The regional master’s programme “Integrated Watershed Management” is the key component of IWMNet. It was established 2006 at the Geography Department at Kenyatta University, Nairobi. The objective of this regional and interdisciplinary programme is to educate professionals capable of managing a watershed for improving the livelihood of its inhabitants on one hand and protecting the environment on the other. The first student graduated from KU with a thesis on "Hydro-economic inventory in a changing environment” in early 2010.

The programme focuses on watershed assessment and the development of managing tools; therefore, several lectures and seminars as well as the thesis research are concentrating on selected pilot watersheds in the three partner countries, Tana River Basin in Kenya, Pangani River Basin in Tanzania, and Lake Bunyoni Catchment in Uganda.

The partner universities developed there own master programmes with a similar focus in order to enhancing staff and student’s mobility and benefitting from synergy effects. The master’s programme on Integrated Sanitation Management started at UDSM in July 2011 (www.ucdism.uni-siegen.eu). A master’s programme on Integrated Watershed Management is going to be offered at MAK with the Academic Year 2011/12.