Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)
WEDC is one of the world’s leading education and research institutes for developing knowledge and capacity in water and sanitation for low- and middle-income countries.
Our main themes are water, sanitation, the environment and emergencies.
WEDC is part of the Department of Civil and Building Engineering, which has consistently achieved top ratings in the Research Assessment Exercise. WEDC is the largest university institution in the UK working on infrastructure and services for international development.
Our reputation in the international water supply and sanitation sector has been established over 35 years. Our programmes are closely linked to the needs of the sectors they support.
“Studying at WEDC has been extremely interesting and challenging. The staff all have a wealth of practical field experience, and the varied backgrounds of the largely international student body, ensure that much is learnt from peers and teachers alike. Lectures cover a wide range of topics, from the specifics of water and sanitation service provision in low and middle income countries, to more general development-related aspects.”
Nick Bundle
As a graduate, this greatly improves your employment opportunities. Many former participants of our programmes now work in senior positions in government and international organisations.
You can learn in different ways and at different levels. Come to WEDC or study at home by distance learning. Choose from one of our postgraduate programmes and study towards a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or Master of Science (MSc).
Alternatively, tailor-make a programme from our wide range of stand-alone modules to suit your particular professional development requirements. With appropriate qualifications, you can also study by research towards a PhD.
Most programmes have multiple start dates so that you can select the best one for you. For example, our taught MSc programmes start in October or November, and our MSc distance learning programmes start in January or July.
One of the key benefits of attending a programme at WEDC is networking with people from other countries and cultures. The Staff-Student Committee strengthens this by organising social activities involving families and WEDC staff. Wider social activities take place in halls of residence and elsewhere across the University; these include a variety of clubs and some of the best sporting and recreational facilities in the UK.
Accreditation
Two WEDC MSc programmes, Water and Environmental Management and Water and Waste Engineering are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) and approved by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Students registered for these programmes are eligible for free student membership of CIWEM, which carries various benefits, including free subscriptions to the CIWEM magazine and journal.
Scholarships and Bursaries
A range of scholarships and bursaries may be available. From time to time scholarships are available which cover the full fees or part of the fees for study. Some students’ entire MSc distance learning programmes have been sponsored by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom. Other students have been partially sponsored by the Loughborough University Development Trust which is funded by various bodies and our alumni.
The WEDC Community
The WEDC learning environment comprises lecture rooms, staff offices and our dedicated Resources Centre. We also use Departmental and Faculty facilities. Complementing the University’s Pilkington Library, the WEDC Resources Centre now houses a computer information management system containing details of nearly 16,000 items on a customised database allowing for easy retrieval of information by staff, students and visitors. The collection comprises books, country files, student projects, videos, journals, maps and manufacturers’ catalogues.