Bachelor’s courses in water resources management at RANEPA

Bachelor’s courses in water resources management at RANEPA

December 2020 – present

Population growth, development of industry and agriculture, growing household demand for water, but at the same time — decline in clean drinking water due to pollution and salinization.

Even though Russia ranks second in the world in terms of freshwater reserves, the southern regions of our country are experiencing problems with water scarcity.

Besides that, there are other challenges in Russia related to water: shallowing and pollution of rivers, adaptation to adverse weather events such as droughts and floods which become more frequent due to climate change. To solve these issues we need highly qualified monotechnics and broad scope managers.

In 2020, a new bachelor’s degree program «Change Management» was launched on the basis of the Faculty of Public Policy and Management of the Institute of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation (RANEPA). The goal of the program is to create highly qualified managers who possess interdisciplinary knowledge and practical skills required in the global challenges of the modern world as well as the ability to make decisions in critical situations and take responsibility for them.

The Lake Baikal Foundation is a partner of this educational program. We assist in the preparation and development of 3 educational courses in water resources management. In October 2022 these courses were launched at RANEPA.

Courses in water resources management

There are 3 courses in water resources management which are given to the 3d year students of the bachelor’s program «Change Management»:

Water Science and Water for Sustainable Development – talks about the physical processes that occur with water, technicalities of water management and global and local problems with water issues;

Mechanisms and regulations of water resources management on the national and international levels – focuses on the economic and legal aspects of management;

Water Resources Management and Leadership – invites students to get involved in active work on water resources management at different levels.

The lecturers of the courses are specialists in water resources management from leading Russian and international institutions with a long history. Students have the opportunity to study modern practices in the field of water resources management of various sectors of the economy and at different levels. The program prepares students for professional careers in public authority, business, and NGOs.

Role of the Lake Baikal Foundation

Starting from the end of the year 2020, the staff of the Lake Baikal Foundation, together with the Faculty of Public Policy and Management of the Institute of Social Sciences of RANEPA:

⮚ developed structure and content of 3 courses in water resources management;

⮚ conducted 14 interviews with leading Russian and foreign experts on teaching positions;

⮚ selected teachers for these courses;

⮚ developed teaching plans together with professors.

Progress and results:

✔ Launch of the 3 bachelor courses in water resources management in autumn 2022;

✔ 5 students completed these courses in 2022;

✔ Courses in Water Resources Management” run on an annual basis.

By developing educational courses and giving to students the knowledge of the best practices in the field of water resources management, our Foundation contributes to solving the problem of the shortage of qualified specialists. In the future, the Lake Baikal Foundation is considering the possibility of launching an independent bachelor’s program at the RANEPA or any other Russian university.



Environmental Education