Water Resources Management
Specialization Advisor(s)
- Scott Jasechko (Class of 2023) - Sabbatical in W23
- Arturo Keller (Class of 2024)
Fresh waters are life-sustaining natural resources, critical to domestic water security, manufacturing and agriculture. Successfully managing water resources requires ensuring reliable quantities of acceptable-quality water while simultaneously maintaining or restoring the healthy ecosystems.
Beyond its direct importance as a resource, water is central to many environmental problems. Solving these problems requires understanding connections between the atmosphere, surface water, groundwater and processes controlling fate and transport of chemicals and nutrients.
Water Resources Management (WRM) students in the Master of Environmental Science and Management program study hydrologic and biogeochemical processes in watersheds and receiving water bodies. You will be trained to understand the economics of natural resources, policies, laws, and regulations related to water resources and their stewardship. WRM students learn GIS tools, remote sensing, spatial data analysis, and modeling, among other relevant analytical techniques.
Requirements
Master of Environmental Science and Management students are required to take a minimum of 36 units of electives in their primary specialization. With an advisor’s approval, Bren students may also take courses in other UCSB departments as electives to satisfy specialization requirements.
ESM courses are offered through the Bren School and most ESM courses are offered every year. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) will be offered every other year.
Courses
WRM Specialization Courses (12 units required)
ESM 225 Water Policy (4 units)
ESM 235 Watershed Analysis (4 units)
At least 4 units of coursework in water quality:
ESM 222 Pollution Risk Management (4 units)
ESM 224 Sustainable Water Resources Management (4 units)
Technical Skills (8 units required)
ESM 212 Biological Community Survey & Analysis (4 units)
ESM 228 Monitoring and Evaluation (4 units)
ESM 232 Environmental Modeling (4 units)
ESM 244 Advanced Data Analysis (4 units)
ESM 262 Computing for Environmental Science and Management (2 units)
ESM 263 Geographic Information Systems (4 units)
ESM 269 Survey Design and Environmental Public Opinion (2 units)
ESM 271 Carbon Footprints and Carbon Accounting (4 units)
ESM 273 Life Cycle Assessment (4 units)
ESM 284 Sustainable Product Development (4 units)
ESM 287 Energy Demand Analysis (4 units)
Environmental Economics, Policy, and Law (4 units required)
ESM 229 Economics and Policy of Climate Change (4 units)
ESM 242 Natural Resource Economics (4 units)
ESM 243 Environmental Policy Analysis (4 units)
ESM 245 Cost Benefit Analysis (4 units)
ESM 248 Environmental Institutions (4 units)
ESM 257 Coastal Ocean Policy and Management (4 units)
ESM 277 International Environmental Law (2 units)*
ESM 278 Natural Resources Law and Policy (2 units)*
Environmental Management (recommended)
ESM 230 Strategic Planning for Non-Profit Ventures (4 units)*
ESM 279 Financial Management and Environmental Accounting (4 units)
ESM 281 Corporate Environmental Management (4 units)
ESM 284 Sustainable Product Development (4 units)
Additional Science (8 units required)
ESM 211 Applied Population Ecology (4 units)
ESM 214 Biological Waste Treatment (4 units)*
ESM 215 Landscape Ecology (4 units)
ESM 219 Microbial Processes in the Environment (4 units)*
ESM 226 Groundwater Management (4 units)
ESM 237 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (4 units)
ESM 239 Advanced Climate Science for Policymakers (4 units)*
ESM 240 Climate Change Biology (2 units)*
ESM 254 Coastal Marine Ecosystem Processes (4 units)
ESM 260 Applied Marine Ecology (4 units)
ESM 270 Conservation Planning & Priority Setting (4 units)
ESM 270P Conservation Planning Practicum (4 units)
ESM 282 Pollution Prevention (4 units)
ESM 288 Energy, Technology and the Environment (4 units)
Or fill in relevant science course from other UCSB department
Advanced Special Topics (recommended)
Advanced Special Topics courses (variable units) are typically taught by Visiting Professors and Lecturers and may be offered during any quarter of the academic year.
ESM 293 Advanced Special Topics in Climate and Energy
ESM 294 Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Law
ESM 296 Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Management
ESM 297 Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Policy
ESM 299 Advanced Special Topics in Environmental Science
ESM 430 Workshops in Environmental Science and Management
Relevant Courses in other UCSB departments
EARTH 269 Tracer and Contaminant Hydrology
Internship Opportunities
Students gain experience in an industry or sector relevant to career goals through a summer internship. WRM students have taken internships with a wide variety of organizations, including the Aquatic Network, Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper, Envicom Corporation, International Water Engineering Center, Global Environment Facility, American Fisheries Society, USGS Water Resources, World Water Conservation.Com, and many other agencies, organizations, and companies.
Research & Special Projects
Students may participate in research directed by Bren faculty through one of the many interdisciplinary research groups at UCSB.
