Bangkok--23 Aug--AIT
The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) has partnered with the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) of Thailand in launching a Professional Master’s Degree Program in Water Technology and Management (PM-WTM).
A memorandum of agreement (MoA) for the new professional program to begin this year was signed by Prof. Said Irandoust, President, AIT, and Mr. Charoen Passara, MWA Governor on 17 August 2011 at MWA headquarters in Bangkok.
The program offered at AIT targets middle and senior level managers working at metropolitan and provincial water authorities who are interested in improving their technical knowledge in the field of water technology and management. Through the agreement, MWA will coordinate with the Royal Thai Government (RTG) and Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA) and secure at least 15 professional master’s scholarships over a period of 5 years from 2011-2016.
“It’s a great day for AIT, and I am very honored and happy that we are starting a new chapter of collaboration between AIT and MWA,” AIT President Said Irandoust, told a large crowd attending the signing ceremony.
“This collaboration to launch a professional master’s program is very much in the line with AIT’s strategy to better serve the human resources capacity needs of Thailand and other member countries of our institute,” President Irandoust said.
At the signing ceremony, Mr. Charoen Passara, MWA Governor said: “The MoA will benefit the overall development of experts in the field of waterworks. Candidates from MWA and neighboring countries can learn and integrate the latest knowledge in the field in order to facilitate the development of sustainable waterworks management solutions, so that the people in this region will have access to hygienic water services.”
The one-year PM-WTM is uniquely tailored to provide working managers and policy makers from Thailand and the region with advanced knowledge and skills in water technology and management, officials said. It will also provide them with pragmatic options to tackle the diverse dimensions of emerging water issues in the region.
Students will be enrolled in the Environmental Engineering and Management field of study at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), and have access to relevant courses offered through the Water Engineering and Management (WEM) field of study at the School of Engineering and Technology, AIT.
AIT will award a Professional Master’s degree to students who complete 24 credits of coursework, 6 credits of research study and 3 credits for an international field trip-study visit to companies in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, or China, or for completing an internship at AIT.
AIT will appoint selected professional staff from MWA as adjunct faculty to serve as teaching faculty members and research committee members in coordination with AIT faculty members. MWA will assist AIT to refine and finalize the program curriculum, provide professional staff members, and facilitate student research study work through its professional network within Thailand.
Photo caption: Prof. Said Irandoust (left) and Mr. Charoen Passara