NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (Master / MSc)

Course Duration:12 months (Master) / 18 months (MSc)
Course Start: 18 September 2006 (Application deadline 15 June 2006)
Tuition Fee: € 6,200 (Master) /  € 9,500 (MSc)
Location: Enschede, Netherlands

Human activities result in environmental problems such as deforestation, overgrazing, and the depletion and contamination of and and water resources. To solve these problems and ensure that future generations can enjoy the benefits of the earths resources, improved management of these resources is needed. Planners managers, policy makers and researchers alike need to understand the complexity of factors involved. They must collect and interpret the required data and work together with professionals from other disciplinary fields. Geo-informat technology and particularly remote sensing, plays an important role in these tasks.

Two types of degree course, the Master course and the MSc course, are offered. These courses aim to strengthen the institutional capacity of organisations that support natural resources management. These courses provide participants with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed for collecting, interpreting and managing geographical information to support planning and decision-making processes.

• Planning and Coordination in Natural Resources Management
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Geo-information for Biodiversity Conservation
• Forestry for Sustainable Development
• Soil Information Systems for Sustainable Land Management
• Environmental System Analysis and Management

Course content and structure

Core modules
The core modules deal with the theory, tools and tech niques of (GIS) and remote sensing that are common to all ITC programmes.

Programme modules
The programme modules prepare participants for a role as natural resource geo-information specialists working at the interface of natural resources management, natural resource data acquisition and analysis, and geo-information technology. Towards the end of the Master course, participants work together on a multidisciplinary group project, followed by an individual final assignment. Following regular taught modules, MSc course participants receive training to develop their research skills. The final six months of the MSc course is spent on individual research.

Elective modules
All ITC participants may choose from a variety of elective modules offered simultaneously by all ITCs scientific departments. For the Master course, two such electives are scheduled; for the MSc course three. Examples of modules on offer include Environmental Impact Assessment Using GIS, Multicriteria Evaluation and Visualisation; Introduction to Spatial Analysis and Geostatistics; Project Planning, Formulation and Funding; Natural Resource Degradation Analysis and Modelling.

Admission Requirements:

• BSc degree (or equivalent) - in a discipline related to course specialisation - from a recognized university
• Preferably having work experience in related field
• TOEFL Score of 500 or IELTS 5.5 for Master Course (only internationally recognized test result accepted);
  TOEFL Score of 550 or IELTS 6.0 for MSc Course (only internationally recognized test result accepted)
• Having computer skill is strongly advised
• Preferably having good stereoscopic and color vision

Institutions

• ITC International Training Center