One clear measure of society’s progress towards achieving sustainable development is whether or not individuals and communities have sufficient and equitable access to clean water. Provision of this resource, which is essential for everything from sustaining life to enabling modern industrial development, is tightly intertwined with the health and integrity of the natural environment. The interdependence of water and environment is evident at multiple levels; from the impact of local watershed management on the quality and quantity of a water resource, to the influence of climate change on precipitation patterns on a regional and global scale. The Water and Environmental Engineering Program at Masdar Institute aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges behind one of the foundations of sustainable development – ensuring sufficient and equitable access to clean water. Through their coursework, students acquire technical and analytical skills relevant for analyzing natural systems as well as water-based technologies. Equally important, students will develop specialized expertise in a particular aspect of this field by developing their own individualized research projects. Multi-disciplinary research is strongly encouraged and supported at Masdar Institute, enabling students a unique opportunity to collaborate with faculty from across the university.