Module manager: Dr Paul Hutchings
Email: p.hutchings@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
Entry requirements to the MSc programme
| CIVE5054M | Engineering for Public Health |
This module is not approved as an Elective
The module focuses on the appropriate use of technologies and infrastructure to address real-life Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)-related challenges in rural and urban areas, with a focus on low and middle-income country contexts. The module will be student-led and involves a series of student-led seminars.
The objectives of this module are:
-To introduce engineering approaches for addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenges in development contexts, with an emphasis on low and middle-income countries.
-To provide knowledge of technologies, infrastructure, and interventions for WASH services, considering both rural and urban settings.
-To develop an understanding of the links between WASH systems and public health, including disease transmission and prevention.
-To enable students to evaluate and select appropriate technical and social solutions for sustainable WASH service delivery.
-To encourage consideration of cultural, environmental, and ethical factors in designing and implementing WASH interventions.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes (contributing to the AHEP4 learning outcomes between brackets):
1). Design to pre-feasibility level sanitation facilities and simple collection technologies, considering sustainability and social context (AHEP Learning Outcomes: M1 and M5);
2). Select appropriate water supply distribution elements and water treatment for use in areas with high rates of chemical and biological contaminants, considering sustainability and social context (AHEP Learning Outcomes: M1 and M5);
3). Understand the environmental classification of diseases including excreta and water related disease (AHEP Learning Outcomes: M2, M3 and M4);
4). Understand the social, cultural and environmental issues associated with menstrual health and hygiene (AHEP Learning Outcomes: M2, M3 and M4);
5). Select and describe feasible technical and social arrangements for delivery of WASH services (AHEP Learning Outcomes: M1 and M5;
6). Understand current practice and emerging trends in WASH technologies, services and behaviour change techniques (AHEP Learning Outcomes: M7);
7). Exhibit a high level of professional and ethical conduct in presenting WASH issues (AHEP Learning Outcomes: M16 and M17).
On successful completion of this module, students will have following set of skills:
Work ready skills:
a). Communication: The ability to (both within verbal and written communication) be clear, concise and focused; being able to tailor your message for the audience and listening to the views of others;
b). Critical thinking: The ability to gather information from a range of sources, analyse, and interpret data to aid understanding and anticipate problems. To use reasoning and judgement to identify needs, make decisions, solve problems, and respond with actions;
c). Collaboration: Learns from others (including peers, and others inside and outside of their institution); understands and respects the needs, perspectives and actions of other stakeholders; deals with conflicts in a group; uses participatory approaches; facilitates collaborative and participatory problem solving; applies inter and trans-disciplinarity to problem solving.
Sustainability skills:
d). System thinking: Recognises and understands relationships; analyses complex systems (environmental, economic and social systems and interdependencies across these); considers how systems are embedded within different domains and scales; deals with uncertainty; uses analytical thinking;
e). Strategic practice: Develops and implements innovative actions that further Sustainable Development at the local level and further afield; manages and promotes change;
f). Information searching: the ability to search for, evaluate and use appropriate and relevant information sources to help strengthen the quality of academic work and independent research.
Academic skills:
g). Critical thinking: The ability to weigh up different arguments and perspectives, using supporting evidence to form opinions, arguments, theories and ideas;
h). Presentation skills: The ability to deliver effective and engaging oral and visual presentations to a variety of audience;
i). Academic integrity: the ability to engage in good academic practice. This involves essential academic skills, such as accurately reporting research findings and abiding by relevant policies.
Technical skills:
j). Interdisciplinary thinking: the ability to understand links between different disciplines in a multifaceted complex engineering problem and have sufficient understanding of each discipline to explore problem from several lenses;
k). Design skills: for appropriate water, sanitation and hygiene interventions, including technology, infrastructure and behavioural components.
- Environmental classification of diseases, excreta and water related disease;
- Onsite sanitation (pit latrines, VIPs, septic tanks);
- Decentralised wastewater treatment (DEWATS);
- Condominial sewerage;
- Water source development;
- Menstrual health and hygiene;
- Simple mechanical lifting devices;
- Water treatment;
- WASH behaviour change;
- International targets, indicators and monitoring frameworks and their relationship to project designs;
- WASH linkages to nutrition and disability.
Methods of assessment
The assessment details for this module will be provided at the start of the academic year
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 2.5 | 25 |
| Seminars | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| Practicals | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Private study hours | 110 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 40 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 150 | ||
Regular class discussions, Q&A, Vevox exercises.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team