The Master Water Technology is a two year programme with a joint degree and encompasses 120 credits. The programme is taught entirely in English and leads to the title ‘Master of Science’.
The MSc is offered jointly by Wageningen University, University of Twente and University of Groningen with education being provided at the Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for sustainable water technology, in Leeuwarden. It starts annually in September.
There are no official specializations within the programme Water Technology. Students specialize themselves by doing a thesis within one of the research fields.
Some examples are:
- Priority compounds
- Virus Control
- Applied water physics
- Desalination
- Concentrates
- Biofouling
- Advanced water treatment
- Algae
- Source Separated Sanitation
- Resource recovery
- Membrane processes and operation for wastewater treatment and reuse
- Sensoring
- Protein from water
- Phosphate recovery
- Ground water technology
- Blue energy
- CO2 energy
During the two year programme students have to complete compulsory courses, as well as a few (restricted) elective courses, an internship of 20 credits, and a thesis of 40 credits.
Compulsory Courses
There are eight compulsory courses for all MSc students in Water Technology:
Water Technologies in Global Context (5EC):
This course introduces students to the demand for water process innovation in an international context. In order to achieve this goal, first students are presented with the current global challenges. State of the art technologies for the production of drinking water and treatment of wastewater are introduced in this course. Main characteristics of these technologies are presented such as influent quality requirements, energy demands, land use, chemical use among others. Furthermore, students are introduced to the scientific research in an active way.
Chemical Reactor Design (5EC):
Students acquire a critical understanding of the characteristics of chemical reactors and conversion processes and the ability to set up a reactor design by means of making and using mathematical models.
Colloid Chemistry (5EC):
This course provides relevant knowledge and understanding of scientific and technological aspects of (mainly) physico-chemical interactions between (bio)colloids and their effects on water treatment processes.
Multi-component mass transfer in membrane processes (5EC):
This course provides a theoretical framework to describe multi-component mass transport and several applications to molecular separations problems, based on adsorption, absorption and membrane separations by means of computer simulation.
Bioreactor Design (5EC):
This course provides students with knowledge of the characteristics of applied bioreactors in (waste) water engineering and with a design approach for bioreactors by means of making and using mathematical models.
Biological Water Treatment and recovery technology (5EC):
This course deals with the most important pollutants and resources in municipal and industrial wastewaters, microbiological technologies to remove and/or recover these pollutants and resources from the wastewater or convert them into energy, illustrated by design cases and by performing a lab-scale practical.
Computational Methods in Water technology (5EC):
Water and waste water treatment processes and their reactor networks have to be optimised to run as sustainable as possible. To achieve this, computer models and simulations are made and improved. In this course the focus is on the mathematical performing of dynamic process simulations.
Business Case Design project (10EC):
In this course, students develop a business case (including a new process design) for a specific water project with the circular economy concept as its starting point. Students work in groups on the business case and write individually a brief review for the involved stakeholders.
Depending on prior education one or more of the following restricted optionals has to be chosen, in close consultation with the study adviser:
- Transport phenomena in Water Technology
- Physical Chemistry in Water Technology
- Water Microbiology
Electives
The individual part within the programme consists of elective courses, which are partly restricted. The programme offers students the opportunity to choose their own profile within the different research themes of relevant chair groups and/or provides in-depth disciplinary and multidisciplinary insights into the fields of chemical engineering and biotechnology, based on mathematics, chemistry, physics and microbiology.
Internship
The MSc internship consists of 20 credits of practical work outside the education and research environment. Students apply knowledge and skills acquired during their study, and also acquire relevant new knowledge, insights and skills through work experience. Students learn to work independently and develop a feeling for the context of the organization. The work has to be carried out at an academic level. Reflection on the practices of the organization and on the student’s own functioning is an important component. Internships also offer students the opportunity to reflect on their career after completion of the studies and to get a sense of the areas of expertise and competences they further need to develop.
Students can do their internship in the Netherlands and/or abroad. There is a huge and diverse group of participating companies in water technology business and quite a number of this group is international-oriented (www.wetsus.nl/entrepreneurship).
Thesis
The master thesis (40 credits) is the culmination of the joint degree aimed at preparing students to do research independently and to combine all acquired skills. It gives them the opportunity to become experts in the field of a topic that fits their personal interests and preferred future career in the area of water technology. Crucial to the thesis is that students show that they are able to critically analyze, discuss and summarize the topic concerned.
For the thesis, students can participate in on-going research project at Wetsus or at the involved universities. A successful completed thesis is seen as a proof of the fact that the student achieved the learning outcomes of the joint degree. The thesis is an individual research project and is a mix of a learning activity and a test of competence of the student. Considering the character of the research projects in water technology, it is possible to do a thesis that involves more chair groups.