Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Science (MSc)
- Duration
- Up to 5 years part-time
- Entry requirements
-
Applicants should hold an Upper Second Class Honours degree, or its overseas equivalent. Consideration may be given to those without this who have extensive (over three years) professional humanitarian training and experience.
Current MSF employees must consult with the OC for whom they are working before submitting an application.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Y | N | N | Y |
| PGDip | Y | N | N | Y |
| PGCert | N | N | N | Y |
Course overview
- January and September start dates available.
- Benefit from our partnership with Medecins Sans Frontieres and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
- Learn in an online format, with a mix of asynchronous and synchronous learning.
- Critically reflect on your humanitarian work and gain the relevant academic background to inform decisions made in practice.
- Strengthen your leadership skills, helping you to grow into a management or coordination position within a humanitarian organisation.
Open days
We are pleased to be able to offer individual virtual drop-in sessions with course director Dr Amanda Mccorkindale. This will be your chance to talk about the course content, teaching methods and application process. You can see the available times and researve a space here: MA HCRI Drop-In Sessions .
Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our open days .Fees
Fees for entry in 2023 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2022 were as follows:
-
MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £10,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): £21,000 -
MSc (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): £875 per 15 credits
International, including EU, students (per annum): £1,750 per 15 credits -
PGDip (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £875 per 15 credits
International, including EU, students (per annum): £1,750 per 15 credits -
PGDip (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): £875 per 15 credits
International, including EU, students (per annum): £1,750 per 15 credits -
PGCert (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): £875 per 15 credits
International, including EU, students (per annum): £1,750 per 15 credits
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Policy on additional costs
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).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Contact name
- PG Taught Admissions
- MASALC@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.humanitarianleap.org/
- School/Faculty
-
See: About us
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
Applicants should hold an Upper Second Class Honours degree, or its overseas equivalent. Consideration may be given to those without this who have extensive (over three years) professional humanitarian training and experience.
Current MSF employees must consult with the OC for whom they are working before submitting an application.
English language
If you have obtained a different qualification, please check our English language requirements to ensure that it is accepted and equivalent to the above requirements.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
We accept a range of qualifications from different countries that equate to a UK Upper Second. For these and general requirements including English language see entry requirements from your country .
Exceptions to needing a language test (if English is NOT your first language) are if you have successfully completed an academic qualification deemed by UK NARIC as equivalent to at least a UK bachelor's degree or higher from one of the following countries:
- Antigua & Barbuda;
- Australia;
- Bahamas;
- Barbados;
- Belize;
- Dominica;
- Grenada;
- Guyana;
- Ireland;
- Jamaica;
- New Zealand;
- St Kitts and Nevis;
- St Lucia;
- St Vincent and the Grenadines;
- Trinidad and Tobago;
- UK;
- USA.
Relevant work experience
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
This course is designed for those currently working in the humanitarian sector or who have previous experience of humanitarian work.
Applicants must have at least six months of humanitarian work experience.
Queries regarding the content of this course should be sent to the Programme Director, Dr Darren Walter , who can discuss the course in greater detail and address any questions prior to applying.
Staff members from Medecins Sans Frontieres should apply through the internal procedure at their Operational Centre.
Course details
Course description
Our blended learning MSc in Humanitarian Practice is part of the Leadership Education Academic Partnership (LEAP) programme.
A flexible course designed by humanitarians, for humanitarians, it allows professionals to study alongside working in the field.
The programme is delivered jointly by the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) at The University of Manchester and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
The course brings together the disciplines of epidemiology, history, politics, anthropology, development studies, international relations, public health, management and humanitarian medicine, as well as the expertise of academics and leading practitioners.
Crossing traditional subject boundaries, it will enable you to reflect critically on issues arising from your own work, the wider humanitarian agenda and develop the skills set needed for contemporary humanitarian practitioners.
The course is blended, meaning there is a two-week intensive teaching period each semester either online or in Manchester or Liverpool, as well as online courses that you can study remotely.
As a student of HCRI and LSTM, you will benefit from a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research, as well as individual tutoring and supervision from academics from a wide range of disciplines.
Aims
The overarching aim of the course is to enhance the leadership and management capacities in medical humanitarian operations through employing multidisciplinary, self-reflective and collaborative approaches and epistemologies. The course also aims to provide the following:
- To nurture graduates who are critical thinkers, effective communicators, innovative problem solvers, lifelong learners and ethical leaders with humanitarian principles.
- To advance interdisciplinary knowledge to meet the changing operational needs of humanitarian fields.
- Lead and excel in professional education, applied research and partnership for the betterment of humanitarian movements.
Special features
Blended learning
Each semester we hold a two-week intensive online or face-to-face teaching period, involving live lectures and activities.
This provides a valuable opportunity to meet other students from across the world, meet the academic team and attend extra-curricular events and activities.
This teaching period is a chance to take time out from day-to-day working life and focus on your studies.
You'll take part in group work, peer-to-peer learning and give presentations with colleagues from our diverse study body.
Innovative education partnership
The LEAP programme is delivered jointly by The University of Manchester's Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in partnership with international medical humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
This partnership brings together interdisciplinary academic expertise and operational humanitarian experience.
Teaching and learning
This course combines the required core course units with a wide range of optional courses delivered by both The University of Manchester and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
The core units are delivered as blended learning, which include eight weeks of online learning with two weeks of intensive online or face-to-face teaching (when restrictions allow) in Manchester and Liverpool, in the middle of the units. Teaching and learning methods include:
- lectures;
- tutorials;
- skills workshops (including action learning sets);
- individual and group presentations;
- group discussion and reporting-back;
- group, paired and individual case study analyses and exercises;
- assignment and work-based projects;
- meetings with mentors;
- reflective reports.
We suggest that all students complete the Critical Approaches to Evidence unit in the first year as it will be an appropriate introduction to the course and master's-level study.
Students will also be able to choose 60 credits of optional units from the wide range of units offered by both institutions.
Coursework and assessment
Course unit details
For the MSc, you will need to complete 180 academic credits. You will take:
- four core units (60 credits);
- a selection of optional units (60 credits);
- a dissertation (60 credits).
Please note that this course offers optional units which have a 10, 15 or 20-credit weighting.
PGCert and PGDip
Other study pathways are also available.
To complete a PGCert, you must complete 60 credits within 24 months.
To complete a PGDip, you must complete 120 credits within 36 months.
Below is a list of core modules specific to the Humanitarian Practice course.
Information on all available optional modules can be found on our module database .
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissertation | HCRI60000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Dissertation (MSc Global Health) | HCRI70000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Critical Approaches to Evidence | HCRI70010 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Research Into Practice | HCRI70030 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Critical Approaches to Management of Humanitarian Operations | HCRI70040 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Emergency Humanitarian Assistance (blended) | HCRI71060 | 15 | Mandatory |
| History of Humanitarian Aid | HCRI71200 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Humanitarian Practice Summer School | HCRI70050 | 15 | Optional |
| Community Approaches to Health | HCRI71000 | 15 | Optional |
| Emergency Humanitarian Assistance (blended) | HCRI71060 | 15 | Optional |
| Displaying 10 of 16 course units | |||
| Display all course units | |||
Additional fee information
MSc (full-time, 1 year on campus)
- UK students: £10,000
- International, including EU, students: £20,000
- UK students (per annum): £3,333
- International, including EU, students (per annum): £6,667
- UK students (per annum): £6,667
- International, including EU, students (per annum): £13,334
PGDip (part-time, 2 years distance learning )
- UK students (per annum): £3,333
- International, including EU, students (per annum): £6,667
PGCert (part-time, 1 year distance learning)
- UK students (per annum): £1,666
- International, including EU, students (per annum): £3,333