The IWC Master of Integrated Water Management (MIWM) is a three semester program which can be completed in one year or over an 18-month period. The Foundation semester is followed by a second Integration semester of advanced coursework and a final Project semester which allows students to specialise on a particular field of water management . Upon completion, students are awarded a Master of Integrated Water Management, a jointly badged degree from the University of Queensland, Monash University, The University of Western Australia and Griffith University. This degree is internationally recognised as a postgraduate degree and is comparable in academic level and duration to Masters programs offered at universities in the United States and Europe. IWC also offers a Graduate Certificate and a Graduate Diploma in Integrated Water Management.

Semester 1 - Foundation

The Foundation semester provides the unique thrust of the MIWM Program. All students take four compulsory coursework modules and parallel project work which together provide a holistic foundation in the broad concepts and principles underlying integrated water management. Each module is equivalent to two units. Total contact time, including all module lectures, tutorials and group project work, is roughly twenty-five to thirty contact hours per week.

Semester 2 - Specialisation

Building on the broad integrated water management foundation provided in the first semester, the second Integration semester allows students to deepen their knowledge and skills in four key areas of water management. Once again, the semester is comprised of lectures and tutorials alongside applied project work. Students will have the opportunity to do substantial field work and will undertake more intensive laboratory work and advanced coursework studies. During this semester, students will also prepare preliminary scoping and design of their third semester project.

Semester 3 - Project

In the third and final semester, students undertake an independent integrated water management project with the guidance of two IWC supervisors. Projects may be in Australia or overseas, and include industry-based or research work. The Project is a single activity equivalent to four courses or one semester. Students can be involved in projects associated with IWC and university partner activities where these interests align.

 

Practical and Applied Components

The coursework in the first two semesters has been designed to ensure students gain experiential and applied understanding of the core content areas they study. Components of coursework will include:

• Lecture modules and laboratory work designed to deliver knowledge and skills across a range of disciplines;
• Team projects which allow students to apply this knowledge to particular water problems and real case studies; and
• Field work which provides students with first hand experiences and knowledge of water systems in situ.

The design of the Program ensures that students move away from a modular, discipline-based focus towards a more integrated way of thinking about water problems. IWC’s multidisciplinary teaching team has jointly developed each semester as a single learning experience. Case study project work will be complemented by a number of short and extended field visits. The Program field visits will make use of the Brisbane River and other local waterways, with the possibility of more intensive exploration of larger Australian and international river systems such as the Murray Darling River and the Mekong River. Extended field visits will occur in Semester 2 and vary year by year.

 

Focus on Skills Development and Practical Tools

A main aim of the Program is that each student builds a set of practical skills and tools that can be used to analyse a range of water-related problems. The skill set required of leaders in integrated water management throughout their career include:

• Communication across disciplines and sectors, across science and policy;
• Systems thinking about whole-of-water cycle;
• Collaboration and teamwork on cross-sectoral teams, respecting local as well as expert knowledge;
• Problem solving skills applied to complex problems that can require difficult trade-offs;
• Risk assessment and proper planning to ensure sustainable solutions; and
• Adaptive and reflexive learning, an ability to learn by doing and apply context-specific solutions.

The tools introduced throughout the MIWM Program can be adapted and applied at a range of scales and in different contexts. IWC students will be fully prepared to undertake biophysical assessment, analyse policies and institutional regimes, assess stakeholder views, develop different water management scenarios, and undertake on-ground water projects.  

 

Please Note: Courses will run pending sufficient enrolments.

 

 

CRICOS Provider Number: 00025B

CRICOS Codes: 059263A, 059262B, 059261C