You will focus on the provision of water and sanitation services and the management of related infrastructure, and design new institutional and financial instruments and business models for different socio-economic contexts.

Starts: Annually in October
Duration: 18 Months
Location: UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands

Prospective Students

The Water Services Management specialization is designed for professionals active in the water services sector. Students from line ministries, water supply and waste water companies, municipal assemblies, but also from an NGO or CBO background are set to benefit from the well-balanced programme.

Learning Objectives

After completing this specialization, graduates will be able to:

  • Argue and defend a given position in current debates about contemporary water services management issues;
  • Design and assess institutional and management arrangements for the provision of water services in a multi-disciplinary manner;
  • Explain concepts and procedures that are relevant for the day-to-day operational and organisational management of water sector utilities;
  • Explain financial instruments for the provision of water services;
  • Assess and design reform and change management strategies that integrate a combination of technical, legal, administrative and financial measures.
Application procedure

Please click here for the application procedure for the UNESCO-IHE MSc programmes.

Programme Structure & Contents

This specialization consists of 14 modules covering a total of 12 months, this is followed by a 6-month research and thesis phase. Graduates of the programme will be awarded 106 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits.

A detailed table of all specialization modules that comprise the Master's Programme in Water Management is available here. The specializations are found in the top row and their relevant modules are found directly below.