p. 1

master s programme in environmental sciences msc faculty of science international master s programme the best education for the third time in succession the accreditation organization of the netherlands and flanders nvao declared our msc programme in environmental sciences to be the best in the netherlands the nvao found the programme challenging and complimented us on our excellent facilities we have chosen a small-scale approach to education to ensure that each student receives personal supervision in combination with a wide choice of courses and internships we offer a very attractive programme for those seeking quality three specializations students in this programme are preparing to become professionals in research management or consultancy on environmental nature and water issues the programme comprises a general phase and a specialization phase at the start of the programme an orientation course is scheduled that will give you all information about the specializations during the first phase students are educated in general principles and methods they can then make a choice between three thematic specializations human and environmental risk assessment hera nature water management nwm and transnational ecosystem-based water management twm these three areas are closely linked to the central research and management topics of the two institutes involved in the msc programme the institute for water and wetland research iwwr and the institute for science innovation and society isis human and environmental risk assessment hera most human activities put pressure on the environment for example transport energy consumption and industrial production processes lead to various emissions including those of greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals this can have negative consequences for both human health and the natural environment the hera programme provides insight into the development and application of methods to assess the risks of environmental stressors for human health and the environment the programme which is offered in cooperation with the university medical centre covers a variety of disciplines including toxicology ecotoxicology environmental chemistry and risk management nature water management nwm if you wish to understand and predict biological responses to physical and chemical pressures you should choose the nwm specialization the research focus is on the impact of landscape reconstruction and pollution on plant animal and human populations in rivers and estuaries students taking the nwm specialization build and apply conceptual and mathematical models in cooperation with laboratory and field experts as nwm is dedicated to environmental problems this specialization develops scientific knowledge which is then implemented in society.

[close]

p. 2

transnational ecosystem-based water management twm against the background of climate change and its global impact on people and economies the sustainable handling and management of water is of paramount importance the twm programme will enable graduates to solve contemporary and future water resource management problems such as flood protection water quality and water scarcity reflecting today s complex management problems the twm study programme is multidisciplinary students are provided with knowledge skills and techniques from ecological socio-economic planning and engineering disciplines in order to put effective water management into practice twm is an international study programme jointly provided by radboud university nijmegen and the university of duisburg-essen germany the programme hera and nwm the two-year programme with the hera and nwm specializations is structured as follows · mandatorysciencecourses,suchasecological environmental concepts management of ecosystems biodiversity ecosystem functioning ecological assessment ecological environmental modelling total 18 ec · tworesearchinternships72ec · specificcoursesoranextendedinternshipinthefieldof hera or nwm 30 ec twm the twm programme differs from the hera and nwm specializations because of the cooperation with the university of duisburg-essen first year · mandatorymultidisciplinarycoursesatradbouduniversity nijmegen 30 ec and the university of duisburg-essen 30 ec second year · electivecourses14ecatradbouduniversitynijmegen and/or university of duisburg-essen · aninternshipinvolvingjoborientation16ec · amasterthesis30ec truly international nature water and the environment do not stop at borders this is also true for the msc programme in environmental sciences more than half of our students come from abroad they also have many opportunities to do internships elsewhere in the world benefiting from our extensive international cooperation and research networks we participate in several eu interreg inter-regional research and management projects and we have cooperated for many years with universities in cambridge cardiff lublin tours and zurich students who choose the twm specialization attend two universities in two countries and will be awarded two master s degrees career prospects there is a great need for environmental specialists and water managers most of our students find employment within three months after graduation for example as consultants project managers researchers or policy makers in environmental management water management or nature conservation due to the international orientation and the extensive networks built up within the study programme and the research and management projects our graduates have excellent access to an expanding international job market admission requirements · theequivalentofadutchuniversitybachelor sdegreein natural science for example in environmental sciences biology or chemistry or other environmental and water related studies as evaluated by the examining board · deficienciescanbemadeupbeforethemaster s programme to a maximum of 30 ec · fluencyinbothwrittenandspokenenglish.atoeflscore ofatleast550orielts6.0fornon-nativespeakersofenglish more information faculty of science international office e io@science.ru.nl i www.internationalmasters.eu

[close]

p. 3

the bolivian culture is very different from ours she adds people accept the situation as it is rather than looking for solutions the miners and their families are aware of the fact that they have a high risk of silicosis but choose to just accept it on average this lung disease will cause people to die ten years earlier than people living just several kilometres downstream we try to raise awareness of the situation people are in and hope they will be prepared to take serious measures i do fear however that this process will take more than a generation rik spent four months in bolivia taking samples of drinking water of the soil children play with and of the dust the miners breathe in during work the samples will be analysed in the research laboratory at radboud university there is no such sophisticated equipment in bolivia so this part of the research needs to be done in nijmegen the workers rik oldenkamp and marinke stassen s research has taken them out of the laboratory and into the real world to the mining villages of bolivia here they measure the impact of exposure to heavy metals from the mines on the health of the local people they work together with the mining company in devising possible solutions their work may have a profound impact on the lives of miners and their families i have always had an interest in the environment says rik environmental sciences is a very broad field it brings together biology statistical modelling and policy-making after receiving his bachelor s degree in environmental sciences rik chose the master s track in human and environmental risk assessment during my first year i did a theoretical internship at the university on human exposure modelling the internship with marinke in bolivia gave me an opportunity to apply this knowledge in a real-world situation marinke my phd research in bolivia consists of calculating the health risks that the mining of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium poses for the local population working for the state mining corporation i aim to formulate possible preventative measures no high-tech solutions but solutions that are simple practical and cheap rik oldenkamp master s student in environmental sciences marinke stassen phd student in environmental sciences were really involved after a day of wearing their dust samplers ­ small pumps that suck up the air they work in ­ they would ask me what their risks were because they have no idea of scientific research they do not realize that it is impossible to answer such questions immediately but it was good to see that they had faith in us i hope we can make a difference to these people in bolivia we worked together as colleagues and learned a lot from one another adds marinke in fact rik has become quite the expert on the modelling of human health risks which is something i was not very familiar with before he joined the project for rik the experience was very different from his previous life as a student attending lectures it is a great challenge to plan your own research and to have so much freedom it also requires more initiative and discipline but it is rewarding to have more responsibility rik is already working parttime for the department of environmental sciences and he hopes to be able to stay on as a phd student i like the international environment here

[close]

p. 4

useful addresses radboud university nijmegen pobox9102 6500hcnijmegen the netherlands t 310243616161 f 310243564606 i www.ru.nl/english international office comeniuslaan6 6525hpnijmegen the netherlands pobox9102 6500hcnijmegen the netherlands t 31 024-3616055 f 31 024-3612757 e internationaloffice@io.ru.nl i www.ru.nl/io/english faculty of science heyendaalseweg 135 6525ajnijmegen the netherlands p.o box 9010 6500glnijmegen the netherlands t 31243653342 f 31243652888 e io@science.ru.nl nuffic i www.nuffic.nl www.internationalmasters.eu publication date september 2010

[close]