Bachelor of Engineering in Water and Environmental Engineering
Water and sanitation infrastructure is among the largest sustained public investment categories in Uganda, and the failure rate of installed rural water systems remains extraordinary — not because the engineering was wrong, but because nobo...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Water engineer
- sanitation engineer
- treatment plant engineer
- hydrologist
- water quality specialist
- non-revenue water analyst
- environmental engineer
- utility operations engineer
- WASH programme engineer.
Employer types
- National Water and Sewerage Corporation and regional utilities
- the Ministry of Water and Environment
- district water offices
- humanitarian and development agencies
- consulting engineers
- industrial effluent operators
- and bottling and beverage industries.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- A large, stable and donor supported employment pipeline with strong humanitarian sector demand across the region and clear professional registration.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Engineering in Water and Environmental Engineering. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 110 | Engineering Mathematics I Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| ECE 111 | Engineering Mechanics and Materials Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 112 | Chemistry and Microbiology for Environmental Engineering Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 113 | Surveying, Drawing and Field Practicum Performance | 3 | 1-0-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 130 | Engineering Mathematics II Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| ECE 131 | Fluid Mechanics Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 132 | Hydrology and Catchment Processes Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 133 | Water, Sanitation, Health and Society Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 210 | Hydraulics and Pipe Network Analysis Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 211 | Water Treatment Process Engineering Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 212 | Soil Mechanics and Geotechnics for Water Works Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| ECE 213 | Environmental Statistics and Data Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| ECE 230 | Water Supply Design and Performanc | 6 | 3-2-4 |
| ECE 231 | Environmental Law and Impact Assessment Objective | 2 | 1-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 310 | Wastewater and Sanitation Engineering Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 311 | Groundwater Hydrology and Borehole Engineering Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 312 | Water Quality Monitoring and Laboratory Practicum Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| ECE 313 | Hydraulic Structures and Irrigation Works Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| ECE 330 | Non-Revenue Water, Metering and Performanc | 6 | 3-2-4 |
| ECE 331 | Solid Waste and Circular Systems Both | 2 | 1-0-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| ECE 410 | Climate Resilience, Floods and Drought Engineering Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 411 | Faecal Sludge and Urban Sanitation Practicum Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| ECE 412 | Utility Operations, Tariffs and Service Delivery Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| ECE 413 | Specialisation Elective I Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Preparation Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| ECE 430 | Water Capstone: Commissioned Scheme or Utility Improvement Performance | 9 | 0-2-16 |
| ECE 431 | Instrumentation, SCADA and Remote Monitoring Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| ECE 432 | Engineering Economics and Project Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 433 | Professional Engineering Practice, Ethics and Registration Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
Total credit units: 178
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Engineering in Water and Environmental Engineering
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
176
22 CU of 176 CU completed by the end of this step (13%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems FluencyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary Mastery CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and Craft CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace Performance CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Disciplinary Mastery · Technical Production and Craft · Professional Conduct and Workplace Performance · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Analyse hydrological systems and design water resource schemes under uncertainty.
- PLO 2Design, size and commission water supply, treatment and distribution systems.
- PLO 3Design sanitation and wastewater systems appropriate to dense, low income and rural settings.
- PLO 4Monitor and manage water quality and diagnose contamination.
- PLO 5Instrument a network and reduce non-revenue water using analytics.
- PLO 6Apply environmental impact assessment and pollution control regulation.
- PLO 7Design for operation, maintenance, tariff collection and institutional capacity from the outset.
Why this programme exists
Water and sanitation infrastructure is among the largest sustained public investment categories in Uganda, and the failure rate of installed rural water systems remains extraordinary — not because the engineering was wrong, but because nobo...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes in Physics and Mathematics, or Chemistry and Mathematics, plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics, Physics and English. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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