Water management is an important factor in the optimal performance of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). In this paper, a PEFC model that facilitates the control of PEFC membrane humidity is presented. An efficient modeling procedure using a combination of mathematical and experimental techniques is proposed. A simple mathematical structure for the model is adopted, and experiments to measure PEFC irreversibilities and net water transport across the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) are performed. The developed PEFC model effectively quantifies the irreversibilities in the PEFC output voltage and clarifies the relationship between PEFC performance and steady state water transport through the MEA. The proposed modeling procedure can effectively save time and cost during the controller / control algorithm design phase in PEFC system development.