The Water Resources Program (WRP) offers the Master of Water Resources (M.W.R.) degree, an interdisciplinary professional degree designed to prepare students for careers in water resources. Applicants to the program must have a basic proficiency in at least one water-related discipline (defined rather broadly) such as engineering, sociology, management, public administration, environmental studies, economics, law, chemistry, planning, political science, geology, geography and biology, among others–or professional experience in the water field. The goal of the M.W.R. degree program is to expand and deepen students’ knowledge of their primary disciplines and provide them with an integrated perspective on the importance of water in socio-economic and environmental contexts, improve their capacity for critical thinking and develop their technical and communication skills. UNM’s location in the Southwest means that there is a focus on arid region water issues; however, the M.W.R. degree is designed to provide its students a firm grounding in water resources that is applicable to any region.

The M.W.R. degree is obtained by taking a sequence of courses in one of two concentrations: Hydroscience or Policy and Management. The degree requirements consist of 39 credit hours: 36 credit hours of coursework plus 3 credit hours for a professional project. The Hydroscience concentration is designed primarily for students with technical orientation in the physical and biological sciences and engineering. This concentration leads to further expertise in the technical aspects of water resources management. The Policy and Management concentration is intended for students with interests in the social and economic sciences, administration, public policy, and planning. This concentration develops the student’s skills in the administrative, economic, and socio-political aspects of water resources management. The curriculum for each concentration is flexible, enabling a student to design a course of study that achieves his/her career objectives with guidance from his/her advisor and graduate committee.