Master of Science in Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering

Description of the Qualification

This qualification is developed to provide students with multidisciplinary knowledge and skills to coordinate, plan, manage and monitor water and environmental sanitation services. Water is the most important resource at the disposal of mankind. Its contamination through improper sanitation can further render the resource unavailable by being of poor or unacceptable quality. In developing countries (Namibia included), a challenge posed to the water managers is a need to provide water of acceptable quality at minimum cost and to dispose of the wastewater in a sanitary manner so as to avoid contaminating the available water resources. In order for this challenge to be met, there is a need to apply knowledge and skills that are appropriate to the prevailing conditions. This qualification was developed to improve prevailing conditions in the field of water resources management, particularly the implementation of effective integrated management frameworks and performance improvement in water and environmental sanitation aspects.

The qualification further aims to strengthen the principles of governance, planning, adaptive management and capacity building in local, regional and trans-boundary water resources regimes. This will enable Namibia to realize her dream of achieving the sustainable management of water resources for the purpose of economic development, improved social well-being and protection of the environment as it is stated in the Integrated Water Resources Management Plan for Namibia (2010). This will result in improved health and sanitary conditions of communities, improved water related livelihoods, gains to agriculture from improved land and water management as well as reduced risk of floods and drought. The qualification will further provide participants with the competencies to develop skills and knowledge required for urgent needs in the water resources sector.

Admission / Entry Requirements

To be admitted in the Master of Science in Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering the candidate/applicant must have a Bachelor of Water Management for Development Honours or an equivalent qualification at NQF Level 8.

Career opportunities

Employment opportunities may be found in the following public and private entities such as; Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform; Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources; Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development (a subsection on water relation related); Ministry of Higher Education (subsection on research); NAMWATER, municipalities, GIZ.

Qualification structure