study programme

Water Management and Water Structures

Original title in Czech: Vodní hospodářství a vodní stavbyFaculty: FCEAbbreviation: DPC-VAcad. year: 2024/2025

Type of study programme: Doctoral

Study programme code: P0732D260020

Degree awarded: Ph.D.

Language of instruction: Czech

Accreditation: 8.10.2019 - 8.10.2029

Mode of study

Full-time study

Standard study length

4 years

Programme supervisor

Doctoral Board

Fields of education

Area Topic Share [%]
Civil Engineering Water Structures 100

Study aims

The aim of the doctoral study program Water Management and Water Structures is to provide outstanding graduates of the master's degree with specialized university education in selected and topical areas of the field. These currently include, with a view to maintaining sustainable living conditions, the solution of issues related primarily to the design, optimization, efficiency and quality of operation of existing and new water management systems, such as water management systems, water management structures on watercourses, drinking water supply systems. , waste water removal and treatment, protection of water resources and water quality in the basin, protection against floods etc.
The doctoral study program Water Management and Water Structures is a multidisciplinary program in which students acquire new knowledge in both natural sciences and applied sciences and is also targeted to acquire the necessary habits of students for independent scientific research and creative activities in research and development in solving current theoretical problems and questions arising from the requirements of practice. During the study the student gains both new theoretical knowledge and new own experience from preparation, realization and evaluation of necessary experiments (physical, numerical).
The dissertation thesis is focused on the evaluation of the current state of development of the solved problems in the Czech Republic and abroad, on the definition of the subject and methodology of the topic under development and especially on its own creative contribution. The aim of the study is also to involve students in the preparation and solution of national and international scientific research projects, presentation of achieved results at national and international scientific and professional conferences and their publication in professional and scientific foreign and domestic journals.

Graduate profile

Graduates of the doctoral degree program in Water Management and Water Structures will be able to complete scientific and creative activities independently and in teams at national and international level. and habits well applied in solving theoretical and practical tasks.
Graduates of this study program can be employed especially in research and development workplaces, in design organizations, in state administration bodies and they can also apply their acquired experience during teaching practice during their doctoral study programs in education or other educational institutions.
Completion of the doctoral study program is also a necessary precondition for its possible further career and professional academic growth. His knowledge of foreign languages ​​will enable him to study abroad as well.

Profession characteristics

The graduate of the newly designed doctoral study program Water Management and Water Structures is able to hold positions requiring a separate solution of technical technical problems in the field of water management. Graduates of doctoral studies are prepared for employment in research and development activities, enabling creative solutions to problems and development of new methods and approaches applicable to the solution of current water management problems and their application in the construction of water management structures. Doctoral studies are closely linked to scientific, research and development activities at the training site and to technical practice. Ongoing active scientific and pedagogical activity is a prerequisite for eventual employment of graduates as academic staff of universities. Graduates can also work in basic and applied research, at university workplaces, in institutes of the ASCR, in research and technology centers in the Czech Republic and abroad. They also find work in research workplaces and laboratories of water management and water structures and the environment, or they can hold higher management positions in design, implementation and administration companies, public administration or other similar technical level. The general applicability in practice is practically 100%. It is expected that the applicability of graduates of the newly designed doctoral study program will be similar.

Fulfilment criteria

Fulfillment of the subjects of the individual study plan, successful completion of the state doctoral examination, foreign experience, relevant creative activity and successful defense of the dissertation.

Study plan creation

The rules and conditions for the creation of study plans of study programs carried out at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the BUT define:
Rules of BUT study programs (www.vutbr.cz/uredni-deska/vnitrni-predpisy-a-dokumenty), which according to Article 1, paragraph 1, point:
c) defines the processes of creation, approval and changes of study program proposals before their submission for accreditation to the National Accreditation Office for Higher Education,
d) lays down the formal requirements for study programs and courses,
e) defines the obligations of study program and subject guarantors,
f) defines the standards of study programs at BUT,
g) defines the principles of quality assurance of study programs.
Study and Examination Regulations of the Brno University of Technology (www.vutbr.cz/uredni-deska/international-details-and-documents)
Details of the conditions for study at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the BUT are governed by the Dean's Directive )
The PhD student studies according to an individual study plan, which is elaborated by the supervisor in cooperation with the PhD student. The individual study plan is binding for the doctoral student. It specifies all duties set in accordance with the BUT Study and Examination Regulations that a doctoral student must fulfill in order to successfully complete his / her studies.
During the first three semesters, the doctoral student consists of compulsory, compulsorily elective or at the same time, it is intensively engaged in its own study and analysis of knowledge in the field determined by the topic of the dissertation and continuous publication of the knowledge and results obtained in this way. In the following semesters, the doctoral student focuses more on research and development related to the topic of the dissertation, on the publication of the results of his / her creative work and on his / her own dissertation. By the end of the fifth semester, the doctoral student has passed the state doctoral examination. The doctoral student is also involved in pedagogical activities, which is a part of his scientific preparation.
The individual study plan includes scientific outputs in individual years:
- regular publishing activity (Juniorstav and similar),
- participation in scientific conferences at home and abroad,
- for defense of DZP it is necessary to publish - min. 2x Scopus or 1x WOS with impact factor.

Availability for the disabled

At the Faculty of Civil Engineering, BUT, barrier-free access to all teaching rooms is currently provided. However, students must be physically fit to be qualified as a civil engineer. In practically oriented laboratory teaching, they must be able to operate measuring instruments and similar laboratory equipment independently without endangering themselves or their surroundings.
BUT provides support to students with specific needs, for details see Guideline 11/2017 (www.vutbr.cz/uredni-deska/international-documents-and-documents/-d141841/uplne-zneni-smernice-c-11- 2017-p147550).
In order to promote equal access to higher education, BUT incorporates the Alfons Advisory Center, part of the BUT Institute of Lifelong Learning, to provide guidance and support services to applicants and students with specific educational needs. Specific educational needs include learning disabilities, physical and sensory disabilities, chronic somatic illness, autistic spectrum disorders, impaired communication skills and mental illness (alfons.vutbr.cz/o-nas).
Students are provided with information concerning the accessibility of study programs with respect to the specific needs of the applicant, information about the architectural accessibility of individual faculties and university parts, about accommodation at the BUT dormitory, about the possibilities of adapting the admission procedure and adapting the study itself. Other services of the Center for Students with Special Educational Needs also include interpreting and rewriting services, or assistance services - guiding, spatial orientation, in order to enable these students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in the same way as other students. This is done through the so-called adaptation of study, ie by appropriate adjustment of the study regime, which cannot be understood as a simplification of the content of study or relief of study obligations.

What degree programme types may have preceded

The doctoral study program Water Management and Water Structures is a follow-up to the follow-up Master study program Civil Engineering, especially the study field Water Management and Water Structures, respectively. as well as other fields of study and nursing master's degree programs. After accreditation of the follow-up master's study program Civil Engineering - Water Management and Water Structures for this program.

Issued topics of Doctoral Study Program

2. round (applications submitted from 18.10.2024 to 13.12.2024)

  1. A Multicriteria Approach for Flood Risk Assessment

    For the complex assessment of flood protection measures (FPM) according to the Directive 2007/60/ES, economic, environmental and social viewpoints are taken into account. For this purpose, multi-criteria analysis is frequently used. At present the evaluation of the economic effectiveness of FPMs is elaborated in detail while the risk-based analysis related to other loss categories is still subject to research.

    Tutor: Dráb Aleš, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

  2. Calibration of Hydraulic Simulation Models of Pressure Pipe Networks

    The dissertation will be focused on obtaining data for the calibration of hydraulic simulation models of pressure pipe networks. The application will be focused on water supply networks and pressure sewer networks. The solution of the dissertation will be linked to the currently solved R&D project, which is to implement an advanced patented system for controlling the operation of pressure sewer pumps. In the water industry, the results of the dissertation will be used to evaluate the data that Astacus technology measures and records during the controlled flushing of water pipes. The raw measured data must first be machine-processed into such a form that it can be used to calibrate the hydraulic model. The subject of the dissertation solution will be the methodological procedure and principles for the correct implementation of measurements, for subsequent data processing and for the calibration procedure of the hydraulic simulation model of the pressure pipe network of the water supply, or pressure sewers.

    Tutor: Ručka Jan, Ing., Ph.D.

  3. Dam Risk Analysis

    The aim is to propose, elaborate and verify the method for the assessment of risks coming from the existence and operation of dams with respect to their violation. Appropriate risk-based method and corresponding tools will be chosen, e.g. event trees for individual types of hydraulic structures, probabilistic assessment for the initiating events using the statistical methods, the assessment of the vulnerability of system components. New trends in design standards and existing dam categorization will be taken into account.

    Tutor: Říha Jaromír, prof. Ing., CSc.

  4. Debris Traps

    Debris traps are designed to decrease the transport of debris in the rivers. Their trap efficiency and trap volume are a key design parameters. Design parameters are not established for larger rivers. Debris can have a negative effect on water quality in reservoirs. The goal is to propose a methodology for design a debris trap objects on rivers that enter into reservoirs.

    Tutor: Zachoval Zbyněk, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

  5. Designing of Dams in a Karst Area

    The goal is to summarize knowledge about the design of hydraulic structures in karst areas. The subject of the work will be a summary of knowledge about the design of these works, their critical evaluation and an inventory of critical problems related to the mentioned issues. Part of the work will be the design and analysis of possible measures ensuring the safety and reliability of hydraulic works in karst areas, also with regard to the related surroundings. The practical application will focus on the Hranický Karst.

    Tutor: Říha Jaromír, prof. Ing., CSc.

  6. Flushing Gates

    The flush gate are designed to reduce the aggradation of their reservoirs and degradation of downstream channel, to ensure the continual transport of the sediments along the length of the river and passage of sediments through weirs without damage. They are named according to the size of the transported material (gravel, sand, etc.). They are most often located near the banks or in the middle of the weir. They are open only when sediments are transported. The methodology for their design is missing. The aim of the work is to develop a methodology for hydrotechnical design of objects for passage sediments through weirs.

    Tutor: Zachoval Zbyněk, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

  7. Implementation of Biochar to Remove Pollution Contained in Rainwater from Roads.

    The main specific objectives of the doctoral thesis are i) to define the sources of pollution of urban runoff from roads and ii) to reduce the impact of organic waste on the environment (wood waste, agricultural waste, municipal bio-waste, etc.), thereby minimizing the costs of handling / landfilling this organic waste. The subject of the doctoral thesis is the transformation of organic waste into a further usable product, in this case biochar prepared by pyrolysis process and its implementation as an absorbent to capture contaminants coming from communications (CEC, heavy metals, oil, PAH, etc.).

    Tutor: Hlavínek Petr, prof. Ing., CSc., MBA

  8. Implementation of Partial Elements of Energy Self-Sufficient Systems at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

    Within the doctoral thesis, in relation to the new EU Directive on wastewater treatment, technologies and procedures will be defined towards an energetically self-sufficient wastewater treatment plant (i.e. the use of thermal energy, photovoltaic systems, green infrastructure, etc.). The aim of the dissertation is then the implementation of these technologies and procedures into the BIM elements of an energy self-sufficient wastewater treatment plant, i.e. the implementation of the use of energy from waste water, heat pumps, the use of energy from purified waste water at the drain, etc. The principle of BIM is already within the design to include information about energy demands of partial elements (pumps, etc.), maintenance, service life, etc., and setting the compliance of their planned maintenance, services. Furthermore, it involves the development and implementation of the concept of new new control systems, i.e. the connection of treatment plant management with energy regulation and control of the elements of an energy self-sufficient wastewater treatment plant.

    Tutor: Hlavínek Petr, prof. Ing., CSc., MBA

  9. Inundation Bridges

    Inundation bridges have the primary purpose of transferring water through a line structure that prevents flow in the inundation area. They are specific in that they are in function only during floods. In their hydrotechnical design, it is necessary to consider not only the hydraulically suitable shaping of pillars, abutments, or bridge decks, but also the design of a suitable bridge-scour countermeasures and the design of a suitable measures against clogging by floating debris. The aim of the work is to develop a methodology for hydrotechnical design of inundation bridges

    Tutor: Zachoval Zbyněk, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

  10. Modeling of a River Basin Runoff Components Using Hydrological Multi-Model Approaches

    The development of hydrological modelling is gradually bringing greater demands for comprehensive information on river basin runoff components. Current trend is to use a multi-model approach to describe the rainfall-runoff process in a basin. The aim of the dissertation thessis will be to develop a hydrological model of the river basin using a multi-model approach and then test it under selected climatic conditions.

    Tutor: Marton Daniel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

  11. Optimization of the Operation of 'French Filters' Technology for Wastewater Treatment in the Conditions of the Czech Republic

    The content of the work will focus on specific operational details related to dosing (dose volume), dosing frequency, the startup of treatment plants, the formation of a raw sludge layer on the surface of the filters, the process of its mineralization, and similar aspects.

    For the purposes of this work, collaboration will be established with two municipal wastewater treatment plants, although the majority of the work will take place in laboratory and pilot-scale conditions at the facilities of the Institute of Landscape Water Management.

    Tutor: Kriška-Dunajský Michal, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

  12. Possibility of Internal Erosion Initiation in Hydraulic Structures and its Assessment

    The aim is to analyse the possibility of dam failure due to internal erosion and to analyse individual internal erosion phases. Failure modes and places of their origin will be assessed together with the criteria used for the specification of internal erosion phases (initiation, continuation, progression, failure). During the solution uncertainties in input parameters will be assessed and the failure probability will be estimated. The student will be co-operating with the international working group searching appropriate software.

    Tutor: Říha Jaromír, prof. Ing., CSc.

  13. Septic Wastewater Treatment Technology

    As part of the dissertation, a technology for cleaning septic wastewater will be proposed. Proposals for wastewater pollution parameters for their treatment and efficient use at the central wastewater treatment plant will be established. The output of the dissertation is the implementation of technology at selected wastewater treatment plants with control of selected water quality parameters, case studies on the suitability of technology application for different sizes of treatment plants and comparison with legislative requirements in the given issue. Cooperation with ASIO, s.r.o. as part of the MPO project.

    Tutor: Hluštík Petr, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

  14. Solving Crisis Situations on Sewers in the Face of Climate Change

    The dissertation will focus on solving crisis situations in the sewerage and wastewater treatment plants in times of extreme weather (short-term and long-term climate change). Crisis management and development will be defined by tasks and measures in accordance with legal regulations and the most modern smart technologies available.

    Tutor: Hluštík Petr, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

  15. Using Remote Sensing Datasets for Rainfall-Runoff Modeling

    Using a remote sensing methods and datasets is becoming an imporant part for the purposes of hydrological modeling. The aim of the dissertation thessis will be study of the methods for processing extensive databases of remote sensing data, post-processing and further application to the rainfall-runoff model.

    Tutor: Marton Daniel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

Course structure diagram with ECTS credits

1. year of study, summer semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DPA025Doctoral seminar 1 (VHS)cs4CompulsoryCrS - 39yes
DYA004English Language Tutorial for PhD Studentscs1CompulsoryCrC1 - 26yes
DPB026Operation research in water managementcs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395814yes
DPB027Wastewater Treatmentcs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395814yes
DSB023Hydropedologycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395814yes
DPB028Water Qualitycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395814yes
DRB024Precise authorized, calibration and laboratory measurements of hydraulic param.cs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395814yes
DRB025Mathematical modelling in water managementcs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395814yes
DSB024Meteorology and Climatologycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395814yes
DAB030Numerical methods 1cs4Compulsory-optionalCrP - 395815yes
DAB031Probability and mathematical statisticscs4Compulsory-optionalCrP - 395815yes
DSB022Hydrologycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395816yes
DRB023Hydromechanicscs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395816yes
DCB009Hydrochemistrycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395816yes
2. year of study, winter semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DPA029Doctoral seminar 2 (VHS)cs8CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
DAB032Time series analysiscs10Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395818yes
DAB035Numerical methods 2cs10Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395818yes
DAB037Models of regressioncs10Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395818yes
DRB026Physical modelling in water managementcs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395819yes
DRB027Contemporary Weir Structurescs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395819yes
DPB030Sewerage Systems – town drainagecs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395819yes
DSB027Control outflow from river basincs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395819yes
DPB031Water Supplycs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395819yes
DSB028Use of Geographic information systems in Water managementcs8Compulsory-optionalDrExP - 395819yes
2. year of study, summer semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DYA005English for PhD studentscs8CompulsoryDrExyes
DPA032Doctoral seminar 3 (VHS)cs8CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
3. year of study, winter semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DPA033Doctoral seminar 4 (VHS)cs8CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
3. year of study, summer semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DPA034Doctoral seminar 5 (VHS)cs14CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
4. year of study, winter semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DPA035Doctoral seminar 6 (VHS)cs14CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
4. year of study, summer semester
AbbreviationTitleL.Cr.Com.Compl.Hr. rangeGr.Op.
DPA036Doctoral seminar 7 (VHS)cs20CompulsoryCrS - 78yes
All the groups of optional courses
Gr. Number of courses Courses
5814 1 DPB026, DPB027, DSB023, DPB028, DRB024, DRB025, DSB024
5815 1 DAB030, DAB031
5816 1 DSB022, DRB023, DCB009
5818 1 DAB032, DAB035, DAB037
5819 1 DRB026, DRB027, DPB030, DSB027, DPB031, DSB028

Responsibility: Ing. Jiří Dressler