Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH)
EH 247
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
When we turn on the tap, where does our drinking water come from, and how do we know it is safe to drink? When we flush the toilet, where does our waste go, and how do we keep it from contaminating the environment? Safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) are crucial to human health and well-being, yet they remain out of reach for billions of people worldwide and for many communities in the United States.
This course provides an introduction to WaSH for graduate students in public health or other related disciplines. We begin with the history and health importance of WaSH, including the burden of diarrheal disease, impacts on child growth, education, and gender equity, and global progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We then cover waterborne pathogens and their exposure pathways as well as hygiene. The middle of the course examines how drinking water and wastewater are treated, from large centralized utilities to household- and community-scale systems used in low-resource settings. The course closes with emerging challenges and tools, including water quality monitoring, wastewater and environmental surveillance, and the impacts of climate change on waterborne disease.
The course is designed to be introductory for master's and doctoral students in Environmental Health, Global Health, and related fields; no engineering background is required. Throughout, we emphasize practical, evidence-based solutions and the equity dimensions of who does, and does not, have access to safe WaSH.
Class Notes
THIS CLASS HAS PRIORITY ENROLLMENT
Priority Wave Groups
Wave 1 | EH Department Students
Wave 2 | Open Enrollment
Wave 3 | Open Enrollment
-------------------------------------------------------------
Priority Wave Timing
Wave 1 | 1/7/2027 11:00 AM - 1/17/2026 11:59 PM
Wave 2 | 1/18/2027 12:00 AM - 1/20/2027 11:59 PM
Wave 3 | 1/21/2027 12:00 AM Enrollment Deadline (varies by session)
Any student who does not meet the Wave 1 or Wave 2 criteria can add themselves to the waitlist (if enrollment requirements are met) at any time during the enrollment period. At the beginning of each priority wave, students on the waitlist who meet the Wave’s criteria will be automatically enrolled into any remaining seats in the course (pending no time conflicts)
**Cross-Registrants and Non-Degree Students will be enrolled on a space available basis after the enrollment deadline for the course.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
