Social Sciences

Master of Science in Sanitation

The Master of Science in Sanitation is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in sanitation systems, non-sewered sanitation, faecal sludge management, and public health. The programme provides specialised training in sanitation technology, sanitation governance, sanitation financing, public health, and sanitation systems and services.

Core areas include introduction to sanitation, sanitation technology, sanitation systems and services, public health and sanitation, sanitation governance, sanitation financing, leadership and management, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, fieldwork, and research.

The programme is offered by Meru University of Science and Technology, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and the University of Eldoret as public institutions. The programme was transferred from IHE Delft to MUST in 2020 as part of the Global Sanitation Graduate School framework. The programme is available in full-time, evening, and online modes over two years, combining coursework with research.

Students develop competencies in sanitation technology, systems management, governance, financing, public health, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, fieldwork, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for sanitation sector technical, managerial, and advisory roles.

MUST charges approximately KES 120,000 per year. The University of Eldoret also offers a related MSc in Sanitation and Sanitary Engineering but fee data is not publicly available. No private university confirmed offering this programme. Entry requires at least a Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Environmental Sciences, Engineering, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as sanitation specialists, WASH programme managers, sanitation engineers, public health officers, sanitation consultants, and lecturers across government ministries, county governments, NGOs, water companies, research institutions, and international development organisations.

Skills Required

Sanitation Technology and Systems Design
Faecal Sludge Management
Sanitation Governance and Policy
Sanitation Financing and Economics
Public Health and Sanitation
Non-Sewered Sanitation Systems
WASH Programme Management
Urban Drainage and Sewerage Design
Research Methods in Sanitation
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Introduction to Sanitation
Sanitation Technology
Sanitation Systems and Services
Public Health and Sanitation
Sanitation Governance
Sanitation Financing
Leadership and Management in Sanitation
Research Methods for Sanitation
Faecal Sludge and Septage Management
Thesis Research

Certifications

GSGS Professional Certification
WSSCC Professional Membership

Specializations

Sanitation Technology

Focuses on sanitation technology, covering technology, sanitation, systems, design, and managing sanitation technology and systems.

Sanitation Governance

Examines sanitation governance, covering governance, sanitation, policy, regulation, and managing sanitation governance and policy.

Faecal Sludge Management

Covers faecal sludge management, covering sludge, faecal, management, treatment, and managing faecal sludge and septage management.

Sanitation Financing

Focuses on sanitation financing, covering financing, sanitation, economics, funding, and managing sanitation financing and economics.

Public Health and Sanitation

Examines public health and sanitation, covering health, sanitation, public, hygiene, and managing public health and sanitation.

WASH Programme Management

Covers WASH programme management, covering WASH, programmes, management, water, and managing WASH programme management.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 187,200
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Evening, Online
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Introduction to Sanitation
Sanitation Technology
Sanitation Systems and Services
Public Health and Sanitation
Sanitation Governance
Sanitation Financing
Leadership and Management in Sanitation
Research Methods for Sanitation
Faecal Sludge and Septage Management
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Introduction to Sanitation
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines sanitation, covering sanitation, systems, services, concepts, and understanding sanitation systems and services.
Sanitation Technology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers sanitation technology, covering technology, sanitation, systems, design, and managing sanitation technology and systems.
Sanitation Systems and Services
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines sanitation systems, covering systems, services, sanitation, management, and managing sanitation systems and services.
Public Health and Sanitation
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers public health and sanitation, covering health, sanitation, public, hygiene, and managing public health and sanitation.
Sanitation Governance
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines sanitation governance, covering governance, sanitation, policy, regulation, and managing sanitation governance and policy.
Sanitation Financing
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers sanitation financing, covering financing, sanitation, economics, funding, and managing sanitation financing and economics.
Leadership and Management in Sanitation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines leadership and management, covering leadership, management, sanitation, programmes, and managing leadership in sanitation.
Research Methods for Sanitation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, sanitation, design, and conducting research in sanitation, preparing students for their thesis.
Faecal Sludge and Septage Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines faecal sludge management, covering sludge, faecal, management, treatment, and managing faecal sludge and septage management.
Sanitation Technology II
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers advanced sanitation technology, covering technology, advanced, sanitation, systems, and managing advanced sanitation technology.
Analysis of Sanitation Flows
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines sanitation flow analysis, covering flows, analysis, sanitation, systems, and managing analysis of sanitation flows.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a sanitation topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and sanitation knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Sanitation Technology
Focuses on sanitation technology, covering technology, sanitation, systems, design, and managing sanitation technology and systems.
Sanitation Governance
Examines sanitation governance, covering governance, sanitation, policy, regulation, and managing sanitation governance and policy.
Faecal Sludge Management
Covers faecal sludge management, covering sludge, faecal, management, treatment, and managing faecal sludge and septage management.
Sanitation Financing
Focuses on sanitation financing, covering financing, sanitation, economics, funding, and managing sanitation financing and economics.
Public Health and Sanitation
Examines public health and sanitation, covering health, sanitation, public, hygiene, and managing public health and sanitation.
WASH Programme Management
Covers WASH programme management, covering WASH, programmes, management, water, and managing WASH programme management.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Sanitation programme combines lectures, fieldwork, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover sanitation technology, governance, financing, public health, and systems management. Introduction to sanitation sessions examine sanitation, systems, services, concepts, and understanding sanitation systems and services. Sanitation technology sessions cover technology, sanitation, systems, design, and managing sanitation technology. Public health sessions cover health, sanitation, public, hygiene, and managing public health and sanitation. Governance sessions cover governance, sanitation, policy, regulation, and managing sanitation governance and policy. Financing sessions cover financing, sanitation, economics, funding, and managing sanitation financing and economics. Leadership sessions cover leadership, management, sanitation, programmes, and managing leadership in sanitation. Research methods sessions cover research, methods, sanitation, design, and conducting research in sanitation. Faecal sludge management sessions cover sludge, faecal, management, treatment, and managing faecal sludge and septage. Fieldwork provides practical experience in visiting sanitation installations, assessing sanitation systems, and conducting field research. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings and discussing current developments in sanitation. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a sanitation topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses critical sanitation challenges aligned with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).
Programme transferred from IHE Delft, providing international-quality curriculum and GSGS network access.
Programme offered at multiple public universities with flexible study modes including online.
Graduates are in high demand in Kenya's growing WASH sector.

Against it

Fee data only available from MUST; other institutions' fees not publicly available.
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Programme is relatively new in Kenya, launched in 2020.
Programme may require fieldwork in challenging sanitation environments.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 241 social sciences courses

Public120k to 187k

120k at Meru University of Science and Technology187k at Moi University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

Moi ~187K/yr (worldscholarshipforum). Meru 120K/yr (mawese.com). Private: unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. GSGS and IHE Delft may offer scholarships and fellowships for sanitation education and research. International WASH organisations may offer grants for sanitation research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
GSGS Scholarship
IHE Delft Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
GSGS Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 240,000
GSGS may offer scholarships for sanitation education through its network of academic institutions.
IHE Delft Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
IHE Delft may offer fellowships for water and sanitation education and research.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Most universities require at least a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant work experience. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, field reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering sanitation technology, governance, financing, public health, and systems management.
Field Assessment
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through fieldwork, demonstrating sanitation system assessment, flow analysis, and field research skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a sanitation topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and sanitation knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Meru University of Science and Technology, JKUAT, and University of Eldoret (public) offer MSc in Sanitation or related programmes. The programme was transferred from IHE Delft to MUST as part of the Global Sanitation Graduate School framework. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in sanitation. Graduates may interact with WSSCC and WHO for global WASH standards. The programme aligns with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Meru University of Science and Technology, JKUAT, and University of Eldoret (public) offer MSc in Sanitation or related programmes. The programme was transferred from IHE Delft to MUST as part of the Global Sanitation Graduate School framework. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in sanitation. Graduates may interact with WSSCC and WHO for global WASH standards. The programme aligns with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Sanitation Specialist
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages sanitation programmes, covering sanitation, systems, management, and managing sanitation systems and services.
WASH Programme Manager
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages WASH programmes, covering WASH, programmes, management, water, and managing WASH programme management.
Sanitation Engineer
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 450,000
Designs sanitation systems, covering sanitation, engineering, systems, design, and managing sanitation engineering projects.
Public Health Officer
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages public health programmes, covering health, sanitation, public, and managing public health and sanitation programmes.
Sanitation Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Provides sanitation consulting, covering advisory, sanitation, systems, and managing sanitation consulting and advisory.
Sanitation Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches sanitation at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

ArcGIS
SoftwarePrimary
ArcGIS for sanitation system mapping and analysis, covering GIS, mapping, sanitation, and managing geographic information systems for sanitation.
AutoCAD
Software
AutoCAD for sanitation system design, covering design, drafting, sanitation, and managing sanitation system design and drafting.
EPANET
Software
EPANET for water and sanitation network modelling, covering modelling, networks, water, and managing water and sanitation network modelling.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for statistical analysis of sanitation data, covering statistics, analysis, data, and managing sanitation research data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Sanitation is just about building toilets.
Sanitation covers technology, governance, financing, public health, faecal sludge management, and systems design beyond just building toilets.
This programme is only for engineers.
Sanitation is for professionals from public health, environmental science, social science, and economics backgrounds, not just engineers.
Sanitation has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Sanitation graduates are in high demand in county governments, NGOs, water companies, and international development organisations addressing SDG 6.
Sanitation is a low-tech field.
Modern sanitation involves advanced technology, data analytics, GIS, systems modelling, and innovative non-sewered sanitation technologies.
This programme is only about rural sanitation.
The programme covers urban, peri-urban, and rural sanitation, including informal settlements and citywide inclusive sanitation.
Sanitation is the same as water supply.
Sanitation focuses on waste management, faecal sludge, and hygiene, while water supply focuses on clean water provision, though both are part of WASH.