BSc International Disaster Management & Humanitarian Response / Course details

As demand grows around a strategic global response to the ever-changing and increasing risks, shocks and conflicts arising from natural and anthropogenic hazards, it is increasingly important that we build an understanding of the root causes of vulnerability to disasters and conflicts as a pathway to addressing such contemporary international problems.

BSc International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response is a multidisciplinary course designed to enhance collaboration amongst natural and social sciences, medicine and the arts.  

This course seeks to bridge the divide between development, disaster risk management, and peace and conflict studies.

As a student you will explore these contemporary issues and challenges - both globally and locally in the UK.

Through the course you can expect to build research expertise, practical knowledge and management skills in disaster preparedness, response and recovery in order to reduce negative impacts on health, social, economic and environmental spheres.

You will also focus learning on the causes and consequences of conflict as well as conflict resolution and peacebuilding - again from an international and local perspective.

You will find this multidisciplinary course unique as you will be taught by an interdisciplinary team of lecturers, including anthropologists, geographers, political scientists, historians and development scholars.

As such, your learning will be truly interdisciplinary and allow you to understand disaster management, humanitarianism and peace building from a multi-disciplinary perspective and an integrated approach to the field.

You will also have the opportunity to take optional course units in disciplines such as Geography, Politics, Theology, Languages, and Anthropology. 

This will provide you with wide options to choose from whilst having a grounding in peace and conflict studies, humanitarianism and disaster management.

Flexible Honours may allow you to study an additional arts, languages or cultures subject.

We also recognise there is great demand from employers in the humanitarian sector for languages.

Therefore, up to a third of your degree can be made up of studying languages, such as French, Arabic, German, or Russian.

• Provide a critical insight into destabilising events and develop an understanding and appreciation of disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response.
• Develop knowledge and understanding of key issues which inform the debates on disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response.
• Develop practical expertise in risk and vulnerability analyses, disaster preparedness and response and the integration of development and humanitarian action.
• Foster an informed attitude on ethical issues related to humanitarianism, including international actions taken by governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations in response to disasters of both natural and human origins.
• Develop strategic research methodologies and techniques, including data gathering, collation, analysis and dissemination of results in disaster risk management and humanitarian action contexts.

Fieldwork

This programme will include field study overseas (at additional cost) where you will look at concepts such as preparedness and response, recovery, migration, and conflict in relation to a specific hazard, vulnerabilities and disasters.

Work placements

Work placements with humanitarian organisations will allow you to gain valuable professional experience.

Research dissertation

Your third year dissertation allows you to make the focus of your final semester at University truly your own and relevant to your personal interests and prospective career.

Teaching takes place in a variety of formats, including lectures, seminars, small group tutorials and virtual web-based seminars. We'll encourage you to undertake independent research at every level of the course.

Seminars provide opportunities to develop research and presentation skills including researching sources, planning, public speaking and the use of audio-visual media. You'll explore lecture themes in more detail via individual and group readings and presentations.

Assessment varies from course unit to course unit, but we aim to offer a good balance of formal examinations, essays and project work.

The culmination of your studies will be a dissertation, allowing you to focus on a specific area of interest and to apply the knowledge you've gained throughout your university study. By tailoring your research topic to meet your career objectives and personal interests, you can make your final semester here truly your own.