Master’s thesis Water Science and Management

Course goals

• translate a problem in the field of water science and management into a research question, based upon relevant state of the art scientific and other literature;
• develop a research plan, choosing and justifying appropriate methodologies for data collection;
• conduct the empirical work needed and analyse the collected data;
• interpret the findings in the light of solving the given problem;
• write a scientifically sound report about the findings geared to the target audience;
• orally present the findings to an audience of both specialists and non-specialists;
• conduct a full research cycle  showing adequate autonomy, creativity, time management and cooperation with supervisors.

Content

30 EC thesis only for cohort 2024 and earlier

The Master’s thesis  represents the culmination of the study, and provides proof of the capability of the student to formulate and carry out (semi-) independent research. The Master’s thesis may be executed by on-site training during an Internship. This allows the student to obtain insight into the demands and constraints of doing research within the day-to-day practice of the professional water manager. In that case the academic report of the Internship is the student’s Master’s thesis. The Master’s thesis may also be executed at a university.
Internships provided by organisations in the professional field, as well as water research opportunities at universities, will be posted on a designated website. Students may also arrange their own internship if they want to do an internship at a specific organisation, or abroad.
The student is expected to show ample initiative to realise the goals of the defined research. This includes collecting and analysing relevant scientific and other literature, approaching specialists or other relevant persons for additional information or assistance on research related methods and skills, making timely and regular appointments with the internship supervisor and university supervisor, etc.
Learning-by-doing is part of the project. The student is encouraged to attend meetings or conferences etc. that are relevant to the research work.

Note
Students needs to motivate their choice for either a 30 EC or 45 EC Master’s thesis (GEO4-6004 or GEO4-6006) based on the problem description and time estimation at the place of internship, data collection and analyses needed, etc.