The evolution of human activities, in the foreground of climate changes and growing earth population, induces situations more and more complex to manage. The sustainable development of water resources in the aquatic environment and its management represents today a major challenge. The global aim of the management is to avoid or minimize risk of crisis as water supply, irrigation, floods, waste water treatment... Hydro-Informatics, a European concept, emerges as the central element for the progress of modelling activities and management of capacities. The main objective of the Master is to prepare and train future scientists and executive engineers in charge of modelling and managing projects in hydro-technologies and environment. These professionals have vocation to assist local, regional, national and international collectivities, public services and to be involved in private companies.

University of Nice - Sophia Antipolis (FR), Brandenburg University of Technology at Cottbus (DE), Budapest University of Technology and Economics (HU), Technical University of Catalonia (ES), Newcastle University (UK) are the partners of the 4 semesters Master programme (2 years). Mobility scheme covers at least 3 locations.

Lectures are given mainly in English, for about 40 participants mixing European and third-country students. The Master is organized in a pedagogic continuum to provide introduction and common knowledge/soft skills (sem. 1 all locations), acquisition and the use of the Hydro-Informatics concepts, methods and tools (sem. 2 UK), a thematic specialisation: hydro-informatics systems, urban waters management, inland waters management, decision support systems (sem. 3 all locations except UK) and for semester 4 (all locations), a research project or a professional practice.

The consortium of the partner universities issues a MSc Joint degree defined as a Master of Science in Hydro-Informatics & Water Management recognized by all the participating countries.

The Master Course is supported by the European Commission Directorate General for Education and Culture through the actions 1 & 2 of the Erasmus Mundus framework.

Admission criteria: a 2nd class degree from university (BSc) or its equivalent (min. qualification). Preferred first degree subjects are Engineering (any branch), Environmental Sciences, Physics, Computer Sciences, Geography, Mathematics, Chemistry, Geology or a similar subject. Advanced level Mathematics is required. Applicants for continuing education have to justify a professional experience as engineer or similar at least 5 years. TOEFL score of 575 or greater (or equivalent) is required. Basic knowledge of one of the others languages (German, French, Spanish, Hungarian) used by the consortium has to be acquired during the 2 year programme. Evaluation on the level of scientific and engineering knowledge, as well as English language skills, is carried out by the Euro-Aquae Consortium for each candidate.

Nice, 20^th of September 2004