Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

This programme is likely to be of particular interest to applicants who wish to develop careers in aspects of design, implementation and management of water supply and waste management for low- and middle-income countries.  It aims to: 

• Provide Engineers and Scientists with the knowledge and skills to meet the global challenge of basic services for low- and middle-income countries;
• Develop participants’ understanding of important aspects of sustainable public health infrastructure and services for all levels of consumers;
• Equip students with appropriate expertise and skills for work in low- and middle-income countries; and
• Provide an opportunity for specialisation in one topic through in depth study during the Research Dissertation module.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

This specification has taken into account the descriptors for a qualification at Masters (MSc), Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) and Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) levels that are set out in the “Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

This MSc programme is taught by the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) in the School of Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough University.  The WEDC Mission Statement is:

Education, training, research and consultancy for improved planning, provision and management of physical infrastructure and services for development in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on the needs and demands of the poor.

WEDC’s postgraduate programmes are multidisciplinary in content so no single-subject benchmarks are wholly applicable to them. There are currently no benchmark statements for Engineering MSc programmes. Although the Subject Benchmark Statement for Engineering applies to first degrees in engineering, and not to postgraduate degrees, it has been used to inform the drafting of intended learning outcomes for this programme, with the expectation that postgraduate students attain a higher level than undergraduate students in relevant outcomes. The Subject Benchmark Statement for Master’s Awards in Business and Management has also been consulted because of the management content of the WEDC programmes; the list of skills for all Master’s programmes listed in Appendix 2 is of particular relevance. Note has also been taken of relevant parts of the Annex to Academic Standards – Engineering MEng Degrees.

Following an accreditation visit from CIWEM (Charted Institution of Water and Environmental Management) in May 2011, the accreditation panel recommended that the MSc, PGDiploma and PGCertificate programmes in Water & Waste Engineering be accredited for a further period of five years with effect from the intake of Autumn 2010. Accreditation recognises that these programmes contribute to the academic requirements for CIWEM membership.

The Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) has deemed that the MSc programme in Water and Waste Engineering meets the requirements for ‘Further Learning’, for candidates who have already acquired an accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) undergraduate first degree, to contribute to achieving Chartered Engineer status, for student intakes 2011-2015 inclusive.  (See http://www.jbm.org.uk for further information.)

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme participants should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of, or explain:

• the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to public health engineering and ways to integrate various perspectives in project planning
• the links between water, sanitation and health
• ways of integrating technical and non-technical considerations into project planning, design, execution and evaluation
• key issues in relation to effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and replicability in planning public health infrastructure and services
• key issues in relation to social and institutional aspects particularly for sustainability of water supply and environmental sanitation services
• major international developments and initiatives, relating to some of the above-mentioned aspects

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, participants should be able to:

• integrate and evaluate multi-disciplinary information
• describe basic water supply and environmental sanitation options suitable for low- and middle-income countries, and be able to select appropriate options subject to specific constraints
• describe key water and sanitation sector reform issues such as new public management, decentralisation and public private partnerships.
• use an interdisciplinary approach to plan appropriate solutions to meet users’ needs and demands for water supply and environmental sanitation.  This will include use of appropriate techniques for technical, financial and institutional analysis.
• plan, conduct and report a programme of original research

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, participants[1] should be able to:

• demonstrate practical skills implied in the above statements.
• demonstrate some practical skills relevant to laboratory practical work

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, participants should be able to:

• Use literature critically, assessing it against other evidence, including  personal experience
• Learn from, and contribute to, discussion with other professionals[2].
• Demonstrate originality in tackling and solving problems
• Analyse data, check their validity and make appropriate use of data when writing reports
• Communicate effectively in writing essays and reports.  This will include presentation and justification of conclusions from quantitative and qualitative analyses.
• Show basic keyboard skills for word-processing on a computer
• Work as a member of a small team
  
• Manage time and work to deadlines
• Continue to advance personal knowledge and understanding of relevant current issues, and develop new skills to a high level. 

4. Programme structure

4.1    The modules comprising the Programmes are listed below:  The letters (DL) and an asterisk (*) beside the module code indicate modules offered by Distance Learning.  Only those modules specified in Section 4.2 can contribute to the Water and Waste Engineering programmes. 

 * by Distance Learning

The right is reserved to withdraw or make amendment to the modules available at the beginning of each session.

4.2    Modules required for each level of programme are shown in the following tables.  (WWE stands for Water and Waste Engineering.)

For the award of Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert), students must choose four modules from the following: 

 * by Distance Learning

For the award of Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip), students must choose eight modules from the following: 

 * by Distance Learning

For the award of Master of Science (MSc), students must choose nine modules from the following: 

 * by Distance Learning

4.3    Module Numbers CVP251*, CVP252*, CVP253*, CVP257*, CVP265*, CVP268*, CVP269*, CVP272*, CVP273*, CVP278*, CVP296* and CVP298* are studied by Distance-learning.  Some of these (CVP251*, CVP252*, CVP253*, CVP257*, CVP268*, CVP269*, CVP273*, CVP278*, CVP296* and CVP298*) are direct alternatives to modules CVP201, CVP235, CVP227, CVP207, CVP218, CVP219, CVP223, CVP228, CVP293 and CVP292 respectively, which are taught at Loughborough University.  Candidates may not study two modules having the same Module Title but taught using different techniques.

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

In order to be eligible for the award, candidates must satisfy the requirements of Regulation XXI.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification