Please read this content carefully. If you have any further questions please contact Hans Schreier.
Watersheds form the most appropriate functional landscape units that can be used to determine the dynamic interactions between land use activities and water resources. Land use activities such as forestry, mining, agriculture, urbanization, fisheries and recreation all impact water resources to various degrees. Interactions between natural and human induced processes can best be assessed in a watershed context because the water quantity and quality at the outlet of a watershed provides an excellent indication of how well we manage the resources in it, and what the cumulative impacts are of all these activities. Water resource problems are reaching global proportions and given the complexity of all the processes that affect the hydrological cycle there is a need for a holistic treatment of this topic at the post-baccalaureate level.
There are very few university degree programs in water resource management and few graduates have the opportunity to be exposed to the interdisciplinary nature and methods of watershed management per se. For these reasons, the University of British Columbia developed the Certificate in Watershed Management program. It provides professionals with the conceptual and technical skills to formulate responses to water resource issues.
The Certificate in Watershed Management program familiarizes practicing professionals with the interdisciplinary nature inherent in watershed management while also providing a more detailed understanding of particular aspects. It will increase participants’ understanding of the ways in which knowledge from a number of disciplinary areas must be linked, and the collaboration required to resolve the escalating number of water resource conflicts. Elective courses allow participants to focus on specific aspects of watershed management that relate to their area of interest.
The program reflects the views and needs of those in industry and government, as well as those independently involved in watershed management, either directly or in relation to some aspect of resource management or governance in which watershed management is a factor. It is derived from needs analysis and broad consultation, as well as through the counsel of an advisory committee.
A unique aspect of the UBC Certificate in Watershed Management is the combination of distance education and face-to-face delivery of courses. Distance education responds to the expressed needs of working professionals for programs that provide flexibility in the time and location of learning.
Who should apply?
The UBC Certificate in Watershed Management is designed to benefit those working as:
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- Municipal and Corporate Environmental Coordinators
- Land Use Planners
- Consultants
- Stream keepers and Fisheries Management staff
- Foresters and Forest Company Employees
- Agrologists
- Biologists
- Geoscientists
- Mining company personnel
- Engineers
- Public Health employees
- Government employees in areas of: Environment, Forestry, Lands and Parks, Agriculture, Planning, Energy, Mining, Fisheries and more.
Many of these individuals are practicing or qualifying members of professional associations. This certificate program will be appealing or beneficial to both practicing professionals and individuals who are qualifying for professional status.
Program format
To attain the Certificate in Watershed Management five courses must be successfully completed. The five courses must comprise of the three required courses and two elective course (chosen from among the approved elective courses). The candidate must take Integrated Watershed Management and one elective from outside of the core courses. Those who do not wish to enroll for the Certificate but who do want to enhance their knowledge in a particular area may take the courses separately and individually.
Candidates are required to complete the certificate within a 3-year time frame. Students are required to obtain a minimum of 68% in each course in order to obtain the Certificate. Each course generally requires 30-35 hours of instructional contact or the equivalent self-study time, spread over a 12-13 week period. Students are expected to undertake additional hours of study, in the preparation of assignments and project work.
A distributed learning technology-based approach has been adopted. The intent is to make the entire program available through distance education via the Internet. A multi-media CD-ROM is provided for each course and this serves as electronic textbook. Email, Internet Bulletin Boards and the World Wide Web are tools that are used to deliver the course and communicate with the participants. All courses make full use of computer-based materials, video, interactive distance education technology and self-directed project work.
All courses delivered for the Certificate are academic credit courses at the graduate level. They can be taken individually, for professional credit or for academic credit. Admission to the University of British Columbia is required for students who want to take the course for academic credit towards a graduate degree. Acceptance to the university is not required for the Professional Certificate but a B.Sc. or equivalent degree and/or experience is required to enter the Certificate program.
Please see below for course descriptions:
Required Courses
RMES 515 Integrated Watershed Management
Catalogue No. 2373
Instructor(s): Hans Schreier
Term 2
Methods of watershed evaluation, land-water interactions, key aspects of hydrology, water quality and aquatic biota, land use impacts on water resources, community involvement, and integration of multiple land use activities and their cumulative impacts. For more information please see the course website.
RMES 516 Urban Watershed Management
Catalogue No. 2371
Instructor(s): Hans Schreier
Term 1
Urban land use impacts on water resources with a focus on impervious surfaces, storm-water management, non-point sources of pollution, cumulative effects, water quality, rehabilitation of urban streams, and application of best management practices. For more information please see the course website.
RMES 517 Agricultural Watershed Management
Catalogue No. 2372
Instructor(s): Hans Schreier
Term 1
Intensive and extensive agriculture with a focus on water needs, water use and impacts on water resources. Non-point sources of pollution, nutrient modeling, soil and land degradation, protection and rehabilitation of watersheds including buffer zones, wetlands, and best management practices. For more information please see the course website.
Prerequisite: RMES 515 is strongly recommended
Elective Courses
Distance Education Electives
RMES 518 Water and International Development
Catalogue No. 2374
Instructor(s): Hans Schreier
Term 2
Key water issues associated with international development: global water demand, scarcity, efficiency of use, water as a commodity, biophysical and policy aspects of water management, water and health, land use impact, water harvesting, improved irrigation, and pollution prevention. For more information please see the course website.
EOSC329 Groundwater Hydrology (offered by the department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at UBC.)
This course covers the theory of groundwater flow, flow nets, regional groundwater resource evaluation, well hydraulics, and the role of groundwater in geological processes. Please note that this course is not offered every year as a web-based course.
Note that a selection of Distance Education Courses offered at other Institutions can be counted towards the Certificate.
Classroom Education Electives
These courses can be counted towards the Certificate but require course attendance at the University of British Columbia.
PLAN 597 Planning for Water Resources Management (Offered by the School of Community and Regional Planning.)
This course examines the relationships among relevant biophysical, socioeconomic and institutional systems in relation to their application to regional planning for watersheds, lakes, estuaries, coastal zones and international river basins. Water supply, waste disposal, fisheries, aquaculture, recreation, hydro-power and flood control is specifically considered. This course is not offered in a distance education format and requires that the participants attend the classes at UBC.
CIVL 568 Water Pollution Engineering and its Ecological Impacts (Offered by the department of Civil Engineering.)
This course covers the chemical and biological processes involved in the cycling, transformations and distribution of inorganic and organic compounds in polluted water environments. This course is not offered in a distance education format and requires that the participants attend the classes at UBC.
FRST 385 Watershed Hydrology (Offered by the Faculty of Forestry.)
How does water flow through our forests? This course will take you on a journey from rain to reservoirs, and discuss what impact humans have on this precious resource. This course explores measurement and analysis of hydrological processes in response to forest management activities. FRST 385 is not offered in a distance education format and requires that the participants attend the classes at UBC.
FRST 386 Aquatic Ecosystems and Fish Interactions (Offered by the Faculty of Forestry.)
Investigate the secret world lurking just below the surface of streams, lakes, and rivers. What is essential to protect and conserve fish and other aquatic organisms? This course discusses the effects of forest management activities on fish and aquatic ecosystems. FRST 386 is not offered in a distance education format and requires that the participants attend the classes at UBC.
