Water Supply and Sanitation in Emergencies

Course content

The course will be divided into 5 main clusters:

  • Anthropological assessment approaches in emergency situations
  • Health and disease transmission in emergency settings
  • Technical and theoretical aspects of water and sanitation
  • Practical aspects of water and sanitation
  • Case study and exam where the participants will apply knowledge and skills acquired during the course
Education

Master of Disaster Management

elective course

MSc Global Health- elective

 

Learning outcome

By the end of the course participants will have a comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge of water and sanitation in the different phases of emergencies, including disease prevention and preparedness.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

 

Knowledge

  • Demonstrate knowledge on Water and sanitation issues in different settings and accepted approaches/guidelines to deal with them;

 

Skills

  • Analyze and apply this knowledge to assess and prioritize the water and sanitation needs for a population in emergency situations in a variety of practical settings, adjusting to time and resources available;

 

Competences

  • Design and develop appropriate water and sanitation  strategies for taking  appropriate measures to avoid disease outbreak situations in emergency situations

The first four weeks consist of part-time online learning (e-modules), which can be undertaken from anywhere in the world as long as you have a computer with an internet connection. This portion consists of recorded lectures, readings, limited blog sessions and online tests. Lecturers will be available for interaction with participants during certain time periods. Therefore, although timing is flexible, in order to benefit fully from the course, it is highly recommended that participants plan to log on at least twice a week.

The 10 face-to-face teaching days is classroom based and takes place in Copenhagen. The on-campus part is a combination of lectures, group work, practical exercises, self/-group study, case studies, presentations and discussions in plenary. The main emphasis will be on participatory approaches and active learning. The practical exercises include latrine construction, water purification, water tank construction and other hands-on tasks that will combine theory and practice.

Written
Collective

Examiners provide a joint collective written feedback via Digital Exam or Absalon.

ECTS
5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Home assignment
Type of assessment details
Set written assignment using essay questions/tasks based on a given case in Digital Exam platform over 48 hours.
In total, the exam paper is 5 pages, excluding the cover page and reference list.
Examination prerequisites

Students are automatically registered for the Examination.

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal assessors.
Exam period

See the MDMa Exam Schedule

Re-exam

Same as ordinary.

Criteria for exam assessment

To achieve a grade of 12, the student must be able to:

Knowledge

  • Demonstrate knowledge on Water and sanitation issues in different settings and accepted approaches/guidelines to deal with them;

 

Skills

  • Analyze and apply this knowledge to assess and prioritize the water and sanitation needs for a population in emergency situations in a variety of practical settings, adjusting to time and resources available;

 

Competences

  • Design and develop appropriate water and sanitation  strategies for taking  appropriate measures to avoid disease outbreak situations in emergency situations

Part time Master courses

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 20
  • Preparation
  • 25
  • Practical exercises
  • 25
  • E-Learning
  • 40
  • Study Groups
  • 10
  • Exam
  • 20
  • English
  • 140

Kursusinformation

Language
English
Course number
SDMM16001U
ECTS
5 ECTS
Programme level
Part Time Master
Full Degree Master choice
Duration
4 weeks of online/e-learning and 2 weeks of on-campus part
4 weeks of part-time online course with online lectures, discussions and tests, self-study and assignments. To be followed by two weeks full time lectures, discussions, practical exercises, and group work in Copenhagen. The last week is for the examination (48 hour written assignment) in Digital Exam, which can be done online.
Placement
Spring
Price

Fees are published on the course page:  Water Supply and Sanitation in Emergencies – University of Copenhagen

Schedulegroup
See course page for the course dates.
Capacity
12-40 participants
Studyboard
Study Board for the Professionel Master´s Degree Programmes at The Faculty og Health and Medical Science
Contracting department
  • Department of Public Health
Contracting faculty
  • Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Course Coordinator
  • Peter Kjær Mackie Jensen   (6-7064666e6c684376787167316e7831676e)
Saved on the 27-04-2026

Er du BA- eller KA-studerende?

Er du bachelor- eller kandidat-studerende, så find dette kursus i kursusbasen for studerende:

Kursusinformation for indskrevne studerende