The western United States is a region with a long history of water challenges. In the American West, over 40 million people depend on the Colorado River. At the same time, the effects of climate change are adding to the challenges.
MSU Denver developed the noncredit Professional Water Studies courses for people interested in safeguarding this precious resource. Students will learn history, law, management, and water trends in Colorado and the American West.
Many industries can benefit from knowing more about water issues and solutions. These industries include small farms, wastewater, manufacturing, construction, risk management, utilities, hospitality, green and sustainable industries, law, and engineering.
The courses have recently been improved, offering the same high quality, but shortened to meet your busy schedules. The course structure has been redesigned for each class to be one month long to improve the learning experience and accommodate the schedules of busy professional students.
What are Water Studies?
Water studies involve examining water treatment and management strategies, and the impact of human activities on water quality and availability for future use.
This field of study also includes research about wastewater treatment and understanding the fundamentals of water law to ensure sustainable and responsible water practices on a state and federal level.
Careers in Professional Water Management
Potential careers in professional water studies include:
In this one month course, students will study the history of water in the American West, how native communities used it, and the U.S. approach to water management. This curriculum also covers crucial aspects of federal and Colorado water management, emphasizing research about water management and legal issues specific to Colorado.
Colorado Water & the American West
MSU Denver students will survey the early stages of water use and development, explore water rights, explore the treatment and management of water, and study Colorado state and federal laws and agreements and how the law of water affects communities.
Water Law
Students will explore water concerns, examining water as a natural and societal resource, water infrastructure challenges, industry-related pollution, and future changes due to climate change. Over the course of a month, participants in this course will assess environmental damage by examining the impact of Colorado water management, the wastewater treatment industry, and solutions in wastewater treatment.
U.S. Water ConcernsDiscover the global challenge of water management in the Global Perspectives on Water Management online course taught by Dr. Lisa McVicker who also teaches our Water Law course.
Global Perspectives on Water ManagementStudents can take one class, or combine all three to receive the Professional Water Studies Certificate.
Students can take one class, or combine all three to receive the Professional Water Studies Certificate. Each course takes two to four weeks to complete.
Colorado Water and the American West runs September 1 – October 1, 2024. Students must register by September 9.
Water Law runs October 1 – November 1, 2024. Students must register by October 8.
U.S. Water Concerns runs November 1 – December 1, 2024. Students must register by November 8.
Colorado Water and the American West runs February 3 – March 3, 2025. Students must register by February 10.
Water Law runs March 3 – April 3, 2025. Students must register by March 10.
U.S. Water Concerns runs April 1 – May 1, 2025. Students must register by April 10.
NEW! Global Perspectives on Water Management runs May 1 – May 16, 2025. Students must register by May 5. (Note: This course is not part of the Professional Online Water Studies Certificate earned by taking the other three courses.)
Each course costs $475, with a $35 transaction fee per payment. No textbooks are required.
You will receive a certificate of completion after you successfully complete the three courses included in the Professional Water Studies Certificate program. Global Perspectives on Water Management is not part of the certificate, but is a supplemental course for anyone interested.
You may also request to receive a digital badge for each class that will be embedded with the competencies learned. This badge can be added to your resume, LinkedIn page, portfolio, or even share it with your current or future employer.
Alumna Anistacia Barrak-Barber channels a love of H2O into an immersive career focused on healing and access.
As the Colorado River sinks to a new low, decision-makers refuse to make desperately needed concessions.
Trina McGuire-Collier has been making waves in public relations for 30 years.
Elizabeth’s expertise in water law has her in great demand to serve on two water district boards, Center of Colorado Water Conservancy District and Headwater Authority of the South Platte, and on the Board of Coalitions and Collaboratives, an organization that advances healthy and resilient communities through collaborative conservation and restoration. She serves as a guest speaker, panelist, and media expert for water-related events, and was instrumental in developing the One World One Water Center and the Water Studies Curriculum.
Elizabeth is a high-energy professor and brings enthusiasm and knowledge to her classes. She has a JD from the University of Denver, and a Ph.D. in Spanish Language and Literature from New York University. She teaches business ethics and sustainability courses for MSU Denver.
Her experience as a business owner and attorney allows her to bring a great deal of knowledge to the classroom. She is a recipient of the College of Business, Dean’s Overall Faculty Excellence Award.
Matt is a professor of History at MSU Denver, where he has taught for almost 15 years. Previously he taught at Arizona State University where he earned a Ph.D. in Native American History, and the History of the American West. The University of Nevada Press published Makley’s co-authored book, Cave Rock: Climbers, Courts, and a Washoe Indian Sacred Place, in 2010. His more recent book, The Small Shall be Strong: A History of Lake Tahoe’s Washoe Indians, was published in 2018, by the University of Massachusetts Press.
Matt was born in Lake Tahoe, and has spent his life in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. This has allowed him to explore the land, its people, its past, and its present. Each journey down a river canyon, up a mountain top, or upon a city street helps inspire and inform his professional practice.
Water in the west has become an area of particular interest for Makley. He recently helped produce a short documentary film about an Iris farm and its relationship with water in Boulder, CO called Long’s Gardens: An Urban Oasis.
Dr. Randi Brazeau, P.E., received her B.S. and M.E. degrees in Civil Engineering at the University of Florida. After working as an engineering analyst with Kimley-Horn and Associates for two years, she completed a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering – Environmental Water Resources from Virginal Tech under Dr. Marc Edwards. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at MSU Denver where she has been since 2012.
Randi teaches a variety of environmental science courses and teaches integrated science for pre-service elementary education students. In addition to advising Environmental Science students, she also serves as a primary advisor for Environmental Engineering. Her main research interests include decontamination of premise plumbing and public health after contamination events, surface water quality in response to mining and hazardous waste spills, urban surface water quality, and learner centered pedagogies in undergraduate STEM disciplines.
The One World One Water Center (OWOW) is a collaboration between Metropolitan State University of Denver and Denver Botanic Gardens. The OWOW Center strives to prepare an educated, empowered, solution-oriented Colorado citizenry to protect and preserve our precious water resources.
Before coming to the One World One Water Center, Nona had worked on the statewide Colorado Water 2012 campaign with Water Education Colorado. Originally from Northern Virginia, Nona moved to Denver in 2011 as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and loved the experience so much she decided to stay in Colorado and pursue further water education opportunities. She has a BA in Communications from Lynchburg College, an MA in Biological Sciences from Miami University, Ohio, and welcomes the opportunity to incorporate her degrees with her passion for raising the awareness of precious environmental resources.
“A good steward learns about our most precious natural resource – water, and reaches out to put that knowledge into action. Colorado’s future will be shaped by our students, and their stewardship will determine the fate of our rivers, lakes and groundwater.” – Tom Cech, Former OWOW Director
Please contact Brandy Schooler at 303-615-1234 or [email protected].
Phone: 303-615-1234
Office Location:
Jordan Student Success Building
3rd Floor – #330
Auraria Campus
Mailing Address:
MSU Denver
Innovative and Lifelong Learning
P.O. Box 173362
Campus Box 6
Denver, CO 80217-3362
