Professional Science Masters in Water Resource Management

The PSM program in Water Resources Management is a unique professional degree that combines graduate studies in water quality, hydrology and environmental sciences with coursework in business, management communications, project management and sustainability entrepreneurship. It is a multidisciplinary graduate program that includes an internship in an employer workplace. This hands-on oriented program prepares graduates for effective science communication and problem solving skills, entrepreneurship and technical innovation in order to meet the global environmental challenges related to water availability, quality and sustainability. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be prepared for competitive and innovative water resources management positions. 

This degree is strongly focused on students finding gainful employment after graduation. Through the required internship, students gain experience in the field while still in school. Students also have access to WRRI’s state-of-the-art lab to conduct environmental quality analysis and modeling and simulations. Due to the technical nature of this degree, students graduate with applicable skills needed for the workplace including data collection, analysis, water-resource planning, natural resources management, water quality investigations, ground water students, project management, consulting, sustainability entrepreneurship as well as research and teaching.


Continue reading for the PSM course description.

The PSM program partners with private, governmental and non-profit organizations that manage water and water-related activities in the nation’s capital region. Industrial partners play a vital role in the PSM programs, serving on the Advisory Board, providing scholarships and internships, and supporting student participation, including opportunities for their own employees to earn the PSM degree that is directly relevant to the demands of their workforce.

Students applying to the PSM program are preferably working professionals with a bachelor’s degree in math, science, or engineering. This program only accepts students for the fall semester and may be completed in two years.

First Semester
COURSE NO	CLASS		CREDITS
WTRM - 500	Water Quality Assessment, Monitoring & Treatment		3
MATH - 599	Research Methods, Statistics and Data Mining		3
WTRM - 501	Surface & Ground Water Hydrology		3
TOTAL			9
Second Semester
COURSE NO	CLASS		CREDITS
WTRM - 504	Ethics, Responsible Conduct of Research & Prof. Responsibility		3
WTRM - 505	GIS for Water Resource Management		3
WTRM - 601	Water Quality Modeling		3
MMED - 520	Public Communication for STEM Professionals		3
TOTAL			12
Third Semester
COURSE NO	CLASS		CREDITS
WTRM - 600	Stream Restoration		3
WTRM - 503	Enviro. Impact Assessment: Integrated Project		3
ISTH - 595	Sustainable Entrepreneurship		3
TOTAL			9
Fourth Semester
COURSE NO	CLASS		CREDITS
WTRM - 699	Capstone Seminar		1
WTRM - 690	Internship		3
BGMT - 509	The Systems Approach and Project Management		3
TOTAL			7
Professional Science Master's Degree in Water Resources Management Total			35
Note: Students are required to take a writing proficiency course and a writing proficiency test before graduating.

The course descriptions are available here. For more information, contact Dr. Tolessa Deksissa at tdeksissa@udc.edu.