Master’s in International Land and Water Management

The master’s programme in International Land and Water Management is an academic programme. It consists of one year of course work and one year of thesis research. In the first year, you take the following compulsory common courses:

• Issues and Concepts in International Land and Water Management
• Research Approaches to Land and Water Management
• Sustainable Land and Water Management (Spain)
• Modular Skills Training

In addition, you choose optional courses as part of your specialisation, as well as elective courses worth a total of 18 credits. 

In the second year, you work on your master thesis in the field of your specialisation. In the second year, you work on your major thesis in the field of your specialisation. An internship or research practice completes your study programme. 

Apart from these core courses, each specialisation has its own specific courses. For a more detailed information on the programme structure, please refer to the study handbook.   

• Sustainable Land Management 
  This specialisation explores the causes and impacts of land degradation and teaches interventions for sustainable land management. You will learn to design, test, and evaluate innovative practices and strategies to prevent and remediate soil degradation, often collaborating with local stakeholders. Attention is paid to  scaling these practices effectively.
• Water, Society & Technology  
  This specialisation focuses on water use in agriculture, especially irrigated systems from farm to watershed level. You will explore irrigation design, improving social and technical performance. Further, you study the  broader water context, that   includesrural-urban linkages, virtual water in food trade, water justice, and other watershed users, such ashydropower and mining.
• Adaptive Water Management 
  This specialisation equips you to address human pressures and rising demands on water systems. You will learn to analyse future water challenges and develop, evaluate, and implement strategies, policies, and innovations for climate-adaptive water management. 

• Lectures: the lecturer presents the course content during class sessions.
• Tutorials: you work on assignments either individually or in small groups.
• Labs: mainly computer-based, where you apply environmental and statistical models.
• Problem-Based Learning: you collaborate with a group and a supervisor to solve a case study.
• Self-study: allocated within your timetable, though you may also plan additional study independently. 

At WUR, personal guidance is at the heart of our approach. We offer more lecturers, study advisors, and student counsellors per student than most universities in the Netherlands, ensuring you receive the support you need to succeed. This not only lowers the risk of dropping out but also adds a human touch that enriches your academic journey. It’s a clear reflection of our sincere dedication to your success. 

• The Master's programme International Development Studies and Development and Rural Innovation focus more on international cooperation, technology, knowledge development, socio-economic and political aspects than the master's International Land and Water Management.  
• Students of the Master's Earth System Sciences have a broader beta focus on ‘System Earth’ and on the independent and interdependent components of soil, water, atmosphere and ecology.
• The programme shares an interdisciplinary beta-gamma focus with the Master's Environmental Sciences and Climate Studies. However, the International Land and Water Management programme focuses more on land and water within the domains of agriculture and food production in the world.  

Check more information on Studiekeuze123.nl.

As a graduate of the International Land and Water Management master’s programme you are widely employable as a consultant, policymaker, researcher, development worker or project manager in any part of the world. Job opportunities will be open to you at engineering firms, consultancies, NGOs, governmental institutions, universities and research institutes.

Alumni work in numerous roles across various fields, for example:  

• Researchers at a university or research institute  
• Advisers at governmental authorities (ministries, provinces and municipalities) or waterboards  
• Engineers or consultants at consultancy firms  
• Experts in non-governmental organisations (NGO) 

Have a look at the Career Booklet for more information about career opportunities.

Student Career Services facilitates WUR students towards the labour market. If you need help in your orientation towards your future career. 

Interested in the master's programme International Land and Water Development? Find out whether your knowledge and skills match the entry level of the programme.

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements  

The admission requirements for the master's programme International Land and Water Management are defined in such a way that the students should be able to successfully complete the programme nominally in two years. The programme aims to prepare students to work in different capacities using interdisciplinary knowledge on international issues. Therefore, a student needs to have knowledge on both biophysical and social sciences related to land and water to be admitted. This is to ensure that the student has a solid basis to follow the advanced studies in the master's programme.  

The criterion used for admission is  

a WUR BSc degree in International Land and Water Management, or equivalent.  

The norm for this equivalence is  

An assessment of the student's expertise in at least two of the following topics in biophysical sciences:  

• Earth sciences (irrigation, geo-information science, hydraulics and/or hydrology)  
• Soil sciences (land degradation and/or soil and water conservation)  
• Agricultural development  

And at least one of the following topics in social sciences:  

• Natural resources management  
• Rural development  
• Political sciences (policy development)  

Not all topics mentioned need to be mastered at the same level; they will be weighed by the Admission Board per individual application. 

Method of assessment whether this norm is met  

• Transcript of records displaying the content of previous course subjects and project work;  
• Curriculum vitae displaying relevant work, internship and/or project experience on an academic level in a relevant field if applicable. 

Scores attributed by the Admission Board  

Admitted / not admitted / admitted under condition of obtaining the BSc or MSc degree / not admitted with offer of pre-master.

You can apply for this Master's here.

The Admission Board may allow and/or suggest compensation of knowledge gaps by:

• a GPA≥7.0* for the previous education for small discrepancies as new knowledge is sufficiently easily acquired;
• a GPA≥7.0* and an individual pre-master's programme for larger discrepancies that can be compensated in ≤30 ECTS and one year of study.

*Check the Application & Admission page for the International credentials evaluation guide for international equivalencies to a Dutch GPA>7.0. This guide includes compensating factors for a slightly lower GPA the Admission Board may include in their judgement. 

Contact us to discuss the possibilities of a pre-master or how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree.

Find out more about enrolment and fees of a pre-master's programme. 

Curious about the costs of studying? Here’s what to expect. All information about the costs of this programme can be found on this page.

Life as a student isn’t just about studying. Picture yourself renting a room, meeting friends at lively parties, enjoying local pubs, or joining a student association. With endless festivals and unique sports clubs, there’s never a dull moment, in Wageningen or around. Additionally, there are parks, forests, and a river nearby, so if you enjoy the outdoors, you're in the right area. All information about student life in Wageningen can be found on this page.