Master's Degree in Water Engineering

Specific admission requirements

In order to gain admission to the Master's Degree in Water Engineering the following requirements must be met:

• University degree
  • Holders of an official bachelor's degree in Engineering or Architecture in the Civil, Industrial, Chemistry, Environmental, Forestal, Mining, Physics, Biology or Agronomy fields
  • Holders of an official bachelor's degree in Environmental, Chemical, Physical, Biological or Geological Sciences
  • Holders of an official diploma or former undergraduate degrees in Engineering or Architecture in the Civil, Industrial, Chemistry, Environmental, Forestal, Mining, Physics, Biology or Agronomy fields
  • Holders of an official diploma or former undergraduate degrees in Environmental, Chemical, Physical, Biological or Geological Sciences

• Other degrees or qualifications
  

  When the access request is made from a degree other than those listed above, the body responsible for the master's degree will analyze the candidates' curriculum with the aim of determining, for each case, the additional training to be taken.

Students pending obtaining the degree that gives access to the master's degree

UPC undergraduate students who, despite not having obtained the bachelor’s degree, have pending the TFG and, at most, up to 9 ECTS(including credits pending recognition or transfer) or who have completed their studies, but are waiting to achieve, if possible, transversal competence in a third language. Under no circumstances will students who access this route be able to obtain a master's degree if they have not previously obtained a bachelor's degree.

Candidates from other universitieswho are enrolled in all the credits to complete the studies that give access to the master's degree can apply for access. Acceptance will be conditioned to the fulfillment of the general and specific access and admission requirements at the time of formalizing the registration.

You will find all the information about the general Access requirements to UPC master's programs here.

Admission criteria

The following factors or parameters are considered for admission to the Master's Degree in Water Engineering:

• F1: Weighted average mark factor or parameter (40%)
  It is the result of summing the values obtained by multiplying the marks of the courses passed by the number of credits in each of them and dividing it by the number of credits passed (as stated in the UPC's regulations).
• F2: CV adequacy factor or parameter (50%)
• F3: Additional former education factor or parameter (10%)
  Adequacy to the academic or professional competencies established in the Master's Degree is advisable.

You can check the results of the evaluation and selection of the applications for admission resolutions for the current academic year here.

Pre-enrolment and enrolment

Check here the general admission requirements for UPC masters and information on pre-registration: calendar, how to apply for admission, how to reserve a place if the resolution is favourable, etc.

Learning objectives

The Master's Degree in Water Engineering has as its fundamental objective the training of professionals with a multidisciplinary engineering profile that allows their introduction to research, design and analysis of infrastructures and modeling and management projects, in the fields of hydrotechnology and the environment. Professionals who will be able to advise public administrations, companies and industries at a local, regional, national and international level.

The master's degree includes the incorporation of a dual mention in "Urban Water Cycle Operations" with a training project in collaboration with the company in the sector Aigües de Barcelona (AGBAR) with which the corresponding training plan and collaboration agreement will be established. The training objective of this dual mention is based on the efficient management of water, covering its distribution, storage, treatment and recycling; the design and planning of networks to meet population and business needs; preventive and corrective maintenance of water networks, including the coordination of repairs; monitoring and control of water quality to guarantee its safety and the management of crises and emergencies to protect public health and infrastructure.

Career opportunities

• Water resources engineer: responsible for the planning, management and control of water resources in public or private sectors, such as agriculture, energy or urban management.
• Water treatment specialist technician: expert in the management of drinking water or wastewater treatment plants, to supervise water purification, desalination and reuse processes.
• Environmental consultant: advisor specializing in projects related to the sustainable management of aquatic areas, who prepares environmental impact studies and mitigation plans for both the public and private sectors.
• Project manager in the field of hydrological, hydraulic or coastal engineering: responsible for the management and execution of projects related to the construction and maintenance of hydraulic infrastructures, such as dams, distribution networks, drainage systems and canals, or coastal protection works.
• Hydrologist or hydraulic engineer: professional who is dedicated to the study of the behavior of water in natural or artificial systems, collaborating on projects for both river and coastal flooding, erosion or energy use in hydroelectric power plants.
• Risk management specialist: professional who analyzes, manages and designs strategies to prevent and mitigate risks associated with river and coastal floods, droughts or other natural phenomena related to aquatic environments.
• Researcher in the field of hydrological, hydraulic or coastal engineering: participation in innovation projects and development of new technologies or methods for efficient water management, such as monitoring systems, simulation models or new treatment techniques.
• Technician specializing in sanitation systems and related infrastructures: responsible for the design, supervision and maintenance of sanitation and sewerage systems, as well as other infrastructures related to urban water management.
• Water sustainability manager: expert who works in companies or organizations to ensure the efficient and responsible use of water resources within a sustainability framework.
• Professor or trainer in the field of water engineering: professional who is dedicated to university education or technical training in vocational schools, research centers or educational organizations.

Learning & training results

Knowledge

• To identify, define and propose the appropriate technological and management solution for a water engineering problem.
• To analyze systems, problems related to water engineering and their solution using models, as well as evaluate them.

Skills

• To apply scientific concepts to water engineering problems and their correlation with technological concepts.
• To dimension conventional and unconventional solutions to solve water engineering problems and propose their mass and energy balance taking into account the effects of climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals.
• To acquire basic laboratory and field work skills, and identify methods and instrumentation for determining parameters related to water engineering.
• To communicate effectively orally, in writing and graphically with others about learning, thinking and decision-making, and participate in debates, using interpersonal skills, such as active listening and empathy, which promote teamwork.
• To identify innovative processes in new or existing business institutions and organizations, collaborating on creative projects that use knowledge about entrepreneurship, organization and technology-based business development.
• To distinguish advanced digital technologies, so that they can be applied with a critical perspective, in diverse contexts, in academic, professional, social or personal situations.

Competencies

• To operate management and impact assessment instruments in fluvial, coastal and groundwater environments, with an economic perspective and according to current legislation.
• To lead actions taking into account project evaluation parameters and analyze their viability.
• To implement conventional and non-conventional solutions in the field of water engineering.
• To carry out an original exercise individually, consisting of a study or project in the field of water engineering, in which the acquired skills are synthesized, adopting advances and innovations and contributing new ideas for their subsequent defense.
• To integrate the values ​​of sustainability, understanding the complexity of systems, to undertake or promote actions that restore and maintain the health of ecosystems and improve justice, thus generating visions for sustainable futures.
• To analyze problems that require making autonomous, informed and reasoned decisions, to act with social responsibility, following ethical values ​​and principles.
• To evaluate inequalities based on sex and gender, to design solutions.

Students accessing the Master's Degree in Water Engineering can access the following information:

The Master's Thesis is an original exercise to be done individually and presented and defended before a university panel consisting in a project in the sphere of the specific civil engineering technologies synthesising and integrating the competences acquired on the course.