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See water from space.
Create solutions on the ground.

MSc WAVES - Water Vulnerability Engineering in Spatial Sciences. Two years, three European universities, and one joint programme. Earth observation, hydrological modelling, machine learning, nature-based engineering, and water governance in a single integrated curriculum.

The degree in four lines

Award: Double MSc Degree, 120 ECTS
Duration: Two years, four semesters
Mobility: Two countries, plus optional research visit
Application fee: None, ever

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Application deadline 15 January 2027 (23:59 CET)
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120 ECTS over two years

One joint programme, double MSc degree.

3 Specialisation tracks

  • Spatial Water Sciences
  • Water Vulnerability Engineering
  • Governance and Policy

8 Countries in the network

Netherlands, Italy and Slovenia, plus associated partners in Denmark, Brazil, India, South Africa and Sweden.

3× Co-supervised thesis

Every thesis is supervised by at least three partner institutions.

Choose your path

Three tracks, one shared concept

Students embark on their chosen specialisation from the outset of the programme, following a tailored curriculum and a mobility pathway designed to strengthen their academic and professional expertise in the field.

Spatial Water Sciences

Measure water from orbit. Model it at basin scale. Satellite hydrology, geostatistics and machine learning across the full water cycle.

Year 1: Padova · Year 2:  Twente

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Water Vulnerability Engineering

Design the defences and quantify what they are worth. River and coastal engineering, geotechnics, nature-based solutions and multi-hazard risk.

Year 1: Ljubljana· Year 2: Padova

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Spatial Water Governance and Policy

Turn evidence into decisions people accept. Water law, transboundary governance, participatory planning and WASH, on the same quantitative core.

Year 1: Ljubljana · Year 2: Twente

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Where WAVES works

A genuinely global network. 

Water vulnerability is not an European problem with an European solution. The consortium teaches across three European campuses and tests what it teaches in catchments on four continents, from the Vecht and the Brenta to the Berg, the Yamuna and the Itajaí.

Meet the consortium
Fieldwork and Internship

Not applying for an EU scholarship?

Self-funded and nationally sponsored candidates are welcome, apply on a later deadline, and are assessed on exactly the same academic criteria. If you hold, or intend to apply for, funding from Fulbright, DAAD, a Gulf ministry, a Canadian provincial scheme, Australian OS-HELP or your employer, we will issue the conditional admission letter your sponsor needs.

See fees and funding routes

Conditional offer letters in ten working days
So sponsor deadlines in the United States, Canada, Australia and the Gulf can be met.

Visa and residence-permit support at each partner
Named international office contacts in the Netherlands, Italy and Slovenia.

No application fee
Ability to pay never influences an academic decision.

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A JOINT PROGRAMME BY

MSc WAVES

Water Vulnerability Engineering in Spatial Sciences

An Erasmus Mundus Joint Master delivered jointly by the University of Twente, the University of Padova and the University of Ljubljana, with associated partners in Sweden, South Africa, India and Brazil.

Programme

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Contact

University of Twente, Faculty ITC
Hallenweg 8, 7522 NH Enschede
Netherlands

Co-funded by the European Union under Erasmus+ project 101325634. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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