MSc/PGDip/PGCert Humanitarian Practice / Course details

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.

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.

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.

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.

Assessment methods can include written assignments, exams, presentations, group projects and tutorial discussion and participation alongside online assessment tools such as quizzes.

Visit the  LEAP programme in Humanitarian Practice website  to hear more from our students.