The chairperson of the teaching committee is: Prof. Roy Bernstein.
Desalination and Water Treatment
The M.Sc. program is a two-year program.
Academic Program for students who began from November 2024
Students are required to complete the following courses during the two-year program:
Subject | Credits |
Courses within the track of study A. Mandatory Course (2 credit points) B. Core courses (13 credit points) C. Departmental and student seminars (1 credit point) D. Mandatory Core Courses Within the Track of Study (5 credit points) E. Elective courses (5 credit points) F. General courses (4 credit points) | 30 |
Thesis Writing | 12 |
Total | 42 |
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-0153 | Dr. Scott Hansen and Dr. Christopher J. Arnush | Writing a Scientific Paper | 2 |
Students are required to complete 13 credits*.
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-0003 | Prof. Oded Nir | Chemistry of Water | 3 |
| 001-2-0016 | Prof. Roy Bernstein | Physicochemical Technologies for Water Treatment | 2 |
| 001-2-5024 | Prof. Ofer Dahan | Groundwater Hydrology | 2 |
| 001-2-5033 | Prof. Avraham Be'er | Introduction to Desalination Processes | 3 |
| 001-2-5059 | Prof. Osnat Gillor | Water Microbiology+ | 3 |
+Nonmicrobiologists may take the course:
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-5159 | Prof. Osnat Gillor | Introduction to Microbiologists | 1 |
* Students who previously completed courses that were similar/equivalent to certain courses listed above are required to complete the remainder of the required core course credits by enrolling in courses either from the list of Mandatory Core Courses (C) or from the list of Elective Courses (D) or from a combination of both (with the approval of the student's supervisor and the chairperson of the teaching committee).
Students are required to attend 4 Departmental Seminars (one seminar per semester).
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-5555 | Please check the university course file | Departmental Seminar | 0 |
Students are required to present two seminars (one student seminar per year).
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-9995 | Please check the university course file | Student Seminar (first year) | 0.5 |
| 001-2-9996 | Student Seminar (second year) | 0.5 |
In the third and fourth semesters, students must register for Thesis Writing.
| Course # | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-9991 | Thesis Writing A | 6 |
| 001-2-9992 | Thesis Writing B | 6 |
Students who have completed the above Thesis Writing courses and continue their studies for a fifth semester must register for the following course:
| Course # | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-1000 | Thesis Writing – Continuation | 0 |
Students are required to complete at least 5 credits*.
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-5005 | Prof. Amit Gross, Prof. Zeev Ronen | Laboratory Methods for Environmental Studies | 3 |
| 001-2-5028 | Prof. Moshe Herzberg | Microbial Biofilms in Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes (prerequisite: Introduction to Microbiology) | 2 |
| 001-2-5036 | Prof. Avner Ronen | Environmental micropollutants & emerging contaminants | 2 |
| 001-2-5038 | Prof. Amit Gross | Water Sanitation | 3 |
| 001-2-5060 | Prof. Moshe Herzberg | Biological Processes in Wastewater Treatment | 2 |
| 001-2-5069 | Prof. Amit Gross | Water & the Environment: Current Challenges and Solutions | 3 |
* Mandatory Core Courses can be also selected as Elective Courses (on top of the required 5 credits).
This is a partial list. The student is allowed to select other courses that are related to the area of his/her research with the approval of the chairperson of the teaching committee.
Students are required to complete at least 5 credits.
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-0004 | Prof. Noam Weisbrod | Vadose Zone Hydrology | 2.5 |
| 001-2-0009 | Prof. Avraham Be'er | Physics of Bacterial Communities | 3 |
| 001-2-0015 | Prof. Roy Bernstein | Membrane Preparation and Characterization | 3 |
| 001-2-0017 | Prof. Roni Kasher | Polymer Science and Polymeric Membranes | 2 |
| 001-2-0021 | Dr. Christopher Arnush | Biomimetic Innovation Approaches | 2 |
| 001-2-0022 | Dr. Anat Bernstein | Stable Isotope Application in Contaminant Hydrology | 2 |
| 001-2-0027 | Prof. Shai Arnon | Flow and water quality in streams: Theory and practice | 2 |
| 001-2-0032 | Dr. Christopher Arnusch | Advanced Chemistry in Water Technologies | 3 |
| 001-2-2015 | Prof. Dina Zilberg and Prof. Amit Gross | Introduction to Desert Aquaculture | 3 |
| 001-2-4012 | Prof. Isaak Rubinstein | Electro-Diffusion of Ions and Membrane Desalination Processes | 3 |
| 001-2-4028 | Prof. Arnon Karnieli | Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Rangelands, and Forestry )no prerequisites required( | 3 |
| 001-2-4047 | Prof. Iris Visoly-Fisher | Surface Science for the Environment | 3 |
| 001-2-5004 | Dr. Elad Levintal | Field Methods in Hydrology | 3 |
| 001-2-5006 | Dr. Tuvia Turkeltaub | Flow and Contaminant Transport modelling in the unsaturated zone | 3 |
| 001-2-5010 | Prof. Zeev Ronen | Groundwater Microbiology | 2 |
| 001-2-5012 | Prof. Zeev Ronen | Biodegradation Process of Synthetic Organic Compound in Water Soil | 2 |
| 001-2-5029 | Prof. Noam Weisbrod | Rural Water Development | 2 |
| 001-2-5034 | Prof. Yoram Oren | Environmental Oriented Electrochemistry | 2 |
| 001-2-5062 | Prof. Edo Bar-Zeev | Introduction to Biofilms | 3 |
| 001-2-5065 | Prof. Shai Arnon | Transport Processes in Streams: Theory and Practice | 2 |
| 001-2-5066 | Dr. Scott K. Hansen | Introduction to Scientific Computing with Python | 3 |
| 001-2-5067 | Dr. Scott K. Hansen | Introduction to Contaminant Hydrology | 3 |
| 001-2-5068 | Prof. Oded Nir | Aqueous Chemistry Modeling with PHREEQC | 2 |
| 001-2-5070 | Dr. Scott K. Hansen | Practical Data Science and Machine Learning | 3 |
| 001-2-5071 | Prof. Gideon Oron | Management and Optimization of Natural Resources and Water Systems | 2 |
| 001-2-5074 | Dr. Elad Levintal | Envirotech - do it yourself sensors for environmental research | 3 |
001-2-5075 Fall 001-2-5076 Spring | Dr. Elad Levintal | Do-it-yourself sensors for environmental research - advanced course | 3 |
| 001-2-5077 | Prof. Gideon Oron | Advanced Management and Optimization of Water Systems and Wastewater Reclamation | 2 |
| 001-2-5100 | Dr. Genadi Carmi | Introduction to Surface Hydrology | 2 |
| 001-2-5129 | Prof. Noam Weisbrod | Rural Water Development (field trip) – Prerequisite: Course # 001-2-5029 | 2 |
Students can complete up to 4 credits.
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-1103 | Dr. Hadas Hawlena | Introduction to Dryland Ecology | 4 |
| 001-2-1200 | Prof. Simon Barak & Dr. Buzi Raviv | BGU Radio Academy – Podcast production course | 2 |
| 001-2-2017 | Prof. Simon Barak | Plant Perception, Transduction and Response to Environmental Signals | 2 |
| 001-2-2036 | Prof. Gideon Grafi | Molecular Biology and Epigenetics | 2 |
| 001-2-2038 | Prof. Naftali Lazarovitch | Soil Physics | 3 |
| 001-2-2040 | Prof. Gideon Grafi | Lab Course in Epigenetics | 4 |
| 001-2-2046 | Prof. Aaron Fait | Analysis of Biological Networks | 3 |
| 001-2-3001 | Prof. Ariel Novoplansky | Evolutionary Ecology of Phenotypic Plasticity | 3 |
| 001-2-3021 | Prof. Itamar Giladi | Biostatistics | 3 |
| 001-2-4016 | Dr. Leah Orlovsky | Geography of Desertification | 2 |
| 001-2-4022 | Prof. Ehud Meron | Pattern Formation and Spatial Ecology | 3 |
| 001-2-4029 | Prof. Yosef Ashkenazi | Introduction to Statistics and Probability | 3 |
| 001-2-5030 | Prof. Nurit Agam | Hydrometeorology | 3 |
| 001-2-5040 | Dr. Eli Zaady | Soil Microbial Ecology | 2 |
| 001-2-6002 | Dr. Aviva Peeters | Theory and Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (limited to 15 students) | 3 |
| 001-2-5021 | Dr. Moshe Kiflawi | Methods in Ecology | 3 |
Academic Program for students who began up until April 2024
Subject | Credits |
Courses within the track of study A. Mandatory Course (2 credit points) B. Core courses (13 credit points) C. Departmental and student seminars (1 credit point) D. Mandatory Core Courses Within the Track of Study (5 credit points) E. Elective courses (5 credit points) F. General courses (4 credit points) | 30 |
Thesis Writing | 12 |
Total | 42 |
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-0153 | Dr. Scott Hansen and Dr. Christopher J. Arnush | Writing a Scientific Paper | 2 |
Students are required to complete 13 credits*.
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-0003 | Prof. Oded Nir | Chemistry of Water | 3 |
| 001-2-0016 | Prof. Roy Bernstein | Physicochemical Technologies for Water Treatment | 2 |
| 001-2-5024 | Prof. Ofer Dahan | Groundwater Hydrology | 2 |
| 001-2-5033 | Prof. Avraham Be'er | Introduction to Desalination Processes | 3 |
| 001-2-5059 | Prof. Osnat Gillor | Water Microbiology+ | 3 |
+Nonmicrobiologists may take the course:
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-5159 | Prof. Osnat Gillor | Introduction to Microbiologists | 1 |
* Students who previously completed courses that were similar/equivalent to certain courses listed above are required to complete the remainder of the required core course credits by enrolling in courses either from the list of Mandatory Core Courses (C) or from the list of Elective Courses (D) or from a combination of both (with the approval of the student's supervisor and the chairperson of the teaching committee).
Students are required to attend 4 Departmental Seminars (one seminar per semester).
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-5555 | Please check the university course file | Departmental Seminar | 0 |
Students are required to present two seminars (one student seminar per year).
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-9995 | Please check the university course file | Student Seminar (first year) | 0.5 |
| 001-2-9996 | Student Seminar (second year) | 0.5 |
In the third and fourth semesters, students must register for Thesis Writing.
| Course # | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-9991 | Thesis Writing A | 6 |
| 001-2-9992 | Thesis Writing B | 6 |
Students who have completed the above Thesis Writing courses and continue their studies for a fifth semester must register for the following course:
| Course # | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-1000 | Thesis Writing – Continuation | 0 |
Students are required to complete at least 5 credits*.
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-5028 | Prof. Moshe Herzberg | Microbial Biofilms in Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes (prerequisite: Introduction to Microbiology) | 2 |
| 001-2-5038 | Prof. Amit Gross | Water Sanitation | 3 |
| 001-2-5060 | Prof. Moshe Herzberg | Biological Processes in Wastewater Treatment | 2 |
* Mandatory Core Courses can be also selected as Elective Courses (on top of the required 5 credits).
This is a partial list. The student is allowed to select other courses that are related to the area of his/her research with the approval of the supervisor.
Students are required to complete at least 5 credits.
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-0004 | Prof. Noam Weisbrod | Vadose Zone Hydrology | 2.5 |
| 001-2-0006 | Prof. Jack Gilron | Membrane Process A | 2 |
| 001-2-0007 | Prof. Jack Gilron | Membrane Process B | 2 |
| 001-2-0009 | Prof. Avraham Be'er | Physics of Bacterial Communities | 3 |
| 001-2-0012 | Prof. Daniel Ronen | Selected Issues Related to Groundwater Hydrology: Quality & Quantity | 1 |
| 001-2-0015 | Prof. Roy Bernstein | Membrane Preparation and Characterization | 3 |
| 001-2-0017 | Prof. Roni Kasher | Polymer Science and Polymeric Membranes | 2 |
| 001-2-0021 | Dr. Christopher Arnush | Biomimetic Innovation Approaches | 2 |
| 001-2-0022 | Dr. Anat Bernstein | Stable Isotope Application in Contaminant Hydrology | 2 |
| 001-2-0027 | Prof. Shai Arnon | Flow and water quality in streams: Theory and practice | 2 |
| 001-2-0030 | Dr. Anat Bernstein and Prof. Amit Gross | Lab Methods in Soil Science | 3 |
| 001-2-0032 | Dr. Christopher Arnusch | Advanced Chemistry in Water Technologies | 3 |
| 001-2-2015 | Prof. Dina Zilberg and Prof. Amit Gross | Introduction to Desert Aquaculture | 3 |
| 001-2-2017 | Prof. Simon Barak | Plant Perception, Transduction and Response to Environmental Signals | 2 |
| 001-2-2036 | Prof. Gideon Grafi | Molecular Biology and Epigenetics | 2 |
| 001-2-2038 | Prof. Naftali Lazarovitch | Soil Physics | 3 |
| 001-2-2040 | Prof. Gideon Grafi | Lab Course in Epigenetics | 4 |
| 001-2-2046 | Prof. Aaron Fait | Analysis of Biological Networks | 3 |
| 001-2-3021 | Prof. Itamar Giladi | Biostatistics | 3 |
| 001-2-4010 | Prof. Georgy Burde, Prof. Isaak Rubinstein | Topics in Environmental Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| 001-2-4012 | Prof. Van Genuchten Martinus Theodorus | Advanced Modeling of Water Flow and Contaminant Transport in Porous Media | 2 |
| 001-2-4022 | Prof. Ehud Meron | Pattern Formation and Spatial Ecology | 3 |
| 001-2-4028 | Prof. Arnon Karnieli | Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Rangelands, and Forestry )no prerequisites required( | 3 |
| 001-2-5004 | Dr. Elad Levintal | Field Methods in Hydrology | 3 |
| 001-2-5005 | Prof. Amit Gross, Prof. Zeev Ronen | Laboratory Methods for Environmental Studies | 3 |
| 001-2-5010 | Prof. Zeev Ronen | Groundwater Microbiology | 2 |
| 001-2-5012 | Prof. Zeev Ronen | Biodegradation Process of Synthetic Organic Compound in Water Soil | 2 |
| 001-2-5026 | Prof. Ali Nejidat | Nitrogen Transformations and Environmental Quality | 2 |
| 001-2-5029 | Prof. Noam Weisbrod | Rural Water Development | 2 |
| 001-2-5030 | Prof. Nurit Agam | Hydrometeorology | 3 |
| 001-2-5034 | Prof. Yoram Oren | Environmental Oriented Electrochemistry | 2 |
| 001-2-5037 | Dr. Michal Sela-Adler | Organic Micropollutant Identification and Quantification in the Lab | 1 |
| 001-2-5040 | Dr. Eli Zaady | Soil Microbial Ecology | 2 |
| 001-2-5041 | Dr. Menachem Sklartz | Practical Bioinformatics for Environmental Studies | 3 |
| 001-2-5042 | Prof. Roni Kasher | Amino Acids and Peptides: Chemistry and Biology | 2 |
| 001-2-5055 | Prof. Naftali Lazarovitch, Prof. Ofer Dahan | Operation and Analysis of Environmental Monitoring Systems | 1 |
| 001-2-5062 | Prof. Edo Bar-Zeev | Introduction to Biofilms | 3 |
| 001-2-5064 | Prof. Jack Gilron and Prof. Oded Nir | Unit Operations in Water Treatment Processing | 2 |
| 001-2-5065 | Prof. Shai Arnon | Transport Processes in Streams: Theory and Practice | 2 |
| 001-2-5066 | Dr. Scott K. Hansen | Introduction to Scientific Computing with Python | 3 |
| 001-2-5067 | Dr. Scott K. Hansen | Introduction to Contaminant Hydrology | 3 |
| 001-2-5068 | Prof. Oded Nir | Aqueous Chemistry Modeling with PHREEQC | 2 |
| 001-2-5069 | Prof. Amit Gross | Water & the Environment: Current Challenges and Solutions | 3 |
| 001-2-5070 | Dr. Scott K. Hansen | Practical Data Science and Machine Learning | 3 |
| 001-2-5074 | Dr. Elad Levintal | Envirotech - do it yourself sensors for environmental research | 3 |
001-2-5075 Fall 001-2-5076 Spring | Dr. Elad Levintal | Do-it-yourself sensors for environmental research - advanced course | 3 |
| Prof. Gideon Oron | Advanced Management and Optimization of Water Systems and Wastewater Reclamation | 2 | |
| 001-2-5100 | Dr. Genadi Carmi | Introduction to Surface Hydrology | 2 |
| 001-2-5129 | Prof. Noam Weisbrod | Rural Water Development (field trip) – Prerequisite: Course # 001-2-5029 | 2 |
| 001-2-6002 | Dr. Aviva Peeters | Theory and Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (limited to 15 students) | 3 |
| 001-2-7010 | Dr. Menachem Sklartz | Hands-on Introduction to R: Programming, Graphing and Statistical Exploration | 2 |
| 205-2-5021 | Dr. Moshe Kiflawi | Methods in Ecology | 3 |
Students are required to complete at least 4 credits.
| Course # | Lecturer | Subject | Credits |
| 001-2-1103 | Dr. Hadas Hawlena | Introduction to Dryland Ecology | 4 |
| 001-2-1200 | Prof. Simon Barak & Dr. Buzi Raviv | BGU Radio Academy – Podcast production course | 2 |
| 001-2-4016 | Dr. Leah Orlovsky | Geography of Desertification | 2 |
| 001-2-4029 | Prof. Yosef Ashkenazi | Introduction to Statistics and Probability | 3 |
