TUD Dresden University of Technology has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) and the RWTH Aachen to launch a new Joint Master’s Program on ‘Water Security and Global Change’. It is organized under the umbrella of the ‘Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre – ABCD-Centre’. Associated partners to the program are the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok, and the United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), Dresden. The program is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Federal Foreign Office.
TUD Dresden University of Technology has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) and the RWTH Aachen to launch a new Joint Master’s Program on ‘Water Security and Global Change’. It is organized under the umbrella of the ‘Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre – ABCD-Centre’. Associated partners to the program are the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok, and the United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), Dresden. The program is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Federal Foreign Office.
The Program bundles water-related specialist knowledge of all partner institutes, and has a focus on regional, national, and international stakeholders’ needs. Content includes, i.e., Water Resource Management, Water Policy and Governance, Water Quality and Pollution, Understanding Water System and more general issues such as Global Change Impacts, Ethical and Social Considerations, Communication and Leadership. Through the interdisciplinary studies and research in this program, students will be equipped with the skills to address water security challenges and climate adaptation issues in a global environment.
Prof. Jürgen Stamm, Chairperson of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, TUD, and ABCD-Centre Lead encourages students to apply for the Master’s Program: “Climate change is well underway. We need appropriate strategies and adaptation measures to address the consequences of climate change now to secure our future. Study the new international Master’s degree program and become a future environmental leader dedicated to ensuring water security for both humanity and nature.”
The deadline for applications to the program is fast approaching with a cut-off on April 30, 2024. Students will commence the academic year on July 29, 2024 at IIT Madras and spend at least one semester at TU Dresden and RWTH Aachen, with IITM offering five and TUD and RWTH six courses each. The program has a modular structure that includes a mobility window to study abroad and options for specializations. To conclude, students will have the flexibility to conduct their Master thesis at the University of their choice with advisors from one or more of the partners, i.e., companies, governmental agencies, and NGOs, and/or associated universities. Further details on the program, information on the eligibility criteria and the application link are available on https://abcd-centre.org/master-program/.
Prof. Veezhinathan Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, highlights the program’s capability to underscore the Sustainable Development Goal’s (SDG) global perspective: “As we all collectively move towards meeting the objectives and milestones of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is very important that we develop human capacity. Specifically, we instill knowledge in students, not about a single nation but about a global perspective on SDGs.”
Prof. Holger Schüttrumpf, Head of the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, RWTH Aachen stresses the important link to water: “Climate adaptation starts with water. To meet this challenge, a new global JMP was developed by the ABCD-Centre, an initiative by five well-known universities in three countries on two continents.”
This international Master program with IITM, RWTH and TUD as degree-granting partners will be a first of its kind as well as a flagship for academic cooperation exchange between India and Germany, and hence a great opportunity for national and international students alike.
The ABCD-Centre community invites motivated students to apply for this program to become future leaders in Climate Adaptation Science.
Among other things, TUD will also present the newly launched Master Program to a diverse audience at their exhibition stall at the Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC) in Bangkok, Thailand this year in June. The GSDC brings together representatives from academia, government, NGOs, business and society.
The TUD’s commitment to sustainability is also reflected in the existing portfolio of sustainability related Master’s degree programs (e.g., Master programs Hydro Science and Engineering and Tropical Forestry), in projects and initiatives and in its recently published sustainability strategy.Already in 1977, TUD established the Centre for International Postgraduate Studies of Environmental Management (CIPSEM) which is responsible for the implementation of the UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV international Postgraduate Training Program in environmental management for experts from the Global South.
Recently, TUD and its School of Civil and Environmental Engineering also extended the existing partnership specifically with the newly founded School of Sustainability at IITM. It aims to be recognized as a leader for sustainability teaching and research in the global south.
In July 2024, the Free State of Saxony will set up a Scientific Liaison Office in Chennai, India which will be run by TUD. Among other things, an onboarding campus will be established where Indian students can be prepared for studying at TUD with the aim of facilitating a genuine transfer of skilled labor.
