M.Sc. Integrated Water Resources Management

M.Sc. IWRM - Non Thesis Option (45 credits)

One year Master of Science in Integrated Water Resources Management (Non-Thesis).

NOTE: Application deadlines for Canadian and International Students: 

Canadian Students	International Students
Fall term 2013: June 30	Fall term 2013: April 30
Winter term 2014: November 15, 2013	Winter term 2014: September 30, 2013

This non-thesis Master’s in IWRM is offered by the Department of Bioresource Engineering. In this program students are offered the unique opportunity to study the various biophysical, environmental, legal, institutional, and socio-economic aspects of water use and management in an integrated context. The integrated perspective ensures that social, economic, environmental as well as technical dimensions are all taken into account in the management and development of water resources. This is a one-year, non-thesis program that leads to the Master of Science in Integrated Water Resources Management degree.

In the program interdisciplinary knowledge is emphasized, and a broad perspective of water resources management issues is promoted through a wide range of courses offered by collaborating departments and faculties at McGill University. Candidates are required to have a Bachelor's degree but this does not need to be an engineering degree. Non-engineering students are encouraged to apply. Note that students have been admitted into the program with undergraduate degrees in geography, international development studies, sociology, anthropology, mathematics, environmental studies, biology, natural resources management, and engineering among others.

In order to expedite the registration procedure, candidates who are interested in enrolling in the IWRM non-thesis M.Sc. program should first contact jan [dot] adamowski [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Dr. Jan Adamowski) or wietske [dot] medema [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Dr. Wietske Medema). To then apply to the program, click on: "How to Apply to the Graduate Programs" on the menu on the left. Note that the faculty-level administrative person in charge of non-thesis applications is christiane [dot] trudeau [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Christiane Trudeau). You can contact her for help during the application procedure.

Structure

Students usually start in September and finish by the end of the following August. The program comprises three sections:

• September to December: graduate level courses
• January to April: graduate level courses, site visits and preparation for summer internship
• May to August: summer internship and related project research paper

Internships

The 13-credit internship is a central feature of this Master’s program. The internship may be done in collaboration with a former employer or other contact the student may have. Alternatively, the internship coordinator will aid the student in finding an internship. The internship requires a student to work with a consulting firm or other government or NGO organization. Students are supervised by both the host organization and an academic supervisor from McGill. The related 6-credit project research paper takes the internship work and explores it in a more holistic manner.

These internships may be either paid or unpaid, and are available globally. To date, students have completed internships all over the world at organizations such as:

• Watershed organizations
• NGOs
• Water utilities (e.g., City of Montreal)
• Water resources engineering consulting firms
• Universities (e.g., Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University)
• Provincial and federal government agencies (e.g., International Joint Commission, Environment Canada)
• International institutions (UNESCO)

Courses

Term 1. Fall Semester

1. BREE 510 Watershed Systems Management 3 Credits

   Offered in the:
   • Fall
   • Winter
   • Summer

   
   

   Bioresource Engineering: A holistic examination of methods in watershed management with a focus on integrated water resources management (IWRM). Topics include: integration, participatory management, water resources assessment, modeling, planning, adaptive management, transboundary management, and transition management.

   Offered by: Bioresource Engineering

   • (3-2-4)
   • Restrictions: U3 students or above.
   • Note: Case studies and a project.

   • Terms
     • Fall 2013
   • Instructors
     • Jan Adamowski
2. Graduate level elective course (3 credits)
3. BREE 651 Departmental Seminar M.Sc. 1 1 Credits

   Offered in the:
   • Fall
   • Winter
   • Summer

   
   

   Bioresource Engineering: To give seminars and participate in discussions.

   Offered by: Bioresource Engineering

   • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 651.

   • Terms
     • Fall 2013
     • Winter 2014
   • Instructors
     • Viacheslav Adamchuk, Marie-Josee Dumont
     • Viacheslav Adamchuk
4. BREE 503 Water: Society, Law and Policy 3 Credits

   Offered in the:
   • Fall
   • Winter
   • Summer

   
   

   Bioresource Engineering: Water and society and the ramifications at the local, national and international scales with respect to legal and public policy issues related to, for example, drinking water quality, transboundary water management, public involvement, First Nations, agriculture, governance, and institutions relevant to the management of water resources.

   Offered by: Bioresource Engineering

   • Fall
   • Restrictions: Only open to students in the Master of Science in Integrated Water Resources Management Program, or other graduate students by permission of the instructor. Not open to students who have taken NRSC 512.

   • Terms
     • Fall 2013
   • Instructors
     • Murray Clamen
5. Graduate level elective course (3 credits)

Total (Fall Semester) 13 credits

 

Term 2. Winter Semester

1. PARA 515 Water, Health and Sanitation 3 Credits

   Offered in the:
   • Fall
   • Winter
   • Summer

   
   

   Parasitology: The origin and types of water contaminants including live organisms, infectious agents and chemicals of agricultural and industrial origins. Conventional and new technological developments to eliminate water pollutants. Comparisons of water, health and sanitation between industrialized and developing countries.

   Offered by: Parasitology

   • Terms
     • Winter 2014
   • Instructors
     • Timothy Geary
2. BREE 652 Departmental Seminar M.Sc. 2 1 Credits

   Offered in the:
   • Fall
   • Winter
   • Summer

   
   

   Bioresource Engineering: To give seminars and participate in discussions.

   Offered by: Bioresource Engineering

   • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 652.

   • Terms
     • Fall 2013
     • Winter 2014
   • Instructors
     • Viacheslav Adamchuk, Marie-Josee Dumont
     • Viacheslav Adamchuk
3. BREE 655 IWRM Research Visits 3 Credits

   Offered in the:
   • Fall
   • Winter
   • Summer

   
   

   Bioresource Engineering: Class visits to various firms and agencies working in the realm of integrated water resources management.

   Offered by: Bioresource Engineering

   • Restriction(s): Open only to students in the Non-thesis IWRM program.
   • Visits occur in alternate weeks; each visit is followed by research and submission of a written report.

   • Terms
     • Winter 2014
   • Instructors
     • Jan Adamowski
4. Graduate level elective course (3 credits)
5. Graduate level elective course (3 credits)

Total (Winter Semester) 13 credits

 

Term 3. Summer Semester

1. BREE 630 IWRM Internship 13 Credits

   Offered in the:
   • Fall
   • Winter
   • Summer

   
   

   Bioresource Engineering: Placement in a government, or private sector agency for 13 weeks of full-time work on an integrated water resource management project (35 hours per week). Student shall be responsible for defining a mandate, then performing and reporting on the work/research performed. This course is now to be offered both in the Winter semester (new) and the Summer semester (current).

   Offered by: Bioresource Engineering

   • Prerequisites: BREE 510 and BREE 655
   • Corequisite: BREE 631
   • Restriction: Open only to students enrolled in the Non-Thesis IWRM program

   • Terms
     • Winter 2014
   • Instructors
     • Jan Adamowski
2. BREE 631 IWRM Project 6 Credits

   Offered in the:
   • Fall
   • Winter
   • Summer

   
   

   Bioresource Engineering: To broaden the scope of the IWRM internship experience (BREE 630) in the form of a research paper or 'plan of action' that expands on the water resources management problem(s) or issue(s) examined in the internship. This course is now to be offered both in the Winter semester (new) and the Summer semester (current).

   Offered by: Bioresource Engineering

   • Prerequisites: BREE 510 and BREE 655
   • Corequisite: BREE 630
   • Restriction: Open only to students enrolled in the Non-Thesis IWRM program

   • Terms
     • Winter 2014
   • Instructors
     • Jan Adamowski

Total (Summer Semester) 19 credits

 

Total 45 credits

 

Note: Examples of possible graduate level elective courses

• Department of Geography
• McGill School of Environment
• Faculty of Engineering
• Department of Natural Resource Sciences

Site visits

As a part of the

Students will visit the International Joint Commission, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Environment Canada, AECOM and Ouranos (Consortium on Regional Climatology and Adaptation to Climate Change). Talks have also been given by senior representatives of the UN, World Bank, and local water NGOs.

Prerequisites

Candidates are required to have a Bachelor's degree but this does not need to be an engineering degree.

Non-engineering students are encouraged to apply as students have been admitted into the program with undergraduate degrees in geography, international development studies, sociology, anthropology, mathematics, environmental studies, biology, natural resources management, and engineering among others. Candidates are required to have a minimum equivalent cumulative grade point average of 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.0 during the last two years of full time university study. Candidates with lower cGPAs will be considered if they have work or volunteer experience in a relevant field.

Funding Opportunities

Scholarships, fellowships, bursaries and awards may be located on the following websites:

1. Student awards
2. McGill Fellowships
3. External awards
4. Many of the internships available to MSc in IWRM students are paid. Examples include 2-4 full scholarships every summer at Technion University, Herbrew University, and BenGurion University, all in Israel.

Careers

McGill's MSc in IWRM program prepares you for a wide range of positions in government, research, private firms, NGOs or consulting anywhere in the world. By the time you graduate, you will be familiar with the various controlling aspects of integrated water resources management such as economics, social and environmental sciences, and engineering.

As a graduate from this program, you will be well suited for opportunities in diverse fields of employment, such as:

• Engineering, environmental and water consultancies
• Municipal, provincial, federal and international government organizations
• NGOs and international development organizations
• Government or university research institutions
• Public policy organizations

Graduates of the program have also proceeded to law school, MBA programs and PhD programs at McGill and elsewhere around the world.

McGill University

McGill University, located in the bilingual and multi-cultural setting of Montreal, Quebec, is one of Canada's leading research-intensive universities and has earned a worldwide reputation for scholarly achievement and scientific discovery. In addition to being internationally-oriented and networked with other universities and institutions, McGill offers expertise on environmental, economic, development, and trade issues through the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, the Centre for Developing Area Studies, the McGill School of Environment, the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management, and other units within its faculties.

Macdonald Campus

The Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is located on McGill's Macdonald Campus, which occupies 650 hectares in a beautiful waterfront setting on the western tip of the island of Montreal. The campus is recognized internationally for the calibre of its programs. Students learn in a hands-on, friendly environment, and gain the knowledge and power to create solutions to some of today's most pressing scientific and socio-economic problems.