Flinders University offers a postgraduate suite of courses in Water Resources Management in partnership with the following Australian universities:
- Central Queensland University
- The University of Adelaide
- The University of South Australia
The Graduate Diploma in Water Resources Management is a 36-unit program offered by the School of the Environment within the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
The course articulates with the 18-unit Graduate Certificate in Water Resources Management and the 54-unit Master of Water Resources Management, and the sequentially developed topics allow progression through the three awards. Students who have completed The Graduate Certificate are awarded credit for related topics.
Admission requirements
Applicants who do not hold The Graduate Certificate 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).
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.
* Engineering and Science are considered as relevant fields.
** Relevant experience will need to be demonstrated to an appropriate level and will be assessed at the discretion of the Program Director.
# Professionals with extensive experience working in the water industry who do not meet the academic requirements may be eligible for entry into The Graduate Certificate.
Course aims
The course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to increase the breadth and depth of their knowledge and application of skills in the area of Water Resource management.
The wide variety of specialised coursework electives enables students to create a program of study that meets their individual needs.
Learning outcomes
At the completion of the course, students 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 Graduate Diploma in Water Resources Management, a student must complete 36 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, as outlined in the program of study below.
Students must complete at least 50% o their studies at their home institution.
At the discretion of the Program Director, students may be granted credit* for two elective 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.
At the discretion of the Program Director, students that 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.
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 are required to complete at least 3 topics from streams 1 to 6.
Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.
All the ICEWaRM Universities contribute to the delivery of the core courses. These courses and other specified courses are delivered using Access Grid, an internet conference facility.
*Where a student has successfully completed the exact topic or a topic very similar in the past five years.
Core - Year 1 topics
Select 18 units from the following:
WARM8781 Global Water Systems 2 - Engineering Water Cycle (4.5 units)
WARM8782 Global Water Systems I - Natural Water Cycle (4.5 units)
WARM8791 Water Resources Planning and Management (4.5 units)
WARM8792 Water Resources and Society (4.5 units)
Option - Groundwater Hydrology & Hydrogeology stream [Stream 4]
Select 18 units of topics from the following (at least 3 topics must be taken from the stream offered by Flinders University:
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 Hydrology GE (4.5 units)
WARM8713 Field and Laboratory Techniques in Hydrology GE** (4.5 units)
WARM8720 Research Project Design and Conduct GE (4.5 units)
WARM8722 Sedimentary Processes GE^ (4.5 units)
WARM8732 Geological Processes 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)
Note: Students must consult with the Course Co-ordinator before enrolling in these topics.
^Offered in even years only. ^^Offered in odd years only.
*Topic offered externally
**Topic offered externally with intensive component/s
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 link to Education - Graduate Diploma of Water Resource Management and 'Download Course Timetable'.
Note that at some universities the word 'course' refers to individual topics.