Master's Degree Programme
Specialisation Track in Integrated Watershed Sciences

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The teaching is developed and conducted by expert researchers of the H₂O’Lyon research units and our national and international partners. The master's thesis will be carried out in collaboration with external academic organisations and water stakeholders and managers.  

The IWS specialisation is open to students at the University of Lyon enrolled in:

Students from the Engineering schools INSA and ENTPE can enrol for the second year of this specialisation track (i.e. Master 2).

Year 1: 60 ECTS
Year 2: 60 ECTS

Full-time

Master's Degree

On September

Lyon (France)

French/English for Year 1
English for Year 2

On campus

University Lyon 1
University Lyon 2

Christophe Douady
Norbert Landon
Björn Wissel
Alyssa Bailly
master-iws@univ-lyon1.fr

Programme in brief

• 3-day supervised field work / workshop during the fall to develop a case study within an interdisciplinary context.  Students will discover the value of integrating different disciplines and collaborate to solve complex water sciences problems.
• Participation in a year-long research-mentoring programme. Students will be partnered with researchers from the H₂O’Lyon community. Students will gain first-hand perspectives on research in their discipline and acquire new knowledge and skills.

The second year focuses on the specialisation track in Integrated Watershed Sciences and offers courses and training on the theory of interdisciplinarity, application to complex issues in water sciences, fundamentals and techniques for solving water-related problems, and professional tools, such as scientific communication and project management.

Courses will combine teaching methods, such as lectures, practicals, group exercises, field-based work, student presentations as well as completion of an independent research project (master's thesis).

Students are encouraged to participate in international mobility (1 to 6 months). This mobility can be carried out during semester 1 or 2 and is supported by H₂O’Lyon scholarships. This mobility will give students the opportunity to experience different cultural visions, approaches to learning and knowledge, and improve their language proficiencies, all skills needed to solve current and future water issues at the global scale.

Teaching Unit (UE)	European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
Challenges in water sciences	3
Inter and transdisciplinarity	3
Disciplinary basis	6
Cross-disciplinary issues	3
Supervised project	3
Techniques and methods	6
Communication and application	6
Master thesis	30
Total Year 2	60

Students will carry out a supervised final research project as their Master's thesis. The purpose of the thesis is to demonstrate the student’s capacity to design, conduct and analyse a scientific study based on the skills obtained during the first three semesters. Students from different disciplines will form clusters around trans-disciplinary research questions to address complex real-world issues that go well beyond their individual expertise. Each student will work on facets of the question that are related to their specific discipline, while collaborating with other students in their cluster.

Students will present their individual projects, results and relevant background literature in an independent Master's thesis and a Master's seminar that follows the procedures of scientific meetings. In addition, students from each cluster will generate a short report describing the collective effort to solve the real-world issue of their project.

Master's theses will be carried out in one of the research units of the H₂O'Lyon network, in collaboration with external organisations involved in watershed management and Water Sciences.

2025

• Development of indicators for the characterisation and monitoring of riparian vegetation at the SAGE level and in the context of climate change.
  

• Conciliation entre les différents usages de la rivière Sorgue avec la préservation du milieu dans un contexte de changement climatique.
  

• Urbanisation des plaines d'inondation qui a eu lieu à l'échelle globale depuis des millénaires, avec une accélération observée lors des dernières décennies, notamment dans les pays du sud.
  

2024

• Multi-approach study of the relict population of white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) in the Razes stream in the context of habitat restoration and hydraulic works.
  

• Tufa expansion in the Cuisance catchment (Jura): an interdisciplinary study.
  

2023

• Integration of the water cycle in urban development projects at different scales.
  

After the Master

Students are being prepared for a career in fundamental or applied research, water conservation, management and policy at different regional, national, and international levels that are associated with their own areas of expertise (e.g., Ecology, Geomatics, Water, Environmental and Risk Management, Engineering Sciences). Possible employment will include positions such as Project Manager, Research Scientist, or Policy Analyst.

In contrast to traditional Water Sciences programs, the H₂O’Lyon IWS programme has a strong emphasis on inter-, cross- and trans-disciplinarity and the development of communication tools. Freshwater issues are no longer subject-specific. Therefore, knowledge and understanding of related disciplines will not only be crucial for finding innovative, holistic solutions to current and future threats, but will also increase professional skills, employability and job satisfaction.

In addition to pursuing a career as a water professional (see above), this master's degree specialisation track makes you eligible for scientific postgraduate degree studies.
As a Ph.D. student, you are part of a research group and will conduct your own independent scientific project.
Degrees can be completed at the University of Lyon in one of the H₂O’Lyon research units (or anywhere else in the world).
Students can do either a regular Ph.D. or pursue a programme within CIFRE(French partnership programme to conduct doctoral studies while being employed by a company).
The H₂O’Lyon team will assist IWS students to identify a suitable Ph.D. project and research partners as well as potential funding sources.

Entry Requirements

• Access requirement for admission to year 1
• Access requirement for admission to year 2

International students can enroll for the second year of this specialization track (i.e. Master 2).

The admission process for the IWS Programme differs depending on your situation:

• You are a student from a country eligible for the Etudes en France procedure (list of the countries here).

• You are a European or a foreign student not in the first case:

If you enroll in the IWS master's program you will then receive a link to register at the Lyon University.

Annually, a maximum of 18 students will be admitted to the specialisation track in Integrated Watershed Sciences.

Check the prerequisites to ensure that you are eligible to participate in the programme.
Applicants must apply to one of the seven Master degree programmes that offer this specialisation and specify that they want to enrol in the Integrative Watershed Sciences track.

Be aware of the deadlines!

MASTER	YEAR	APPLICATION DEADLINES	PRE-APPLICATION	APPLICATION
Biodiversity Ecology Evolution	Year 1 BEE@Lyon	2026		monmaster
	Year 2 BEE@Lyon / IWS	11/03/2026 - 17/04/2026		eCandidat Lyon 1
Microbiology	Year 1 Microbiology	2026		monmaster
	Year 2 Microbiology / IWS	11/03/2026 - 17/04/2026		eCandidat Lyon 1
Process & Bioprocess Engineering	Year 1 Process & Bioprocess Engineering	2026		monmaster
	Year 2 Process & Bioprocess Engineering / IWS	11/03/2026 - 17/04/2026		eCandidat Lyon 1
Environmental Management	Year 1 Environmental Management	2025		monmaster
	Year 2 Environmental Management (Lyon 2) / IWS	05/05/2025 - 02/06/2025		eCandidat Lyon 2
	Year 2 Environmental Management (St Etienne) / IWS	01/04/2025 - 16/05/2025		eCandidat St Etienne
Risk & Environment	Year 1 Risk & Environment	2025		monmaster
	Year 2 Risk & Environment / IWS	05/05/2025 - 02/06/2025		eCandidat Lyon 2
Water Science	Year 1 Water Science	2025		monmaster
	Year 2 Water Science / IWS	05/05/2025 - 02/06/2025		eCandidat Lyon 2
Geomatics	Year 1 Geomatics	2025		monmaster
	Year 2 Geomatics (Lyon 2) / IWS	05/05/2025 - 02/06/2025		eCandidat Lyon 2

• Do not hesitate to contact us for any assistance with your application : h2olyon@univ-lyon1.fr / +33 (0)6 49 21 69 72
• Students from the engineering school INSA Lyon, please contact : Gislain Lipeme-Kouyi - gislain.lipeme-kouyi@insa-lyon.fr
• Students from the engineering school ENTPE, please contact : Anne-Laure Badin - annelaure.badin@entpe.fr

Admission to the track will be based on:

• The relevance of the applicant’s awarded degree(s)
• The amount, relevance, and grades of the courses in the degree(s)
• The language test result
• The motivation letter
• Possible answers to the optional questions included in the application
• Possible relevant work experience
• Possible interview

H₂O’Lyon offers scholarships to support the international mobility during your IWS studies. Students enrolled in the track can apply for a grant of 1000€ / month for mobility.
This scholarship is open to foreign students coming to Lyon (Year 1 and/or Year 2) and to French students to support their international mobility during Year 1.
Note that enrolled students will have to do their master's thesis in the form of a 6-month internship in a research unit. In France, internships are by law remunerated with a minimum amount of about 550€ per month.
The H₂O’Lyon scholarship and the internship remuneration can be combined.