Graduate Academic Subdiscipline

Water and International Development
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Overview

Water is a critical factor in global public health and community development. Roughly one-third of the world’s population lacks access to safely managed drinking water systems, and about half the world’s population lacks access to safely managed sanitation systems.

The Water and International Development (WAID) graduate program provides students with a multi-disciplinary program of study in water engineering and management and their roles in community development and public health. The program includes studies on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and emphasizes integrated approaches (e.g., joint consideration of water, energy, and waste) and sustainability. Students gain a thorough understanding of water science along with a broad range of approaches for drinking water treatment and delivery, wastewater reuse and disposal, as well as irrigation and drainage systems. Students also explore the economic, sociological, and epidemiological aspects of development projects.

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Degree + Certificate

Students in the WAID program earn both a graduate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as an International Development Studies (IDS) graduate certificate – typically without needing extra courses beyond the graduate degree! 

IDS Graduate Certificate

Faculty

Ryan Bailey
Ryan Bailey
Professor
Chris Bareither
Chris Bareither
Ellison Carter
Ellison Carter
Associate Professor - FC
José Chávez
José Chávez
Professor
Timothy Gates
Timothy Gates
Professor - FC
Neil Grigg
Neil Grigg
Professor - FC
Jeffrey Niemann
Jeffrey Niemann
Professor - FC
Pinar Omur-Ozbek
Pinar Omur-Ozbek
Associate Department Head and Professor
Sybil Sharvelle
Sybil Sharvelle
Professor - FC

Courses

Courses are selected in consultation with a WAID faculty advisor to meet the requirements for a graduate degree and a International Development Studies graduate certificate simultaneously.

Students in the WAID program are required to take both core classes listed below if they have not already taken equivalent courses. Typical supporting engineering and non-engineering courses are also listed below.

Students who are admitted to the WAID program but do not have an undergraduate degree in engineering are required to take additional undergraduate courses to bring their engineering background up to the required entry level.

  • CIVE 525 Water Engineering: International Development
  • IE/ANTH 679 Applications of International Development

International Engineering

  • CIVE 421 Global Water Challenges

Hydrology

  • CIVE 531 Groundwater Hydrology
  • CIVE 542 Water Quality Modeling

Measurement/Analysis Methods

  • CIVE 521 Hydrometry
  • CIVE 577 GIS in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CIVE 547 Statistics for Environmental Monitoring

Water and Wastewater Treatment

  • CIVE 539 Water and Wastewater Analysis
  • CIVE 541 Physical Chemical Water Treatment Processes
  • CIVE 540 Advanced Biological Wastewater Processing
  • CIVE 575* Sustainable Water and Wastewater Management

Conveyance Systems

  • CIVE 514 Hydraulic Structures/Systems
  • CIVE 571 Pipeline Engineering and Hydraulics
  • CIVE 572 Analysis of Urban Water Systems
  • CIVE 573 Urban Stormwater Management

Irrigation and Drainage

  • CIVE 512* Irrigation Systems Design
  • CIVE 549 Drainage and Wetland Engineering


Utility Management

  • CIVE 544* Water Resources Planning and Management
  • CIVE 578* Infrastructure and Utility Management

    * Approved as IDS supporting course

Anthropology

  • ANTH 505 Resilience, Well-Being, and Social Justice
  • ANTH 520 Women, Health, and Culture
  • ANTH 540 Medical Anthropology
  • ANTH 571 Anthropology and Global Health

Agriculture and Resource Economics

  • AREC 460 Ag- and Resource-Based Economic Development

Economics

  • ECON 460 Economic Development
  • ECON 760 Theories of Economic Development

International Education

  • IE/PSY 517 Perspectives in Global Health

Language

  • L*** Upper Division Foreign Language

Political Science

  • POLS 433 International Organization
  • POLS 444 Comparative African Politics
  • POLS 445 Comparative Asian Politics
  • POLS 446 Politics of South America
  • POLS 447 Politics in Mexico, Central America, Caribbean
  • POLS 541 Political Economy of Change and Development
  • POLS 670 Politics of Environment and Sustainability
  • POLS 739 International Environmental Politics
  • POLS 749 Comparative Environmental Politics

Sociology

  • SOC 660 Theories of Development and Social Change
  • SOC 669 Global Inequality and Change

Communication Studies

  • SPCM 634 Communication and Cultural Diversity

Watershed Science

  • WR 510 Watershed Management in Developing Countries
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Graduate Admission and Program Details

Prospective students can learn more about our requirements, objectives, and program details.

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Apply Now

Start your graduate application today!

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Advising and Graduate Student Resources

Current students can schedule an appointment with the graduate advisor and access tools to help plan their academic journey.