Master of Science in Sanitation

Purpose

The purpose of the Master of Science in Sanitation is to provide a master's level qualification and skills development for learners aiming to go into the field of sanitation and to provide a qualification route for practitioners in the field to further their professional development. There is a great need for skilled practitioners to drive the future implementation of non-sewered sanitation solutions for community upliftment.

This demand-driven and practice-orientated qualification will yield graduates with fundamental understanding and knowledge, as well as the skills necessary for creating impact. The generic skills development is embedded from the start, through individual coaching and tailored guidance. All learners will benefit from a dedicated career development qualification and will become a member of the Global Sanitation Learning Alliance and alumni community.

Sanitation practitioners and newly graduated learners with an interest in employment in the field will be the main learners to whom this qualification will be of interest. Graduates in this area can assist in the development of novel sanitation systems for the communities of both urban and rural populations where there is currently either inadequate sanitation provision, or where that provision is limited due to infrastructure unavailability or lack of a plentiful supply of water.

Upon completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Demonstrate a progressive and integrated understanding of complex knowledge in one or more sanitation areas by generating substantial contribution(s) to knowledge through the appropriate research principles and methods.
• Perform a comprehensive inventory (technical, socio-economic) of the sanitation situation on household, city and regional levels and assess the relationship between sanitation systems and public health.
• Apply critical analysis and reflection to ethical research; synthesize and evaluate complex information, problems, concepts, interpretations, and theories to demonstrate cognitive and technical skills in sanitation knowledge and practice.
• Contribute to the development of appropriate frameworks and management arrangements of sanitation systems, and design behaviour change strategies for improved sanitation practices.
• Effectively disseminate research outcomes to a variety of audiences using highly developed communication skills and work productively within a team of experts in the field.

Rationale

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 is among the most important global agendas with the target of universal access to clean water and sanitation for all by the year 2030. This ambitious aim is admirable and most deserving as globally, as of 2015, 60% of people did not have access to safely managed sanitation. Despite progress that has been made globally, including in South Africa, billions of people still lack safe water, sanitation, and handwashing facilities. To achieve universal access to sustainable sanitation services by 2030, the rate of annual progress would have to double. This means that more efforts are required for the education of new water and sanitation experts and broader knowledge dissemination about challenges and emerging solutions in this field (UN Statistics Division, 2022).

This qualification therefore seeks to serve the purpose of doubling the efforts and progress toward achieving sustainable sanitation in South Africa and globally. Considering the water crisis in South Africa and the major stress on water resources by waterborne conventional flush-to-sewer sanitation, this qualification will provide knowledge on the latest sustainable sanitation solutions, commonly known as non-sewered sanitation solutions.

The qualification is also designed to provide global solutions with a focus on practices that will be relevant to the South African and sub-Saharan African context, with the local practitioners in mind and would be transferrable to other parts of the continent, as well as other developing countries globally.

The focus of this transdisciplinary qualification is on the sustainable management and implementation of non-sewered sanitation services in urban and rural areas and communities.

In addition, the processing of sanitation outflows to useable products (recovery of energy and water) is integrated into the qualification and will further develop the sanitation economy of the country. The qualification has been designed to develop an understanding of the circular sanitation economy incorporating elements of Chemical and Civil Engineering (particularly focused upon novel technologies for sanitation, project planning and financing, safety (public health and safe handling of waste) and processing of waste to value-added products. Alongside this, the social impact of sanitation systems and community engagement in the development of systems incorporate elements of Social Development Studies and Environmental Sciences within the qualification.

Sanitation practitioners and newly graduated learners with an interest in employment in the field will be the main learners to whom this qualification will be of interest. Graduates in this area can assist in the development of novel sanitation systems for the communities of both urban and rural populations where there is currently either inadequate sanitation provision, or where that provision is limited due to infrastructure unavailability or lack of a plentiful supply of water.

Learners of this qualification will be well positioned to be employed within the sanitation field (through municipalities, the Water Research Commission, NGOs and within the future sanitation economy) as well as developing improved sanitation for communities within the country.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations.

RPL for exemption of modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Science in Water and Sanitation Sciences, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Engineering Honours in Water Resources Engineering, NQF Level 9.

Or

• Bachelor of Science in Water and Sanitation Sciences, NQF Level 9.

Or

• Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Water Resource Management, NQF Level 9.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 9 totalling 180 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, NQF Level 9, totalling 180 Credits.

• Sanitation systems, streams, and public health, 15 Credits.
• Sanitation Technology, 15 Credits.
• Sanitation for Emergencies, 15 Credits.
• Sanitation Governance, Behaviour Change and Advocacy, 15 Credits.
• Research Methods and Analysis, 15 Credits.
• Sanitation Financing and Project Management, 15 Credits.
• Dissertation in Sanitation, NQF Level 90 Credits.

1. Demonstrate a progressive and integrated understanding of complex knowledge in one or more sanitation areas by generating substantial contribution(s) to knowledge through the appropriate research principles and methods.
2. Perform a comprehensive inventory (technical, socio-economic) of the sanitation situation on household, city and regional levels and assess the relationship between sanitation systems and public health.
3. Apply critical analysis and reflection to ethical research; synthesize and evaluate complex information, problems, concepts, interpretations, and theories to demonstrate cognitive and technical skills in sanitation knowledge and practice.
4. Contribute to the development of appropriate frameworks and management arrangements of sanitation systems, and design behaviour change strategies for improved sanitation practices.
5. Effectively disseminate research outcomes to a variety of audiences using highly developed communication skills and work productively within a team of experts in the field.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the urban sewerage and treatment of effluent using sanitation technologies; an understanding of sanitation chain components for different sanitation chain technologies, treatment, removal, and recovery of faecal sludge from different sites and technologies.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of sanitation systems on public health in the context of peri-urban areas, the health hazards related to faecal sludge management, mitigation of the hazards, the provision of sanitation technology to communities and its impact upon public health, the importance of service chains and community engagement in the implementation of sanitation solutions.
8. Demonstrate independence, confident judgement, adaptability, leadership, initiative, resilience, and responsibility as a professional and principled researcher.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 1.

• Analyse a given sanitation problem in a developmental setting.
• Develop appropriate research methods to determine a possible solution and evaluate the applicability of the proposed solution.
• Engage with and critique current research or practices, as well as advanced scholarship or research in a particular field, discipline, or practice.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 2.

• Develop or analyse a sanitation plan for a given setting.
• Evaluate a sanitation plan's suitability in the context in which it is being proposed.
• Critique current processes of knowledge production and choose an appropriate process of enquiry for the area of study or practice.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 3.

• Discuss the ethical implications of the research to be carried out.
• Integrate technical and societal knowledge in a sanitation research or practice environment.
• Evaluate problems from an ethical standpoint and propose a suitable solution.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 4.

• Apply understanding of sanitation systems to the management and operation of suitable systems.
• Design ethical strategies to encourage improved sanitation practices.
• Manage the impact of operational changes in the development of appropriate frameworks and management arrangements of sanitation systems, and design behaviour change strategies for improved sanitation practices.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 5.

• Communicate, debate, and defend findings and generate insights clearly and systematically.
• Provide rational underpinning of these in writing and oral presentations to a variety of audiences of various cultural backgrounds.
• Plan and execute short research projects in the field of sanitation considering the scientific, social, financial, and ethical requirements of the projects.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 6.

• Evaluate and compare sanitation technologies using common decision support tools and project management and financing of the implementation of sanitation technologies within the context of municipal budgets and requirements.
• Apply understanding of sanitation chain components for different sanitation chain technologies, treatment, removal and recovery of faecal sludge from different sites and technologies.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 7.

• Analyse a given sanitation problem in a peri-urban or informal setting.

Develop appropriate research methods to determine a possible solution and evaluate the applicability of the proposed solution.

• Evaluate the impact of sanitation systems on public health, the importance of service chains and community engagement in the implementation of sanitation solutions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 8.

• Reflect upon, analyse, and evaluate the effectiveness of own practice and recognise ways that it can be improved.
• Analyse areas where there is a need to improve own knowledge, research and evaluate the appropriateness of the literature sourced and determine areas of development necessary.
• Analyse sanitation programmes as part of a team, analyse the financial and societal implications of the programmes and evaluate proposed changes that can be implemented to increase efficiency.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

All modules, except for the Dissertation in Sanitation module, are assessed either by means of continuous assessment (CA) or continual assessment and a final examination. CA collectively informs a final mark for that module, without a formal summative university examination. It is distinguished from continual assessments which repeatedly use the same or similar assessment method. Such assessment will be regular, cyclical and formative, focusing on desired outcomes and competencies, on an ongoing basis in a variety of ways during the module.

Formative and summative assessment

A range of formal and informal assessments are employed by academics during the learning process.

Formative assessment will be used to improve learning by means of responsive and progressive assessment approaches.

Summative assessment refers to the assessment where the focus is on the outcome of a programme of learning at the end of the learning cycle.

Module Title: Assessment Methods (weighting to module overall assessment)

• Sanitation Technology, assignments (20%), tutorials (10%) test (10%) exam (60%)
• Sanitation for Emergencies, assignments (20%), tutorials (10%) test (10%) exam (60%).
• Sanitation Governance, Behaviour Change and Advocacy, assignments (20%), tests (20%) exam (60%).
• Sanitation Systems, Streams and Public Health, assignments (10%), tutorials (10%) tests (20%) exam (60%).
• Sanitation Financing and Project Management, assignments (20%), tutorials (10%) test (10%) exam (60%).
• Research Methods and Analysis, assignments (20%), tutorials (10%) test (10%) Research Proposal (60%).
• Dissertation, oral presentation (20%), thesis (80%).