Human society is linked to the nature and its waters:

• Water is a vital resource
• Water resources are exposed to environmental impacts

The water resource management study track promotes sustainable use of water and advances assessment and prediction of the status of the water environment. The objective is to produce quantitative information regarding availability and quality of water as well as hydrological extremes. The curriculum of courses covers computational hydrology and hydraulics, environmental hydraulics and environmentally sound hydraulic engineering, and quantitative water quality assessments within a catchment.

Encountered problems relate to water balance across spatial and temporal scales and impacts of human activities on the quantity and quality of water in its cycle. Assessment of water cycle lies in the quantitative description of water balance components, such as precipitation, evapotranspiration, snow accumulation and melt, soil and ground water flow, runoff generation, and storage and transport of water in channels and reservoirs. Assessment of hydrological and hydraulic processes links to studies concerning water quality, environmental loads to natural waters, sediment and nutrient processes, and ecological systems.

After completing the Water Resource Management study track a student is able to:

• recognize the key thematic components in water resources engineering
• understand the principles of the hydrological cycle and flow of water in natural and constructed environments, including quantitative estimates of the water fluxes
• explain and apply key technical methods (e.g. modelling, statistics, GIS) related to water and environmental engineering
• deal with the uncertainty and different orders of magnitude related to the measurements, data analysis and modeling

After completing the Water Resource Management study track a student:

• is enthusiastic, internationally orientated and has high level of ethics at work
• is able to work as a part of a team, with relevant skills for interaction
• is motivated and has courage for problem-solving

*) The language course is mandatory for those who have not completed a similar course in their bachelor degree in Finland or who have not completed / will not complete a similar course at the partner university. LC-1310 Academic Communication for MSc Students (o,w) is recommended to avoid recognition problems at partner universities. Possibilities to take other language courses fulfilling the compulsory foreign language course requirements at Aalto University must be discussed and pre-agreed with the programme coordinator.

*) The elective course choices must be agreed with the programme director before signing up for the courses.

**) The language course is mandatory for those who have not completed a similar course in their bachelor degree in Finland or who have not completed / will not complete a similar course at the partner university. LC-1310 Academic Communication for MSc Students (o,w) is recommended to avoid recognition problems at partner universities. Possibilities to take other language courses fulfilling the compulsory foreign language course requirements at Aalto University must be discussed and pre-agreed with the programme coordinator.