Master of

Water Resources
Engineering
Water Resources Engineering
Water resources engineering deals with methods and techniques to study:

• water needs for agriculture, industry, households, recreation, navigation, hydroelectric

power generation;
• problems related to storm water drainage and flood damage mitigation;
• problems related to water quality in streams and aquifers, erosion, sedimentation,
protection of ecosystems and other natural resources;
• integrated water management; and
• institutional, socio-economic, and policy issues of water resources development
and management.

Scope of the programme

The Master of Water Resources Engineering addresses water related issues in developed
and developing countries, with a focus on problems in the latter. The general programme
objective is the formation of professionals and scientists who contribute effectively to
the development and management of water resources on both a local and global scale.
Therefore, the Master’s programme provides multi-disciplinary and high quality higher
education in the field of water resources engineering. Students will be trained with
technical and managerial knowledge and skills to: (i) successfully plan, design, operate
and manage water resources projects; and (ii) to advise and support authorities in decision
making and the development of policies and regulations that enhance the safe exploitation
and re-use of wastewater, the equitable distribution and the conservation of local,
regional and global water resources.

Research
The Interuniversity Programme in Water Resources Engineering has a long tradition of
research and education in the field of water engineering. Through the cooperation of
the three faculties of the Science, Engineering and Technology Group of K.U.Leuven with
the Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel,
IUPWARE is able to provide all the elements of an sound engineering approach to
the management and exploitation of the available water resources.
Leuven and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
(K.U.Leuven)
Leuven is situated in Belgium at the very heart of Europe, a 20 minutes drive from
Brussels. It is a perfect base for trips in Belgium and abroad. Leuven is an important hub
in the Belgian railway network. In Leuven, cycling is the quickest way to get from one place
to another. Leuven has about 93,000 inhabitants. Add to these the 45,000 post-secondary
school students and it should come as no surprise that the streets are filled with young
faces and that the city lives at a student's rhythm: hectic weeks at the beginning of the
academic year and relative calm during holiday and examination periods. Students are
supported by extensive student services provided by the university and the city of Leuven.
Leuven is a very dynamic city. With a lot to see and to do, you will never get bored.

Founded in 1425, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven) is the oldest

university in the Low Countries. Today, K.U.Leuven is Belgium's largest university,
consisting of 14 faculties and covering the complete range of scientific disciplines in
the humanities, natural science and technology, bioscience and medicine, supported by
about 9,000 staff members. These faculties provide high-quality interdisciplinary education
to more than 37,000 students, 14% of which are international students from more than
140 countries. K.U.Leuven actively promotes collaboration with universities and research
institutions in the League of European Research Universities (LERU), among many other
national and international co-operation agreements.

Brussels and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

Brussels, the capital of Europe. Brussels is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in
the world. The Brussels-Capital Region, one of Belgium's three regions, is also a city with
19 boroughs covering 162 km² and housing a million inhabitants. It is officially bilingual
(French and Dutch), although it boasts an astonishing variety of cultures, styles and
nationalities. Being the capital of an expanding Europe, Brussels is an international city like
no other. 31% of its population is of foreign origin, and this makes for a unique atmosphere
in which cultures interact easily with one another. English is rapidly becoming an important
language in Brussels because of the numerous international political organisations.

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is the offshoot of the French-speaking Université Libre
de Bruxelles (ULB) that was founded in 1834 by a Brussels lawyer with Flemish origins,
Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen. He wanted to establish a university that would be
independent from the state and the church and where academic freedom would reign.
With the act of 28 May 1970, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université Libre de
Bruxelles officially became two separate legal, administrative and scientific entities.
Admission requirements
Direct access:
• Bachelor in de ingenieurswetenschappen
• Bachelor in de bio-ingenieurswetenschappen
• Bachelor in de geografie
• Bachelor in de geologie
• Bachelor in de biologie
• Master in de biowetenschappen
• Master in de industriële wetenschappen

Admission decisions are based upon evaluation of a complete application file:

• Bachelor of Engineering
• Bachelor of Bioscience Engineering
• Bachelor of Environmental Engineering
• Bachelor of Geography

Applicants must have a good command of

spoken and written English. Applicants who are
non-native English speakers should present a
TOEFL score on the written test of at least 550;
and 213 on the computer based test or an
equivalent language test.

Applicants who have already obtained a Master’s

degree from a university in the European
Economic Area (EEA) can be exempted from
60 credits pending the recommendation of
the Programme Committee (see reduced
programme).

Fine-tuning your Programme

Through the choice of 3 elective courses and a specific topic for thesis research,
you can tailor your study programme to your own interests.

The Master of Water Resources Engineering programme is a joint programme of

K.U.Leuven and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, which makes it possible to offer a highly
competitive educational programme firmly rooted in the contemporary research of the
individual participating departments.

The organising departments run numerous projects in developing countries.

These projects provide a good framework for relevant teaching, practicals and
thesis research for the students.
Programme
Master of Water Resources Engineering, 120 credit programme

The 1st year (60 credits) organised at K.U.Leuven is the same for all students. In the 2nd
year organised at the VUB students will be able to design a more personal programme
through their Master’s thesis research (30 credits), the selection of the Integrated project
(5 credits) and of 3 elective courses (5 credits each).

MASTER OF WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING 120 credits

COURSE CREDITS
YEAR-PHASE 1 60
COMMON
• Advanced Mathematics for Water Engineering 6
• Statistics for Water Engineering 6
• Hydraulics 6
• Groundwater Hydrology 6
• Surface Water Hydrology 6
• Irrigation Agronomy 6
• Aquatic Ecology 6
• Water Quality Assessment Monitoring & Treatment 6
WORKSHOP I: HYDROLOGICAL DATA PROCESSING AND GIS 6
WORKSHOP II: HYDROLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS & REMOTE SENSING 6

YEAR-PHASE 2 60
COMMON ADVANCED COURSES 10
• Systems Approach to Water Management 5
• Social Political Institutional Economic and Environmental
Aspects of Water Resources 5
ELECTIVE COURSES: DETAILED AND SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE
IN WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING AND MODELLING 15
• Groundwater Modelling 5
• Soil Water Modelling 5
• Irrigation Design and Management 5
• Surface Water Modelling 5
• River Modelling 5
• Urban Hydrology and Hydraulics 5
• Advanced Aquatic Ecology 5
INTEGRATED PROJECT IN WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING 5
• Integrated Project: Humid Climate Case Study 5
• Integrated Project: Arid Climate Case Study 5
MASTER’S THESIS RESEARCH PROJECT 30
Master of Water Resources Engineering, 60 credit reduced programme

Applicants with a Master’s degree in agricultural, civil or environmental engineering or

equivalent from an EEA university can apply for the reduced Master’s programme and be
exempted of maximum 60 credits. Applicants should have obtained an equivalent of 60 or
more relevant credits in their previous education. The relevance refers to mathematical,
statistical and/or chemical techniques, data processing tools, knowledge in one or more
aspects of water resources engineering and conducting Master’s research.
Applications are evaluated on an individual basis.

REDUCED PROGRAMME 60 credits

COURSE CREDITS
COMMON ADVANCED COURSES 10
• Systems Approach to Water Management 5
• Social Political Institutional Economic and Environmental aspects
of Water Resources 5

ELECTIVE COURSES 25
A number of elective courses for an equivalent of 25 ECTS from phase 1
and/or 2 have to be selected. The selection should be complementary to
previous training and based on personal interest, and has to be approved
by the Programme Committee 25

INTEGRATED PROJECT IN WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING 5

The student selects one of the integrated projects
• Integrated Project: Humid Climate Case Study 5
• Integrated Project: Humid Climate Case Study 5

MASTER’S THESIS RESEARCH PROJECT 20

• Complementary Thesis Research Project Water Resources Engineering 20

For detailed descriptions of this programme's courses and for the course timetable,
please consult www.iupware.be
Career possibilities
Career possibilities in the water sector are excellent. The water sector proves to be a stable
employment environment with a continually rising need for highly educated professionals.
Graduates from the programme will deal with the exploitation and management of water
resources and to a lesser extent in education and research. The employment of graduates
of the Master of Water Resources Engineering is therefore both seen at the professional
and academic level. Training at academic level means that the future lecturers and
researchers are trained, so that a multiplicator effect can be achieved in many countries.

Government agencies, drinking water companies, etc play a decisive role in the management
of present and future challenges for aquifers and river basins. They need well-trained water
professionals. Graduates may also be employed by private companies, such as consultancy
agencies and industrial firms. Furthermore, many graduates find a job in non-governmental
organisations.

The IUPWARE programme offered me a good opportunity to learn

the field's different facets: ranging from irrigation and drainage,
to surface and groundwater hydrology, to the use of hydrologic and
hydraulic models, and applications of GIS and remote sensing.
This forms a solid foundation if one wants to pursue more advanced
studies or a career under a more specific topic in the field of water
resources engineering.
One of the strengths of the programme is its nice mix of theory and
exercises, giving students a more complete insight into the topics.
Some of the exercises were conducted in groups providing us a
good training for the real-life scenario of working within a team.
Aside from the technical aspects, IUPWARE also offers an excellent
opportunity to meet a variety of people and learn different cultures
as the population is very international. During my time, the class was
composed of students coming from about 10 different countries.
More information
www.iupware.be

Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
tel. +32 16 32 17 44
greta.camps@biw.kuleuven.be

Grant Assistance for International Students

Flemish Interuniversity Council
VLIR-UOS
t +32 2 289 05 50
www.vliruos.be

This brochure provides the most complete information available for this Master's programme offered by K.U.Leuven
and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel during the 2010-2011 academic year. However, small changes to the composition of
the programmes may be approved after the publication of this brochure. In no way is the university legally bound by
the information provided in this brochure.

Last updated: March 2010

Copyright: D/2010/1082/24