MSc International Disaster Management

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £14,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £30,700
• MSc (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £7,350
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £15,350

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

• Learn more about - student finance options for UK students.
• Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .
• Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “A good health system delivers quality services to all people, when and where they need them. The exact configuration of services varies from country to country, but in all cases requires a robust financing mechanism; a well-trained and adequately paid workforce; reliable information on which to base decisions and policies; well-maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies” (WHO). This module will define and explore aspects of an optimal health system and specific challenges faced globally. We will examine some of the key building blocks of a "good" health system as well as the international agendas that frame health system strengthening. It will also explore how a crisis, such as an outbreak or a conflict, impacts health systems and healthcare provision.

The unit aims to: Define the components of a good health system and identify how the delivery of these components is complicated within crisis and lower-income settings.  It will provide examples of each component, factors that have led to deficiencies within each and ways in which improvements can be made within the context of crisis and lower-income countries.

By the end of the course, the students will be able to:

Understand and apply theories and concepts of health systems

Understand how the different health system blocks interact

Identify practical solutions to strengthen health systems, including during crisis and emergency response

Imagine how the health systems may be improved in the future, during crisis and beyond

Be able to reflect upon sensitive topics and critically think about health service delivery and strengthening of health systems in developing countries and crisis context
 

Syllabus (indicative curriculum content):

- Defining Health Systems: theories and components
- From local to global: Primary care, Social Determinants of Health and Global Health Agendas 
- Healthcare Providers and Human Resources for Health
- Health Information Systems: Providing data for efficient decision-making
- Accessing Healthcare: Infrastructure, material and essential Medicines
- Health System Financing
- Health Systems and ‘Crisis’: preparedness, response and resilience
- What the future holds: A move towards integrated care and person-centred care for the health systems of the future?
 

The module will be delivered entirely online using Canvas.

Weekly sessions will be released to the student in one-week intervals and include:

1.    Session description
2.    Session material (which may include: inter alia, written material, assigned readings, videos, web casts, web links, discussion boards, interactive assignments)
3.    Summary of learning outcomes
4.    Formative questions/assessments to test knowledge

As for each of the Distance Learning modules at HCRI, there is an expectation that the student will consider the material provided in the Reading List and work through the presented material in the Canvas space for the week.

There will be tasks presented, some of which will require personal reflection and some the putting of pieces of written work or thoughts in the Discussion Board space. 

Understand the components of health systems

Identification of factors that limit health delivery

Explain how international actors affect the health delivery in post-conflict and developing states

Assess health service delivery

Develop strategies to improve health systems in developing countries and/or crisis settings

Health delivery overview

Identify contextual factors within health systems that may lead to the change of health system policies

Persuasive writing

Health policy analysis

Assessment Task	Formative or Summative	Weighting
Discussion Board Contributions	Formative and Summative	10%
Multiple Choice Questions	Summative	15%
Essay	Summative	75%

 

Written feedback following summative submission within 15 working days

20 hours of course content

10 hours of active discussion board engagement

120 hours of self-study