional topics## [18 units] 
       Study Option 2 - Optional topics## [9 units], Minor industry project [9 units]
       Study Option 3 - Research project [18 units]  
       Study Option 4 - Industry project [18 units]

Students must complete at least 50% of their studies at their home institution.

All the ICEWaRM Universities contribute expertise to the delivery of core courses. These courses and other specified courses are delivered using Access Grid, an internet conference facility.

Students who undertake Study Option 3 or 4 are required to complete the topic WARM8771 Environmental Research Methods GE as one of their optional topics prior to the commencement of, or concurrently with their research or industry project. WARM8771 Environmental Research Methods GE will require students to develop a project proposal. This proposal will form the basis of the proposal required to be approved by the Program Director in the semester prior to commencing Study Option 3 or 4.

At the discretion of the Program Director, students who are able to provide evidence that they have successfully completed a similar postgraduate topic or can demonstrate knowledge through professional experience, will be eligible to undertake an alternative coursework elective in place of a core topic.

*At the discretion of the Program Director, students may be granted credit for two optional coursework topics where students are able to provide evidence that they have successfully completed a similar postgraduate topic previously. Credit will not be granted for core topics.

A maximum of three core topics can be replaced with alternative coursework electives.

Students may be allowed to undertake course elective topics from other university postgraduate programs with the approval of the Program Director.

Students may enrol in the topic Specialised Studies 1 (University of Adelaide), or Hydrology and Water Resources Advanced Topics 1 (UniSA), or WARM8710 Special Topic in Groundwater Hydrology (Flinders), if undertaking a specialised short course or other topic as approved by the Program Director.

Students are required to complete at least 3 topics from Streams 1 to 6.

The 18-unit research project will be offered in four 4.5-unit blocks taken as WARM8760A Groundwater Hydrology Project 1 (4.5 units), WARM8760B Groundwater Hydrology Project 1 (4.5 units), WARM8770A  Groundwater Hydrology Project 2 (4.5 units) and WARM8770B Groundwater Hydrology Project 2 (4.5 units).

Students will be required to enrol in WARM8760A and WARM8760B Groundwater Hydrology Project 1 in Semester 2 of their degree program. Once they satisfy the requirements for entry into WARM8770A and WARM8770B Groundwater Hydrology Project 2, they will be permitted to enrol in the latter project in Semester 3 of their degree program.

Students must consult with the Course Coordinator before enrolling in these research project topics.

Those students who do not meet the entry requirements into WARM8770A and WARM8770B Groundwater Hydrology Project 2 will be required to take additional topics from the optional list.

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.

Core - Year 1 & 2 topics

18 unit comprising:

 WARM8781  Global Water Systems 2 - Engineering Water Cycle  (4.5 units)
 WARM8782  Global Water Systems 1 - Natural Water Cycle  (4.5 units)
 WARM8791  Water Resources Planning and Management  (4.5 units)
 WARM8792  Water Resources and Society  (4.5 units)

Option - Industry project topics

 WARM8776  Groundwater Industry Placement B  (9 units) OR
 WARM8766  Groundwater Industry Placement A  (18 units)
 

Option - Research project topics

 WARM8760A  Groundwater Hydrology Project 1  (4.5 units)
 WARM8760B  Groundwater Hydrology Project 1  (4.5 units)
 WARM8770A  Groundwater Hydrology Project 2  (4.5 units)
 WARM8770B  Groundwater Hydrology Project 2  (4.5 units)

##Option - Year 1 & 2 Groundwater Hydrology & Hydrogeology stream topics [Stream 4]

 WARM8700  NCGRT Australian Groundwater School GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8701  Introduction to Remote Sensing GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8702  Global Climate Change GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8710  Special Topic in Groundwater Hydrology  (4.5 units)
 WARM8711  Soil Hydrology GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8712  Surface Water and Atmosphere GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8713  Field and Laboratory Techniques in Hydrology GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8722  Sedimentary Processes GE^  (4.5 units)
 WARM8731  GIS Modelling GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8732  Geological Processes GE^^  (4.5 units)
 WARM8733  Research and Professional Practice in Groundwater Hydrology GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8741  Fundamentals of Groundwater GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8742  Earth Fluid Dynamics and Modelling GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8751  Hydrochemistry GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8752  Science of Environmental Change GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8762  Field Investigation GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8771  Environmental Research Methods GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8772  Groundwater Hydrology  (4.5 units)
 WARM8790  Geographical Information Systems GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM8798  Image Analysis in Remote Sensing GE  (4.5 units)
 WARM9721  Spatial Statistics and Surface Models GE  (4.5 units)

^Offered in even years only. ^^Offered in odd years only.

Elective - Unstreamed topic

 WARM8761  Public Health Related Aspects of Drinking Water Quality  (4.5 units)

Optional topics from those offered at partner universities may also be taken.

To view options please link to Education - Graduate Certificate in Water Resources Management and select &##39;Download Course Timetable&##39;.

Note that at some universities the word &##39;course&##39; refers to individual topics.