Environment and Resource Management - Global Water Challenges Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Overview

Water is essential in many ways. It is vital for ecosystems, crucial for human wellbeing, key for agricultural and energy production, a scarce resource subject to cooperation and competition, but also a destructive force. People have exerted deep modifications to most of the earth’s hydrological systems. Societies and ecosystems need to be protected from excess, scarcity and contamination of water. It is thus necessary for the planet’s socio-environmental sustainability leaders to govern water resources wisely. 

In the Environment and Resource Management - Global Water Challenges programme from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, you will address the multiple dimensions of water from management and governance perspectives. The specialisation provides you with expertise to scientifically assess the interactions of water and human systems and the tools to address complex interdisciplinary water issues that involve multiple stakeholders.

Internships and thesis

Writing your thesis is the moment to demonstrate that you can link theory to practice and use proper academic methods and tools. In preparation for the Research Project, the programme organises the ERM thesis/internship market in early December. During this market, you will be presented with the thesis positions that are available at IVM, and at a large number of external organisations around the world. You will be invited to choose a research topic and a supervisor. You also have the freedom to develop your own project instead of applying for one of the presented projects.