Program Overview

Introduction to the Hydrology Master's Programme

The Hydrology master's programme at VU Amsterdam is designed to develop sustainable solutions to water-related problems. The programme focuses on international water challenges and processes, while also bringing in expertise from the renowned Dutch experience in water management.

Programme Overview

The two-year Master's Hydrology programme combines lectures, computer workshops, and laboratory work and field courses in both Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Students learn the basics of theoretical and experimental hydrology, and methods to assess water risk for society.

First Year

The first year of the programme is made up entirely of compulsory courses that fall into one of three areas:

• Process Hydrology: studying the interactions of surface and groundwater resources with landscapes, soils, vegetation, and the atmosphere.
• Water Risk: acquiring a solid understanding of the complex interactions between climate-water and societal issues such as economic damage of floods and droughts.
• Global Hydrology: studying the global occurrence of drought and floods while also investigating the variability of fluxes, such as those of evaporation on a global scale.

Compulsory courses include:

• Catchment Hydrology
• Ecohydrology
• Catchment Biogeochemistry
• Climate Hydrological Processes
• Integrated Modeling in Hydrology
• Groundwater Processes
• Water Economics
• Measuring Techniques in Hydrology
• Field Course Hydrology

Second Year

The second year of the programme is more flexible, allowing students to follow courses according to their own areas of interest. Students choose four elective courses, as well as writing their Master's thesis. The elective options could be made up of advanced courses building on topics from the first year, courses shared with other programmes, or even courses offered by other universities at no extra cost.

The programme offers several streams, including:

• Water and Society
• Water and Landscapes
• Water and Climate
• Water and Environmental Analysis
• Water and Chemistry
• Fully Open stream, with maximum flexibility across offered courses.

Specialisations

Each specialisation has its own set of compulsory courses:

• Water and Society: Water Risks, Water Politics and Governance
• Water and Landscapes: Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Advanced Spatial Analyses
• Water and Climate: Climate Modelling, Water Risks
• Water and Environmental Analysis: Water Risks, Environmental Remote Sensing, Advanced Spatial Analyses
• Water and Chemistry: Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Plastic and Chemical Pollution

Career Prospects

The Hydrology master's programme prepares students well for a future in academia, work for NGOs and engineering companies, consultancy work, or starting their own business with an idea that helps solve water-related challenges.

Programme Details

• Start date: 1 September
• Course Director: Ype van der Velde
• Course coordinator: Sanne Muis

The programme is designed to develop sustainable solutions to water-related problems, with a focus on international water challenges and processes. With its strong reputation and expertise in hydrology and water sciences, VU Amsterdam provides an excellent environment for students to explore their interests and career prospects in the field of hydrology.