Integrated Water Resources Management (MSc Joint Exchange Programme, Focus on Middle East and Northern Africa) Technische Hochschule Köln - University of Applied Sciences

German Jordanian University, School of Natural Resources Engineering and Management

English (100%)

The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) MSc programme focuses on water resources management in the context of water scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Within the MSc, IWRM students get acquainted with water management related topics from an interdisciplinary perspective. They acquire the knowledge to learn different water-related disciplines and subjects such as water security, hydrology, water infrastructure, urban water management, watershed management, flood and drought risk management, water system analysis, water governance, social-economical aspects and others.

The programme trains participants in practices of project funding and international cooperation. Students get the chance to put their learned knowledge in action during three project modules. Up-to-date concepts and solutions are presented during field visits to relevant projects, institutions, and conferences.

Throughout their studies, participants receive first-hand support from high-level professionals and entrepreneurs from the MENA region and German water sectors.

The social component is equally important and aims at equipping participants with the communicative, intercultural, and managerial skills necessary to take up leadership positions in the water sector and to work effectively within the framework of international cooperation.

The Master’s thesis is completed within the framework of a water-related research project of the Faculty of Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems, the German Jordanian University (GJU), or with a partner institution from the MENA region.

The IWRM-MENA Master’s programme is an exchange study programme in partnership with the German Jordanian University (GJU). It begins in September every year and runs for two years (four semesters). The third semester is an exchange semester held at GJU in Jordan.

Please check the programme website for current application deadlines: https://th-koeln.de/en/iwrm-mena

(Please consider that different application deadlines are set for scholarship and non-scholarship as well as international and German applicants.)

• The first and second semesters are held in Cologne.
• The third semester is held at the German Jordanian University in Madaba/Amman and is a compulsory exchange semester.
• The Master's thesis in the fourth semester has a thematic focus on the MENA region. It is jointly supervised by both university partners. It includes a field research stay abroad in the MENA region.

The IWRM Master's programme starts in the winter semester of each academic year. During the first three semesters, students attend lectures and seminars. The fourth semester is devoted to writing the Master's thesis, normally in conjunction with a period abroad. The standard period of study includes the examination and research semester.

No tuition fees

Approx. 335 EUR per semester

Included in the semester fee is the semester ticket for public transport for the whole of Germany.

The cost of living for your stay largely depends on your personal needs. When planning your stay, you should calculate monthly costs of approx. 1,000 – 1,200 EUR.

For admission to the Master's programme IWRM MENA, applicants are required to have successfully completed studies in the field of engineering or natural science (at least a Bachelor's or comparable degree). The following fields of study are eligible: engineering sciences, natural sciences, architecture, agriculture sciences, social sciences, life sciences, and earth sciences.

There is a set of minimum requirements that applicants have to fulfil:

• Bachelor's degree with a minimum grade of 3.0 (according to the German system)
• Proof of a relation to the management of water resources through the previous studies of minimum 15 ECTS
• Proof of English proficiency (see language requirements)

The following application documents are required:

• Letter of motivation (one page in English)
• Curriculum vitae (in tabular form)
• Scientific research proposal for the Master's thesis focusing on a case study from the MENA region (two pages in English)
• Certified copies of academic certificates:
  • Certified copy of school leaving certificate
  • All university end-of-year exam certificates (with individual grades)
  • University diploma or degree certificate indicating the final grade(s)

Please note that application requirements may change. You will find the current application requirements in the “How to Apply” section of your degree programme as soon as the application deadlines for the semester for which you wish to apply have been published.

• Certified proficiency in English – TOEFL iBT 79 points, IELTS (International English Language Testing System, UK), Band 6 in the academic or indicator version, or Cambridge First (FCE) certificate
• The English proficiency test should not be older than five years.
• Foreign applicants applying for a DAAD scholarship: Basic German language skills are recommended.

Please check the programme website for current application deadlines: https://th-koeln.de/en/iwrm-mena

(Please consider that different application deadlines are set for scholarship and non-scholarship as well as international and German applicants.)

International students are eligible to apply for the "Deutschlandstipendium". The scholarship holders receive approx. 300 EUR per month for the duration of one year.

Taking on a part-time job while studying has lots of benefits. Students can earn some extra money and gain valuable professional experience, and they might even take a first step up on the career ladder. Gaining a first insight into the German corporate world is especially beneficial for international students.

Many students partially fund their studies at TH Köln by taking on a part-time job in or outside the university.

Being Germany's fourth largest city, Cologne is a highly attractive place to live. The increasing influx of people can make the search for adequate accommodation quite difficult. Dozens of apartment hunters often compete for one single apartment. This is why we strongly recommend that you start looking for a place to live as soon as possible.

Cologne's most convenient and economical housing option is often a student dormitory. A public student services association called "Kölner Studierendenwerk" (KSTW) operates 88 student dorms offering roughly 4,800 rooms. The seemingly large number of dorm rooms is misleading; as the dormitories are open to the roughly 90,000 students enrolled at all Cologne universities, they are in extremely high demand. Please be aware that TH Köln does not allocate the rooms in these dorms. Please apply directly to the KSTW: https://www.kstw.de/wohnen. You do not yet need a letter of admission in order to apply.

The fierce competition on the private housing market has resulted in above-market rents – particularly in proximity of the city centre. We therefore encourage you to be flexible. Try to look for apartments outside the centre or share an apartment – and the cost of rent – with other students: www.th-koeln.de/accommodation.

Technische Hochschule Köln – abbreviated as TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences – sees itself as a university of technology, arts, and sciences. With its disciplinary and cultural diversity and openness, TH Köln's activities are aimed at cultural and technological breakthroughs of high societal relevance. Thus, TH Köln contributes substantially to resolving social challenges. As a community of faculty and students, we see ourselves as a learning organisation forging new paths. For instance, TH Köln is one of the pioneers in the field of development and formation of concepts for higher education didactics.

Our subject range includes the fields of applied natural sciences, architecture and construction, information and communication, computer science, engineering, culture and society, and social sciences as well as business studies. More than 90 degree programmes are offered as full-time programmes or, in some cases, as career-integrated or part-time programmes. As a place where research-based learning and academic education take place, the university nurtures prospective scholars through cooperative dissertations. Annually, more than 4,700 students take up their studies at TH Köln. Overall, 21,000 students from about 120 different countries along with 440 professors and 2,000 staff members apply their potential.

Research mainly focuses on future-related issues, including climate change, energy supply, health, and food safety as well as demographic changes. While developing solution strategies for the most important questions of our time, researchers offer their professional expertise in interdisciplinary interaction. At the same time, they collaborate closely with local, national, and international cooperation partners, including 343 international institutions of higher education. The university offers its researchers an attractive sphere of activity. The quality seal "HR Excellence in Research" awarded by the European Commission certifies that TH Köln meets international standards in the field of human resources development.
TH Köln’s campuses are located in Cologne, Gummersbach, and Leverkusen.

Its metropolitan vibe, diverse student scene and a cityscape abounding with cultural and historical treasures make Cologne one of Europe's prime university cities. Cologne's origins date back to the Roman Empire more than 2,000 years ago. Today, Cologne is Germany's fourth largest city with a population of just over one million and has evolved as an economic and cultural metropolis at the heart of Europe. The city's characteristic landmark and source of pride for every inhabitant is without a doubt the magnificent Cologne Cathedral, locally known as the "Kölner Dom". Towering over the quaint Old Town of Cologne at 156 metres, this masterpiece of Gothic architecture is the world's third-highest cathedral and attracts around six million visitors a year, making it Germany's most popular tourist attraction. Visitors from all over the world are bound to feel at home immediately, as Cologne is a true melting pot of cultures. Close to one-fifth of its inhabitants have an international background. Cologne's economy is characterised by its amalgamation of different industries and trades. Home to the country's most influential television and radio stations, Cologne is unquestionably Germany's media capital and host to some of the continent's biggest trade fairs. Quite a few of the world's most renowned enterprises call the metropolitan region their home, in particular, corporations operating in the automobile industry, biotechnology and life sciences, chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as commerce and banking.

Please note that TH Köln also has two remote campuses outside Cologne, which are located in the towns of Gummersbach and Leverkusen.

Gummersbach is a town with 50,000 inhabitants located 55 km east of Cologne, surrounded by a hilly landscape which is a recreational area for residents from Cologne and other cities nearby. The campus can be reached in a few minutes from Gummersbach train station. A train ride to Cologne, which is the largest city in the region, takes one hour and ten minutes and will be covered by the semester ticket, which is included in the semester fee. Students will be able to find affordable accommodation in Gummersbach and focus on their studies in the great environment of a modern campus.

The Leverkusen campus is located 15 km north of Cologne in the Neue Bahnstadt Opladen and was opened in 2022. It is close to the CHEMPARK in Leverkusen, which is one of the largest chemical parks in Europe. Global players from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, such as Bayer and LANXESS, are located there. With 160,000 inhabitants, Leverkusen is a smaller industrial city that has plenty of opportunities for relaxation, thanks to its location in the foothills of the Bergisches Land region. In Leverkusen, you can find urban buzz and village-like tranquillity in close proximity. The campus can also be reached with TH Köln's semester ticket.