MSc in Agricultural Water Management

1. Name of the master’s programme: Agricultural Water Management Engineering

2. The level of qualification that can be obtained in the programme and the designation of the qualification in the diploma:

• level of qualification: master (magister, master: MSc-) degree
• qualification: Agricultural Water Management Engineer

3. Field of study: Agriculture

4. Degrees accepted as prerequisites for entry into the master's programme

4.1. The following undergraduate programmes can be considered for full credit: agricultural engineering, agricultural and food mechanical engineering, horticultural engineering, environmental management agricultural engineering, crop production, rural development agricultural engineering, and economic and rural development agricultural engineering.

4.2.  The credits specified in point 9.3. can primarily be taken into account: from the agricultural training field, landscape architecture engineering, food engineering, viticulture and oenology engineering, nature conservation engineering, animal husbandry engineering, wildlife management engineering, surveying and land surveying engineering, forestry engineering; from the technical training field, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, technical geosciences, engineering management, water management engineering; from the natural science training field, earth science, environmental science undergraduate degrees.

4.3. The credits specified in point 9.3. may also be taken into account for those bachelor's and master's degree programmes as well as those programmes pursuant to Act LXXX of 1993 on Higher Education, which are accepted by the Study and Credit Transfer Committee of the higher educational institution based on a comparison of the knowledge serving as the basis for determining the credit.

5. Training period in semesters: 4 semesters

6. The number of credits required to obtain a master's degree: 120 credits

• orientation of the major: balanced (40-60 percent)
• credit value assigned to the thesis: 30 credits
• minimum credit value assigned to optional subjects: 6 credits

7.   The field of study classification according to the unified classification system for training areas of qualifications: 621/0811 

8. The training objective and professional competencies of the master's programme

The aim of the training is to train agricultural water management engineers who, with the knowledge acquired in the master's programme, are able to creatively apply the tools of sustainable integrated water management within the field of agricultural water management. With their qualification they are able to cooperate at a high level in solving domestic and international tasks related to their field. They are suitable for design-development engineering, research and management positions. They are prepared to continue their studies in doctoral training.

8.1. The professional competencies to be acquired

8.1.1. The Agricultural Water Management Engineer

a) according to his/her knowledge

• possesses high-level natural science, technical and relevant health-related knowledge necessary for the cultivation of the agricultural water management field.
• knows the applicability of the latest agricultural water management technologies and procedures along with their legal regulations.
• has detailed knowledge of the specificities of agricultural water management and the processes taking place, knows and recognizes the relationships between them.
• knows the latest agricultural water management technologies and IT solutions for sustainable water resource management.
• has detailed knowledge of the planning and implementation, execution methods, rules and related specificities of the agricultural water management activity system - both in domestic and international relations.
• knows the specificities of team and project work, has leadership skills.
• knows the different levels of management functions, methods of evaluation, and conflict management techniques.
• possesses general knowledge of management theory and applied psychology applicable to his/her field and to the agricultural economy as a whole.
• possesses detailed knowledge of his/her field and closely related fields (natural sciences, economics, law) and recognizes the factors limiting the efficiency of the operation of economic systems.
• knows the relationship between economy, society and the agricultural sector.
• knows the strategic role of K+F+I in the agricultural economy.
• knows the specific research methods, abstraction techniques and methods of developing practical aspects of theoretical issues in his/her field.
• knows the methods and tools of professional and effective oral, written and network communication.
• knows and understands the special vocabulary of his/her field, both in Hungarian and at least one foreign language.
• has extensive general education, social and agricultural history and technical knowledge.

b) according to his/her competencies   

• able to develop and implement climate adaptation solutions in their field of expertise.
• able to apply and further develop the latest agricultural water management technologies and procedures.
• able to coordinate the professional task of agricultural water management.
• able to navigate and form a professionally grounded opinion on domestic and international economic policy and social events related to agricultural economics.
• able to independently interpret and apply the legislation related to their professional activities.
• analyze the work (activity) and practical problems of the managed organization with scientific rigor and appropriate methods.
• able to define, plan and organize the activity system of the field of expertise.
• able to develop their own position and defend it in a debate on general social, agricultural economics and special issues related to the field of expertise.
• follow the defining domestic and international literature of their field in an understandable and analytical manner.
• able to provide the necessary conditions for the implementation of specific activities, to continuously manage and control the implementation, and to organize it.
• able to create the conditions for change and implement the change to modernize the work of the organization.
• able to practically implement the various functions of management activity, to motivate those managed, to evaluate their performance, to handle emerging conflicts legally and effectively.
• able to form a project team, to actively participate in research and development projects.
• able to perform a detailed analysis of the different areas of ideas that make up the knowledge system of the given field, to explore comprehensive and special connections.
• able to identify professional problems, to approach them in a versatile, interdisciplinary way, and to explore and formulate the detailed theoretical and practical background necessary for their solution.
• able to formulate and evaluate his/her analyses of agricultural economics across sectors, in their contexts, and in a complex manner.
• able to express oneself in Hungarian and foreign languages ​​in writing and orally in his/her field of expertise, and to participate in discussions.
• knows, processes, interprets the knowledge transfer techniques and Hungarian and foreign language publication sources of the field and applies them in his/her work.
• able to use modern IT tools, professional and effective oral and written communication.
• able to understand and authentically convey the summary and detailed problems of his/her profession.
• able to favor environmentally friendly solutions that support the health of individuals and society during engineering work.

c) according to his/her attitude

• knows and accepts comprehensive and special relationships, the professional identity that forms the specific character, personal and community role of his/her field.
• is open to paradigm shifts in the agricultural sector.
• is committed to environmental protection and sustainable agricultural economics.
• recognizes professional values, is receptive to the application of methods and tools that represent effective solutions.
• recognizes and accepts the limitations and risks of his/her decisions.
• is characterized by law-abiding behavior in his/her work and expects the same from his/her subordinates.
• is open and receptive to learning about modern and innovative procedures and their practical application.
• accepts professionally based critical comments.
• is critical and demanding of himself/herself.
• is committed to solving problems based on professional principles.
• is thoughtful, subordinates his/her opinion to professional criteria.
• it is important for him to adhere to the ethical rules and norms of scientific research.
• forms his opinions on professional grounds and represents them consistently.
• accepts the differing opinions of others, if they are sufficiently supported by professional reasons.
• takes initiative in establishing collaborations.
• it is important for him to strengthen the efficiency and health-supportive nature of work organizations.

d) according to his/her autonomy and responsibility

• has a high degree of independence in developing comprehensive and special professional issues and representing professional views.
• takes responsibility for all of this.
• feels responsible for the development of the role of agricultural management in the countryside.
• based on his/her practical experience, he/she independently decides on the method of implementing specific work processes.
• makes decisions with a sense of professional responsibility.
• takes responsibility for the consequences of his/her decisions.
• is an equal partner in cooperation between professionals and disciplines.
• represents, adheres to and enforces the engineering and environmental ethical rules of his/her field.
• in strategic decision-making situations requiring a new, complex approach, and in unexpected life situations, he/she strives to make decisions with full consideration of the ethical norms of the law and the norms supporting the health of society.

9. Characteristics of the master programme

9.1. Professional characteristics

The disciplines and scientific areas leading to the qualification on which the programme is built:

• natural science knowledge (applied hydrology, climatology, hydrobiology, water chemistry) 10-15 credits;
• agricultural knowledge (irrigated farming, precision agriculture, hydro-cultural systems, drought management, soil physics, estate planning and estate development, floodplain management) 20-30 credits;
• water management knowledge (integrated water management, inland water management, agricultural water supply systems, agricultural water management information systems, wetland management and utilization, land reclamation, hydraulics, agricultural water management monitoring) 25-35 credits;
• technical knowledge (hydrological geoinformatics and remote sensing, agricultural water management planning and implementation) 6-10 credits;
• economic and social science knowledge (hydro-economics, water policy and water law) 6-10 credits.

9.2. Requirements for the internship

The professional internship is a minimum of four weeks, 160 hours of practice specified in the training curriculum, at a training location conducting activities related to agricultural water management, with a credit value of 5 credits.

9.3. Minimum entry requirements into the master's degree cycle for holders of the diploma specified in point 4.2. and 4.3.: 

A The minimum number of credits required for entry to a master's degree programme other than a bachelor's degree programme based on previous studies, is at least 60 credits in the fields of natural science, agricultural science, technical and professional administration, as follows:

• at least 10 credits in natural science,
• at least 20 credits in agricultural knowledge,
• at least 10 credits in technical and administrative knowledge.

The condition for admission to a master's degree programme is that the student has at least 40 credits based on his/her previous studies. The missing credits must be obtained as specified in the study and examination regulations of the higher education institution.