AWWA partners with Xavier on first water utility management graduate program

Furthering its vision to prepare the next generation of water leaders, the American Water Works Association has announced an educational partnership with Xavier University to launch the first-ever master’s degree in water utility management in the United States.

Xavier, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is already accepting applications for its first cohort, to begin next fall. The graduate degree program is housed at Xavier’s Williams College of Business, and AWWA is joined by the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, and the Water Environment Federation as educational partners.

“This is exactly the program I wanted as a young water professional,” said AWWA CEO David LaFrance, who serves on the program’s seven-person Advisory Board. “Well-managed water utilities are critical to the health, safety, and economy of our communities — and to the natural environment around them. The water profession needs a new generation of smart, driven, transformative leaders. Xavier’s Master of Science in Water Utilities Management Program is arriving at the perfect moment.”

AWWA Past President David Rager, a Xavier graduate, is also on the seven-person Advisory Board.

The program courses are online and asynchronous. The program includes 25 hours of core water utility management courses, five hours for residency experiences, and two hours for a capstone project. Students meet three times in person, including one session abroad, over the course of 16 months.

Xavier describes the program as “ideal for current or aspiring water utility managers at all levels or individuals with backgrounds in engineering, environmental science, public administration, or related fields who seek to advance their careers in water utility management.”

Learn more about the program on Xavier’s website.