MSc International Disaster Management

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2027, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £15,400
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £32,200

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.

Providing humanitarian assistance or leading a health system is difficult. In both cases, it is a complex system responding to a complex environment or situation and it is far from straightforward. Teams can find themselves in an uncoordinated situation and there is a real need for “Command & Control” to secure a common purpose for all parties and to deliver at maximum effectiveness and efficiency.

There are lots of quotations about the differences between leadership and management and,  sometimes, there is an impression that leadership is good, and management is bad. This is not fair; complex systems need both functions.
This module is designed to have you consider how systems are externally reviewed or critiqued and to expose you to some of the management tools that can be used to help organise and coordinate complex environments. The purpose is to prepare you to take on some of the functions necessary to lead or manage a situation.

In terms of being a leader, you first need to understand yourself and how you function. Next you need to understand your team and how to make the most of your collective skills, and then you can think how you relate to your external collaborators. Each requires insight, in sequence, to deliver optimal results.

A complex system or environment is constantly evolving. There can be sudden shocks (e.g. COVID!) or a gradual evolution (think the growing functionality of laptops, tablets and mobile phones). The most proactive and forward-thinking teams, the innovators and early implementers, are usually the ones that gain most benefit from new ideas and technologies and leadership involves seeing these opportunities and positioning yourself and your team to make the most of them.
 

This module is designed to have students consider how systems are externally reviewed or critiqued and to expose students to some of the management tools that can be used to help organise and coordinate complex environments. The purpose is to prepare students to take on some of the functions necessary to lead or manage a situation.
Further, the develop students’ leadership skills. It does this by helping students to understand themselves and how they function. Also, it introduces them to how to understand their team, how to make the most of their collective skills, and how they relate to external collaborators. Students are invited to develop insight regarding the above to deliver optimal results.

The module aims to:

• Understand the difference between leadership & management
• Recognise the influence and value of external critique and management tools
• Appreciate how to build and support a functional team
• Look to the future and consider the trends in and potential of new innovations and technology
• Be better positioned to take on a leadership role in a health or humanitarian environment
 

Providing humanitarian assistance or leading a health system is difficult. Practitioners operate in complex systems responding to a complex environment or situation and it is far from straightforward. Managing these systems and situations can be a challenge. Students who complete this module are expected to be able to appreciate this complexity and acquire the essential knowledge necessary to develop as successful leaders and managers in this sector and beyond.

Syllabus (indicative curriculum content): 

Critiques of Aid 

Basics of Project Management 

Self-management - maximising potential

Team management - leading groups in difficult environments 

Relationship management - communications, coordination or control? 

Understanding futures - macro trends 

Understanding futures - technology Understanding futures - the impact on health and humanitarianism

This module will be delivered through an asynchronous distance learning methodology within the University Canvas system. It will consist of presented written and pre-recorded video material each week with associated core reading provided through the library reading list system and access to supplementary reference material.

Students will engage in formative asynchronous discussion board conversation with peers and the course leadership on a weekly basis. A core trigger question for discussion is presented and ideas and concepts developed from this over the week being taught and the following week before being closed to further submission but remaining available for reference. This ensures that the whole cohort moves through the material together. 
 

• Understand the power of critique and be able to objectively use its influence and improve a challenging environment
• Be familiar with some of the project management tools that can be used for complex projects
• Understand the roles of self and team in building a functioning and responsive leadership structure

• Be receptive to critique and recognise constructive and destructive criticism and how to begin to manage this
• Choose appropriate processes and technical support for managing a complex challenge; a means to an end rather than an end in itself
• Recognise different leadership and management styles and how to work with them

• An improved ability to work cohesively across professions, backgrounds and cultures
• Undertaken self-directed and self-reflective learning
• An ability to work in or lead a team to achieve timely outcomes in challenging environments

 

• Undertake time efficient self-directed learning and engage in constructive discourse with multi-professional peers
• Demonstrate leadership and management skills and recognise the difference

Assessment Task	Formative or Summative	Weighting
Discussion Board Contributions	Formative or Summative	10%
Final Essay	Summative	90%

 

Feedback Method	Formative or Summative
Office Hours	Formative
Written feedback on discussion board posts	Formative
Written feedback on final essay	Summative

Written feedback on summative assessment within 15 working days.

Anthony. (2010). Does Humanitarian Aid Prolong Wars? (Vol. 2017). http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/apr/25/humanitarian-aid-war-linda-polman

Daily, Padjen, P., & Birnbaum, M. (2010). A Review of Competencies Developed for Disaster Healthcare Providers: Limitations of Current Processes and Applicability. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 25(5), 387–395. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X00008438

Akshay, Shreekanth, S., Rajesh, R., & Prasad, G. (2020). Portable and efficient graphene-oxide based multistage filtration unit for water purification. Materials Today : Proceedings, 26, 2344–2350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.02.504

Buchanan-Smith. (n.d.). Leadership in Action: Leading Effectively in Humanitarian Operations. https://www.alnap.org/system/files/content/resource/files/main/leadership-in-action-alnap-study.pdf

Burkle. (2010). Future Humanitarian Crises: Challenges for Practice, Policy, and Public Health. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 25(3), 191–199. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X00007998

Cicmil, & Hodgson, D. (n.d.). New Possibilities for Project Management Theory: A Critical Engagement. https://journals-sagepub-com.manchester.idm.oclc.org/doi/pdf/10.1177/875697280603700311

Gertner. (n.d.). Plenty to Go Around. “Abundance,” by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/books/review/abundance-by-peter-h-diamandis-and-steven-kotler.html

Study hours

Independent study hours
Independent study	150

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Ayham Fattoum	Unit coordinator