The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) in WAter and COastal MAnagement (WACOMA) 2017-2022 promotes academic excellence in a teaching Master Degree Programme that aims at developing common understanding and deepening scientific knowledge in the vital, challenging and continuously evolving field of water and coastal ecosystems.

The EMJMD WACOMA is specifically addressed to water and coastal hazards and risks and their interrelations with global changes and use of resources. Consistent with the percepts of management sciences, it also concern mitigation and adaptation to changes and it deals with the relevant aspects of a sustainable green and blue economy. The EMJMD WACOMA links natural sciences and societal challenges focusing on biology, geology, management, law and economics, thus being both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. It aims at integrating aquatic, environmental and marine sciences into an advanced teaching program, while promoting an exchange of information with a direct involvement of the coastal end users and stakeholders.

The diversity and complexity of these topics relating to freshwater and coastal systems require a broad academic platform for an effective integration between the institutions representing different ecosystems scenarios, management and risks cultures.

Like all interface systems, fresh water and marine environments are highly complex and dynamic. Therefore their management must be implemented through a strategic integration of the series of different technical items. A successful future manager/investor/advisor like our prospective Erasmus Mundus Master students, need to gain the knowledge of these technical items and to dominate an efficient method leading to their integration within one formal system.

The course objective is to train managers and scientists for Water and Coastal Zone Risk Management, with a solid knowledge of environmental and legal instruments.

The course draws on EU research projects and case studies, as well as laboratory experiments and field trips. The program includes experience in modern practical, analytical and numerical methods applicable to water and coastal management. Students are trained in both the collection and analysis of data and the transformation of data into information.

The training includes solving practical management problems of catchments, wetlands, coasts, Ports and in general freshwater and marine areas as well as the comparison of alternate solutions. The students use methods and decision support systems, such as DPSIR, that are relevant to the planning and management of freshwater and marine zone problems. Graduates are encouraged to form a network of peers through an alumni society that will move to become a European professional and accreditation association.

Directed to this international program, a consortium have been formed. The proposing consortium is an association of several European and non-European Country academic institutions, representing a wide spectrum of complementary scientific knowledge and of diverse fresh water and marine sites.

Keywords: risk assessment; integrated coastal management; climate change; flood; erosion; sea level rise; sea water intrusion; vulnerability of natural ecosystems; legacy and emerging pollutants; water resources; socio-economic indicators; communication; planning; policies and decision making.ç