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Water Resources and Climate Risks Elective Specialization
Climate-induced risks play a crucial role in decision-making for the planning, design, and operation of water resource systems. This elective specialization will prepare you to tackle the water quality and quantity challenges of a climate change-driven future.
Our water infrastructure — drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater — is outdated and at risk. Climate change is increasing threats like water scarcity, flooding, and contaminants such as PFAS and microplastics. These issues impact the design of physical, social, and financial systems, and the unpredictable climate complicates their function. Poor design can increase vulnerabilities, while well-designed systems boost resilience. Now more than ever, we need to design resilient but flexible systems to resolve this global challenge.
In this elective specialization, you will take a transformative approach to water quality management. The curriculum will equip you with the skills to design sustainable, secure, and equitable solutions for the future. You’ll learn to integrate innovations, circular water practices, and "One Water" concepts, focusing on water quality, efficiency, and environmental protection. You’ll also train to assess climate variability using modeling techniques and design adaptable infrastructure that mitigates risks. This training will make you a highly desirable candidate across the water resource management industry and beyond.
Course List
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Core Courses
- A Better Planet by Design
- Environmental Data Analysis and Modeling
- Hydrosystems
- Machine Learning for Environmental Engineering and Science
- Management of Water Systems
- Sustainable Water Treatment and Reuse
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Electives
- Air Pollution
- Aquatic Chemistry
- Artificial Intelligence
- Atmospheric and Climate Science for Public Health
- Capital Facility Planning and Financing
- Computational Math: Introduction to Numerical Methods
- Computer Vision
- Environmental and Resource Economics
- Environmental Data Analysis
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Microbiology
- Environmental Physicochemical Processes
- Geographic Information System Infrastructure Management
- Global Assessment and Remote Sensing
- Groundwater Contaminant Transport and Remediation
- Industrial Ecology of Manufacturing
- Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry
- Introduction to Atmospheric Science
- Introduction to Physical Oceanography
- Introduction to Probability and Statistics
- Linear Regression Models
- Machine Learning for Data Science
- Machine Learning for Environmental Engineers and Scientists
- Management of Water Systems
- Managing and Adapting to Climate Change
- Numerical Methods
- Optimization Models and Methods
- Planning and Management of Urban Hydrologic Systems
- Principles of Applied Math
- Sustainable Water Treatment and Reuse
- Wetlands and Climate Change
Careers in Water Resources and Climate Risks
This elective specialization is designed for both engineering students and working professionals interested in a career in water quality engineering, quantitative risk and water resource management.
Employment opportunities include water quality engineering, water resource engineering, climate risk analysis, urban resilience strategy, hydrology, environmental consultancy and water infrastructure. You could also pursue careers in federal, state and local resource water management, insurance and financial risk management, international aid, development, policy, and regulation.
Related Elective Specialization & Programs
Sustainable Energy Elective Specialization
Explore contemporary energy technologies, innovations, and infrastructures designed to address current and future environmental and resource challenges.
Sustainable Mining and Materials Elective Specialization
Learn how to develop and implement the technologies needed to sustainably use and transform the Earth’s resources.