Water Management

Get to know your fellow students and get an overview of the upcoming projects and courses. This module introduces you to the main topics in water management, which are presented by and discussed with experts from this field of work. For this course you will be attending inspirational lectures and workshops, including serious gaming.

For the Water Management project, you and your team will work on an international and complex project. You will work for a company, so that means that you will get real work experience concerning hydraulics or water management!

This year’s topic will be drought prevention in Twente. This area, located on the Dutch-German border, has experienced severe drought problems in the past years. To adequately address these problems Business As Usual is no longer sufficient. We will assess nature based solutions and their impact on water management and (geo-)hydrology.

Throughout the project, you will have plenty of room to develop and improve your collaborative and communicative skills. The project is coached by a lecturer from Windesheim. Further elements of teaching consist of coaching on the job, peer interaction and feedback.

This course introduces the basic concepts of Physical Hydrology and provides a solid grounding in the principles of the subject. Exploring the principal rules that govern the flow of water on the land, it considers the four major types of water: Atmospheric and surface
water in ‘Hydrology’, soil and ground water in ‘Geohydrology’.

The subject material is trained by solving a large number of hydrological examples and exercises. Theory and concepts from this course will be applied in the project.

Nature Based Solutions (NBS) are inspired by nature and use natural processes to overcome engineering and water management issues. Traditional engineering solutions have had considerable benefits but have altered our natural ecosystems. New insights in material and energy consumption, climate change, biodiversity, etcetera, reveal that these alterations are beneficial in short term, but are not robust and fit for future changes. Experience with NBS is growing, like the Sand-motor and the Room for the River approaches. In this course, you will discover NBS for water management issues like flood prevention, drought abatement or water quality improvement. The concepts discussed will provide input for the Water Management Project.

Computational modelling is becoming a core part in solving water management issues, because it helps in quantifying and understanding water flows. In this course, you will be working in a computational surface- and groundwater model. You will learn the basics of 1D-flow modelling and how to implement knowledge on soil and surface water in a basin runoff model.

You can immediately put this knowledge to practical use, as it helps you to quantify and substantiate your solutions in the water management project. 

Complete your exchange semester or year by taking one or more electives. The module Introduction to Windesheim is compulsory for all international students, but you are free to choose from the other options. You will receive ECTS credits when you complete a module successfully. 

Introduction to Windesheim
Intercultural Awareness
Drama and Improvisation
Dutch Language
Dutch Society

Want to know more about the exchange programme of Water Management? Check the course catalogue for more information about matters such as assessment and teaching methods.

Read the course catalogue