Master of Science / Postgraduate Diploma / Postgraduate Certificate
MSc/PGDip/PGCert Humanitarian Practice
Year of entry: 2026
Duration: Up to 5 years part-time
Book an open day
Explore our campus, meet lecturers and current students, and learn more about what it's like to study at Manchester.
Meet us
Discover if Manchester is right for you with an online or in-person meeting.
Discover more about this subject area
Learn about your subject of interest and what you'll experience as a student in that community.
Discover more about this subject area
Download our course brochure
Get to know us better with our guide to studying your subject of choice.
Download our course brochure
Overview
Course overview
- January and September start dates available.
- The University of Manchester is a world-leading institution, ranked in the top-50 globally across all of Arts and Humanities by Times Higher Education 2025
- Designed for those working in the humanitarian field or those who have at least six months of humanitarian work experience.
- Benefit from our partnership with Medecins Sans Frontieres and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
- Modules are delivered either online or by blended learning allowing you to study at your own pace alongside your humanitarian work.
- Critically reflect on your humanitarian work and gain the relevant academic background to inform decisions made in practice.
- Develop strong leadership skills to prepare for growth into management or coordination roles within a humanitarian organisation.
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Contact name
- PG Taught Admissions
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 275 0322
- MASALC@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.humanitarianleap.org/
- School/Faculty overview
-
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 at least six months of humanitarian work experience.
Current MSF employees must consult with the Operational Centre (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.
Fees and funding
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2026, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £14,700
International, including EU, students (per annum): £29,900 -
MSc (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): £1,000 per 15 credits
International, including EU, students (per annum): £2,300 per 15 credit -
PGDip (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £9,800
International, including EU, students (per annum): £20,000 -
PGDip (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): £1,000 per 15 credits
International, including EU, students (per annum): £2,300 per 15 credit -
PGCert (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): £1,000 per 15 credits
International, including EU, students (per annum): £2,300 per 15 credit
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
- Information on university funding, loans, and scholarships available on the Masters student funding page
- The Faculty of Humanities offered a range of scholarship opportunities for eligible applicants starting in September 2025. Please check back to confirm availability for September 2026 start.
- Please visit the school funding page for more information on subject funding available.
- Other funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages.
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 Patience Muwanguzi , 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 MedecinsSansFrontieres (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 year, either online or in Manchester/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
Blendedlearning
Each year we hold a two-weekintensive 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 attendextra-curricularevents and activities.
This teaching period is a chance to take time out from day-to-day working life and focus on your studies.
You'lltake 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) inpartnership with international medical humanitarian organizationMedecinsSansFrontieres(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 intensiveonline orface-to-face teachingin Manchester/Liverpool, in the middle of the units. Teaching and learning methods include:
- lectures;
- tutorials;
- skills workshops (including action learning sets);
- individual and grouppresentations;
- group discussion and reporting-back;
- group, paired and individual case study analyses andexercises;
- assignment and work-basedprojects;
- meetings withmentors;
- 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 fromthe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCRI70000 | 60 | Optional | |
| HCRI70010 | 15 | Optional | |
| HCRI70030 | 15 | Optional | |
| HCRI70040 | 15 | Optional | |
| HCRI70082 | 15 | Optional | |
| HCRI70090 | 15 | Optional | |
| HCRI71000 | 15 | Optional | |
| HCRI71060 | 15 | Optional | |
| HCRI71070 | 60 | Optional | |
| HCRI71200 | 15 | Optional | |
| Displaying 10 of 16 course units | |||
| Display all course units | |||
Course collaborators
What our students say
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
Regulated by the Office for Students
The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website.
You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website.