Starts: Annually in August
Duration: 20 Months
Locations: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana / UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands

Context

In spite of special programmes (Water Decade, Safe Water 2000) and substantial investments during past decades, we are still confronted with a situation where 20% of the world population has no access to reliable drinking water, while about 50% has no access to appropriate sanitation facilities.

It should not be surprising therefore to observe that water borne diseases continue to rank highest of all diseases in terms of death toll (each year 3 to 4 million deaths).

The Earth Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, September 2002, again placed special emphasis on the challenge to achieve reliable water supply and sanitation coverage for all in the year 2025. According to WHO data, this means that daily 310,000 people will need to receive improved water supply and about 460,000 improved sanitation (WHO, 2000).

Meeting the target to achieve full coverage of water supply and sanitation services for people around the globe will be particularly challenging for smaller municipalities and for peri-urban areas in developing regions and countries in transition.

Prospective Students

This specialisation aims at educating professionals to develop rational approaches towards sustainable waste management via pollution prevention, appropriate treatment and resources recovery and reuse as well as participation in masterplanning, feasibility studies and technology selection. It enables graduates to deal with the process technology, engineering and design aspects of wastewater collection and treatment, sludge treatment, disposal and reuse, and solid waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal in urban agglomerations.

The target group for this programme are professionals predominantly from Africa working in wastewater authorities, environment ministries, private companies, academia, NGOs and city and municipal authorities dealing with or interested in sanitation services and managing the urban water cycle.

Candidates with a bachelor’s degree preferably in Civil, Chemical, or Environmental Engineering or related fields are eligible to apply. In principle, candidates should have a minimum of three years of practical or research experience since graduation. All applications are, however, considered on their individual merits. Since instruction and examinations are given in English, it is essential that participants have a good working knowledge of the English language. If there is any doubt about a candidate’s proficiency in English, he or she will be required to take one of the internationally recognised language tests before confirmation of admittance.

Degree

Students who successfully complete this programme will be awarded two Master degrees: one from UNESCO-IHE and one from KNUST. The degree students receive from UNESCO-IHE is the degree in Municipal Water and Infrastructure, with a specialisation in Sanitary Engineering. KNUST will award a degree in Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation.

Admission procedure

Please click here for the admission procedure for the Joint Double Degree programmes we have with KNUST.

Information about KNUST

Please click here for information about KNUST, our partner in this programme.

Programme structure and contents

The Sanitary Engineering programme offers students the possibility to study in Kumasi, Ghana, and in Delft, the Netherlands, at two renowned organisations for international postgraduate education: KNUST and UNESCO-IHE.

The coursework part of the programme starts at KNUST in Kumasi in August, where students follow a number of courses until the second half of January. In February, they move to Delft where they join students in UNESCO-IHE’s Municipal Water and Infrastructure programme for six modules and the international field trip. Students then either move back to Kumasi or remain in Delft for their additional coursework and individual thesis research work.

Subjects at KNUST (August – December)

• Introduction to Environmental Sanitation
• Mathematical and Research Methods
• Environmental Science and Process Technology
• Environmental Quality
• Water Supply (Partly)

Subjects at UNESCO-IHE (January – August)

• Biological wastewater treatment
• Sustainable sanitation and wastewater re-use
• Modelling wastewater treatment processes and plants
• International Fieldtrip
• Industrial effluents treatment and residuals management
• Elective Module
• Group work

At KNUST or UNESCO-IHE (August onwards)

• Thesis Proposal & Work