Water resources

What knowledge will I acquire with this Degree?

The Degree in Water Resources provides specific training, but with an integrating and interdisciplinary approach where all the relevant aspects in the comprehensive management of water resources are considered.

At the end of this degree, the student must have acquired a series of knowledge, skills and abilities that allow him or her to develop with quality and competitiveness in the professional field.

The specific knowledge to be acquired by the student are:

• Know the physical, chemical, geological and biological principles that govern the flows of matter and energy in the hydrological cycle.
• Acquire the necessary skills for field and laboratory work, and the application of basic analytical and instrumental techniques in the study of the characteristics of water and the hydric environment.
• Evaluate the demands and availability of water resources based on the different uses: human consumption, industry, agriculture, energy.
• Learn about water treatment, purification and regeneration technologies and their physical, chemical and biological foundations, and identify the most appropriate depending on the characteristics of the influent and the required quality of the effluent.
• Apply procedures and tools in solving problems related to the water environment and its management.
• Identify and propose protection and recovery measures for inland water masses and aquatic systems, adjusted to their environmental status.
• Acquire integrated training to plan, develop and coordinate projects related to the water environment with a multidisciplinary approach.

Where will I be able to work when I graduate?

Companies and/or public administrations dedicated to the management and treatment of water resources, whose activities are: 

• Comprehensive water management, design and implementation of resource exploitation plans.
• Study and design of collection and distribution infrastructures.
• Study and design of potabilization, wastewater treatment and desalination stations.
• Operation and maintenance of collection, purification, treatment, distribution, and sanitation facilities.
• Supply management.
• Water and environment consulting: water sustainability of ecosystems, evaluation and remediation of water impacts.
• QA.
• Basin organizations.
• Local, regional, state or community administration related to water.
• Public healthcare.
• Free professional exercise.

Centers for research and technological development in water resource management and treatment projects.

Educational centers teaching secondary education, university education, professional training, environmental information in museums, parks, natural spaces. 

Is this Degree official according to the regulations required by the European Higher Education Area?

Yes (final verification report is attached), the implementation of the degree will be done progressively, starting the first year in the academic year 2020-21.

The final verification report turned out FAVORABLE

What subject areas will I address in this grade?

The integrative approach of the Degree in Water Resources implies that multiple thematic areas and subjects are addressed:

• Fundamental scientific bases: mathematical, physical, chemical, geological and biological.
• Complementary basic training: Computer science, ethics, historical evolution of water resources management, modern language.
• Basis of hydrology: Statistics, Fluid flow, the atmospheric system and its role in the hydrological cycle, hydrometeorology, hydrological systems, microbiology, chemistry and water quality.
• Instrumental subjects applied to hydrology: Geographic information systems, remote sensing, thematic cartography, modelling.
• Catchment Technologies: Dams, dams, wells and boreholes.
• Treatment and Purification Technologies: Fundamentals of water treatment, potabilization, wastewater purification.
• Conservation of water masses and aquatic ecosystems. Pollution and ecotoxicology. Environmental recovery. Conservation of aquatic ecosystems.
• Planning and Management: Binomial water and energy. Legislative framework. Integrated planning and management. Environmental projects.

Recommended Income Profile

This degree does not consider any restriction other than or additional to that established by law for access to undergraduate university studies. However, it is recommended that students who access from Baccalaureate have completed the Science and Technology itineraries, considering it important that they have knowledge of:

• Mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geology and English at the high school level.
• Computer tools at a basic user level: operating system, word processor, spreadsheet, database, Internet...

With regard to personal skills and abilities, it is recommended that students have:

• Capacity for observation, attention and concentration.
• Aptitude for numerical and logical reasoning.
• Ease to understand and build abstract models that generalize the particular aspects of real cases.

Additionally, it is recommended that students:

• Be creative, imaginative and with a desire for innovation.
• Be organized and methodical in your activities.
• Be receptive, practical and open to improvising solutions.
• Have a positive attitude towards teamwork, communication and performance of responsibility.
• Are determined to engage in continuous learning, curious to stay current with recent advances in science and technology.

Objectives 

Bearing in mind that in recent decades there has been a growing difficulty on the part of managers and governments in meeting the ever-increasing demand for water resources, it is necessary to address training in water environment issues with an integrative approach. , more interdisciplinary, where all relevant aspects of water resource management are considered. The Degree in Water Resources must provide adequate training in the scientific, technical, social, economic and legal aspects of water resources.

The main objective pursued in the Degree in Water Resources is to train professionals, teachers and researchers in the water sector who are capable of developing skills related to aspects such as the evaluation of the demand for the resource, availability, protection and conservation of the resource, water treatment and purification, threats and vulnerability, planning, etc. In this way, you will be able to face the so-called "water crisis" rigorously and in an interdisciplinary manner, in accordance with the complexity of your field of work, taking into account the rest of the social and economic problems of our society.

The general objectives contemplated for this title are:

• Transmit the general and basic knowledge necessary in the evaluation and management of water resources, such as Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Modern Language, Ethics, History of water resources management.
• Provide basic and applied knowledge for the study and resolution of problems related to the management of water resources, emphasizing the current problems and the importance of their study.
• Provide the tools so that this information can be used in professional performance or in the task of transmitting knowledge, in the field of water resources.
• Aware of belonging to the European Higher Education Area, the internationalization of training processes and economic and industrial activities, as well as the global nature of many of the problems related to water resources, the Rey Juan Carlos University has As a priority objective, graduates in Water Resources are able to act and develop in a professional and qualified manner in the international arena, actively promoting the international mobility of their students.
• Promote respect for fundamental rights and equality between men and women, in accordance with the provisions of Law 3/2007, of March 22, for the effective equality of women and men.
• Promote the knowledge and application of Human Rights and the principles of universal accessibility and design for all in accordance with the provisions of the tenth final provision of Law 51/2003, of December 2, on equal opportunities, non-discrimination and accessibility universal for people with disabilities.
• Disseminate and promote democratic values ​​and the values ​​of a culture of peace, as set out in Law 27/2005, of November 30, on the promotion of education and the culture of peace.

Competences 

GENERAL COMPETENCIES

• CG1. Ability to acquire, assimilate and understand knowledge related to the hydrological cycle and water resources.
• CG2. Ability to apply this knowledge in solving complex and multidimensional problems in the development of professional activity, organizing, planning and deciding on those tasks related, both individually and as a team, with the objectives of achievement and quality and within the ethical commitment.
• CG3. Ability to develop, formulate, and discuss arguments aimed at solving problems related to water resources.
• CG4. Ability to critically gather, manage, analyze and interpret the relevant information on water resources and their social, economic, scientific, technological and ethical context, in order to make transcendent judgments and establish, in these contexts, the most appropriate actions to problems and challenges that arise from water as a resource.
• CG5. Ability to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions, as well as the motivation for the conservation and protection of the environment, and specifically of water resources, to both specialized and non-specialized audiences, in Spanish and in a foreign language.
• CG6. Ability to develop the necessary learning skills to tackle new problems and adapt to different scenarios, and undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.

SPECIFIC COMPETENCES

• CE-1. Know and apply basic mathematical procedures and tools in solving problems related to the water environment and resource management.
• CE-2. Know and understand the physical principles that govern the flows of matter and energy in terrestrial systems and that control the Earth's climate.
• CE-3. Know and understand the basic fundamentals of general chemistry, organic and inorganic chemistry related to the chemistry of water and its properties as a solvent.
• EC-4. Know the structure, function and organization of living beings (microorganisms, fungi, plants and animals).
• CE-5. Know and understand the essential phenomena that occur in the Geosphere, and the components, factors and processes that intervene in its evolution.
• CE-6. Know the historical evolution of water resources management, in its political, social, economic and technological context.
• CE-7. Acquire and interpret data related to the availability, dynamics and evolution of continental surface and groundwater, integrating the information for the evaluation of resources and related risks.
• CE-8. Know and interpret the geological, biological, chemical and physicochemical factors, processes and indicators that determine the state of the water environment and the quality of the water, and apply them in its evaluation.
• CE-9. Acquire, develop and exercise the necessary skills for field and laboratory work and the application of basic analytical and instrumental techniques in the study of the characteristics of water and the hydric environment.
• CE-10. Know and apply the basic tools in the management, integration and analysis of spatial, quantitative and qualitative data related to the characterization and management of water resources.
• EC-11. Learn about collection technologies and identify the most appropriate based on the characteristics of the environment and the requirements of quality and quantity of supply.
• CE-12. Learn about water treatment, purification and regeneration technologies and their physical, chemical and biological foundations, and identify the most appropriate depending on the characteristics of the influent and the required quality of the effluent.
• CE-13. Know the main ecosystems and habitats related to inland water masses, and their functioning, structure and functions.
• CE-14. Know the causes of the degradation of inland water systems, and their indicators (biological, chemical and physical) and how to apply them to assess their vulnerability and environmental status.
• CE-15. Identify and propose protection and recovery measures for inland water masses and aquatic systems, adjusted to their environmental status.
• CE-16. Know the basic legal principles and legislation, and the main regulations on water resources and the environment, including national and international agreements, protocols and directives.
• CE-17. Evaluate the demands and availability of the resource based on the different uses, and know the principles and strategies of planning and comprehensive management of water resources at different scales, being able to design comprehensive sustainable management plans in a given economic and financial context.
• CE-18. Evaluate the energy potential of existing water resources in a specific location, and evaluate the energy cost of using water resources.
• CE-19. Understand the concepts of toxicology and contamination, and know the most common contaminants in water and their toxicology.
• EC-20. Plan, develop and coordinate environmental projects with a multidisciplinary approach.

Minimum stay requirements 

• The permanence of the students in the Degree studies will be a maximum of eight years for full-time students. Part-time students may request an extension of up to two more years from the Rector.
• In Bachelor's degrees lasting more than 240 credits (4 years), the maximum of the previous section will be increased by one more year for every 60 ECTS credits that are added to the 240 ECTS.
• Students must pass a minimum of two subjects in the first year. Students studying part-time must pass at least one subject in their first academic year.
• Students who are studying any official Bachelor's degree at the Rey Juan Carlos University may make a maximum of four registrations to pass each of the subjects of the study plan, without counting previous cancellations of the same.

For more information see: Permanence regulations

Minimum number of ECTS credits by type of enrollment and course

Full-time students:

Part-time students:

Internal quality assurance system

Manual of the Internal Quality Assurance System

Composition of the commission

Composition of the Commission

Results report

Once the follow-up has been carried out, the quantitative information on the results obtained in the follow-up of said Degree is shown, differentiated by academic year.

Report by course:

• 2022/2023
• 2021/2022
• 2020/2021

General information collection plan

• Indicators 2020/21
• Indicators 2021/22
• Indicators 2022/23

Improvement actions

The Quality Assurance System of the Rey Juan Carlos University establishes that the degree's Quality Assurance Commission will annually analyze the information derived from the degree's indicators and prepare a report that will include improvement plans if the results so indicate.

• Improvement actions 2022/2023
• Improvement actions 2021/2022
• Improvement actions 2020/2021

Renewal of accreditation

The renewal of the accreditation represents the culmination of the implementation process of the official Bachelor's and Master's degrees registered in the Register of Universities, Centers and Degrees (RUCT). The renewal of the accreditation of official bachelor's and master's degrees is organized in three phases: self-assessment report, external visit and final assessment.

In the first phase, the university describes and assesses the status of the degree with respect to the established criteria and guidelines. The result is the Self-Assessment Report (IA) that is presented. The second and third phases are carried out by a group of evaluators external to the evaluated title.”

Final report renewal of accreditation 2023

Improvement plan 2023