Engineering

Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering

The Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in water resources engineering, hydrological systems, and water management. The programme provides specialised training in hydrology, water resources planning, hydraulic structures, watershed management, and water resources systems analysis.

Core areas include water resources engineering, hydrology, hydraulic structures, watershed management, water resources systems, groundwater engineering, water quality modelling, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, design projects, and research.

The programme is offered by Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology as a public institution through the School of Engineering and the Built Environment. The University of Nairobi offers a Water Resources Engineering option within its MSc in Civil Engineering through the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering. Both programmes are available in full-time mode over two years, combining coursework with research.

Students develop competencies in water resources systems, hydrological analysis, hydraulic structure design, watershed management, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, design projects, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for water resources engineering and management roles.

MMUST charges approximately KES 150,750 per year while UoN charges approximately KES 528,000 per year. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as water resources engineers, hydrologists, hydraulic engineers, watershed managers, water resources consultants, and lecturers across water authorities, government agencies, consulting firms, and universities.

Skills Required

Hydrological Analysis and Modelling
Water Resources Systems Planning
Hydraulic Structures Design
Watershed Management and Conservation
Groundwater Engineering
Water Quality Modelling and Management
Flood Risk Assessment and Management
Irrigation and Drainage Systems
Research Methods in Water Resources Engineering
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Hydrological Analysis and Modelling
Water Resources Systems Planning
Hydraulic Structures Design
Watershed Management and Conservation
Groundwater Engineering
Water Quality Modelling and Management
Flood Risk Assessment and Management
Irrigation and Drainage Systems
Research Methods in Water Resources Engineering
Thesis Research

Certifications

IWA Professional Membership
Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) Registration

Specializations

Hydrology and Water Resources

Focuses on hydrology, covering hydrology, water, resources, analysis, and managing hydrological analysis and water resources.

Hydraulic Structures

Examines hydraulic structures, covering hydraulic, structures, design, dams, and managing hydraulic structures design and engineering.

Watershed Management

Covers watershed management, covering watershed, management, conservation, water, and managing watershed management and conservation.

Groundwater Engineering

Focuses on groundwater engineering, covering groundwater, engineering, aquifers, wells, and managing groundwater engineering and resources.

Water Quality Modelling

Examines water quality modelling, covering water, quality, modelling, analysis, and managing water quality modelling and analysis.

Flood Risk Management

Covers flood risk, covering flood, risk, management, assessment, and managing flood risk assessment and management.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 528,000
Job market: High

The programme

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

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 15 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Hydrological Analysis and Modelling
Water Resources Systems Planning
Hydraulic Structures Design
Watershed Management and Conservation
Groundwater Engineering
Water Quality Modelling and Management
Flood Risk Assessment and Management
Irrigation and Drainage Systems
Research Methods in Water Resources Engineering
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Hydrological Analysis and Modelling
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines hydrology, covering hydrology, water, resources, analysis, and managing hydrological analysis and modelling.
Water Resources Systems Planning
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers water resources systems, covering water, resources, systems, planning, and managing water resources systems planning and management.
Hydraulic Structures Design
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines hydraulic structures, covering hydraulic, structures, design, dams, and managing hydraulic structures design and engineering.
Watershed Management and Conservation
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers watershed management, covering watershed, management, conservation, water, and managing watershed management and conservation.
Groundwater Engineering
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines groundwater engineering, covering groundwater, engineering, aquifers, wells, and managing groundwater engineering and resources.
Water Quality Modelling and Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers water quality modelling, covering water, quality, modelling, analysis, and managing water quality modelling and management.
Flood Risk Assessment and Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines flood risk, covering flood, risk, assessment, management, and managing flood risk assessment and management.
Research Methods in Water Resources Engineering
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, water, resources, and conducting research in water resources engineering, preparing students for their thesis.
Irrigation and Drainage Systems
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines irrigation and drainage, covering irrigation, drainage, systems, water, and managing irrigation and drainage systems engineering.
Advanced Hydrological Modelling
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers advanced hydrological modelling, covering modelling, hydrology, advanced, simulation, and managing advanced hydrological modelling and simulation.
Water Resources Policy and Governance
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines water resources policy, covering policy, governance, water, resources, and managing water resources policy and governance.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a water resources engineering topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and water resources knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Hydrology and Water Resources
Focuses on hydrology, covering hydrology, water, resources, analysis, and managing hydrological analysis and water resources.
Hydraulic Structures
Examines hydraulic structures, covering hydraulic, structures, design, dams, and managing hydraulic structures design and engineering.
Watershed Management
Covers watershed management, covering watershed, management, conservation, water, and managing watershed management and conservation.
Groundwater Engineering
Focuses on groundwater engineering, covering groundwater, engineering, aquifers, wells, and managing groundwater engineering and resources.
Water Quality Modelling
Examines water quality modelling, covering water, quality, modelling, analysis, and managing water quality modelling and analysis.
Flood Risk Management
Covers flood risk, covering flood, risk, management, assessment, and managing flood risk assessment and management.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Water Resources Engineering programme combines lectures, design sessions, laboratory work, fieldwork, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover hydrology, hydraulic structures, watershed management, groundwater engineering, and water quality modelling. Hydrology sessions examine hydrology, water, resources, analysis, and managing hydrological analysis. Hydraulic structures sessions cover hydraulic, structures, design, dams, and managing hydraulic structures design. Watershed management sessions cover watershed, management, conservation, water, and managing watershed management. Groundwater sessions cover groundwater, engineering, aquifers, wells, and managing groundwater engineering. Water quality sessions cover water, quality, modelling, analysis, and managing water quality modelling. Flood risk sessions cover flood, risk, assessment, management, and managing flood risk assessment. Laboratory sessions provide practical experience in water quality testing and hydrological modelling. Fieldwork provides practical experience in watershed assessment and water resources monitoring. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a water resources engineering topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses critical water security challenges as Kenya invests in water resources management and infrastructure.
Two public universities confirmed offering this programme, providing options for students.
Graduates are eligible for EBK registration and IWA and IAHS international professional membership.
Programme combines theoretical knowledge with practical fieldwork and laboratory sessions.

Against it

MMUST fee data is from 2018/2019 fee structure and may have changed.
Significant fee difference between MMUST (KES 150,750/year) and UoN (KES 528,000/year).
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Water resources projects are capital-intensive and fieldwork-dependent, which may limit research opportunities.

What it costs

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

What it costs, and where

Against 332 engineering courses

Public151k to 528k

151k at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology528k at University of Nairobi

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

MMUST ~150.75K/yr (mmust.ac.ke). UoN Civil Eng 528K/yr (uonbi.ac.ke). Private unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. IWA and IAHS may offer fellowships for water resources research and education.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
IWA Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
MMUST and UoN may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate water resources engineering students.
IWA Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
IWA and IAHS may offer fellowships for water resources research and education.

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: MMUST requires a relevant Bachelor's degree with Second Class Upper Honours, or Lower Second with two years of relevant experience. UoN requires at least Second Class Upper in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline, or Lower Second with two years of working 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, design reports, laboratory reports, fieldwork reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering hydrology, hydraulic structures, watershed management, groundwater engineering, and water quality modelling.
Design Project
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through design projects, demonstrating water resources system design, hydrological modelling, and watershed management skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a water resources engineering topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and water resources knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). MMUST (public) offers MSc in Water Resources Engineering through the School of Engineering and the Built Environment. UoN (public) offers MSc in Civil Engineering with Water Resources Engineering option through the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in water resources engineering. Graduates may seek registration with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and international professional bodies including IWA and IAHS. The programme aligns with EBK and IWA global water resources engineering frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. MMUST (public) offers MSc in Water Resources Engineering through the School of Engineering and the Built Environment. UoN (public) offers MSc in Civil Engineering with Water Resources Engineering option through the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in water resources engineering. Graduates may seek registration with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and international professional bodies including IWA and IAHS. The programme aligns with EBK and IWA global water resources engineering frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Water Resources Engineer
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Designs and manages water resources systems, covering water, resources, engineering, systems, and managing water resources engineering and systems.
Hydrologist
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000
Conducts hydrological analysis, covering hydrology, analysis, water, resources, and managing hydrological analysis and research.
Hydraulic Engineer
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Designs hydraulic structures, covering hydraulic, engineering, structures, design, and managing hydraulic engineering and structures.
Watershed Manager
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages watersheds, covering watershed, management, conservation, water, and managing watershed management and conservation.
Water Resources Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 450,000
Provides water resources consulting, covering consulting, water, resources, advisory, and managing water resources consulting and advisory.
Water Resources Engineering Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches water resources engineering at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

HEC-HMS
SoftwarePrimary
HEC-HMS for hydrological modelling and watershed simulation, covering hydrology, modelling, watershed, simulation, and managing hydrological modelling and simulation.
HEC-RAS
Software
HEC-RAS for hydraulic analysis and flood modelling, covering hydraulic, analysis, flood, modelling, and managing hydraulic analysis and flood modelling.
MODFLOW
Software
MODFLOW for groundwater modelling and simulation, covering groundwater, modelling, simulation, aquifers, and managing groundwater modelling and simulation.
ArcGIS
Software
ArcGIS for watershed analysis and spatial modelling, covering GIS, watershed, spatial, analysis, and managing watershed analysis and spatial modelling.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Water resources engineering is just about dams.
Water resources engineering covers hydrology, watershed management, groundwater, water quality, and flood risk beyond just dam construction.
This programme is only for civil engineering graduates.
Water resources engineering is for professionals from agricultural engineering, environmental science, and related fields, not just civil engineering graduates.
Water resources engineering has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Water resources engineers are in high demand in water authorities, government agencies, and consulting firms as Kenya addresses water security challenges.
This programme is the same as water engineering.
Water resources engineering focuses on hydrological systems and water resources management, while water engineering focuses more on water supply and treatment infrastructure.
Water resources engineering is only about drinking water.
The programme covers flood management, irrigation, watershed conservation, groundwater, and water quality, not just drinking water supply.
You need water industry experience to study this programme.
While experience is beneficial, the programme is accessible to graduates from various engineering fields seeking water resources specialisation.