Quick Facts

How to apply: Link to online application process

Period of study: 1 year full time or 2 years part time

Degree awarded: Master of Arts

Entry points: September

Deadline for entry in September 2012: August 2012 though candidates are encouraged to apply earlier to secure their place on this popular course

Course fees for entry in September 2012:

MA (full-time)
UK/EU students (per annum): £5,000
International students (per annum): £12,300

MA (part-time)
UK/EU students (per annum): £2,500

Academic lead/course enquiries:
Dr Jenny Carson, HCRI MA Director jennifer.carson@manchester.ac.uk

Application process/administrative enquiries:
hcri@manchester.ac.uk

About the Course

This multidisciplinary course focuses on response to crises originating from both conflict-zones and natural disasters.

Bringing together the study of medicine and humanities, the course provides a holistic approach which mirrors the reality of aid operations and informs the reflexive processes of both analytical and applied disciplines. Students will be able to draw synergies from an exceptionally wide breadth of disciplinary traditions and research expertise.

The HCRI is uniquely positioned as the leading global centre for the study of humanitarian aid and conflict response through the interplay between existing units from history, politics, development studies, the arts, medicine, and a core of three new courses

Intended learning outcomes of the programme

Students should be able to show a critical understanding of:

1. Key issues and debates in humanitarianism and conflict response, familiarity with different theoretical approaches, practical problems and an appreciation of the diversity of policies at international and national levels.

2. The range of social science topics associated with humanitarianism and conflict response, and the normative and historiographic assumptions which underpin these issues.

3. The analytical and policy literature concerning the related issues of the causes of conflict, reconstruction, ethics and international governance structures and institutions, the role and perspectives of the state, multilateral and bilateral agencies, international and domestic NGOs and other civil institutions.

4. A detailed and extensive understanding of a specific conceptual and/or policy-related area of humanitarianism and conflict response, of the implications and limitations of research findings on this subject, and of how to produce an original piece of academic research. Delivered via the dissertation module.

Course units

You will undertake 180 credits of course units with the dissertation providing a contribution of 60 credits.

Course units may include:

• Humanitarianism and Conflict Response - Inquiries

• Responding to Illegal Economies and Political Violence

• Methods and Case Studies

• History of Humanitarian Aid

• Fundamentals of Epidemiology

• Emergency Humanitarian Assistance

• The Ethics of Killing

• Global Governance

• Conflict Analysis

• Reconstruction and Development

• Militaries and Militarism

• Ethics in World Politics

• Performance in Theory and Practice

• Democracy Theory and Practice

• Anthropology of Violence and Reconstruction

• Disaster Management

• Global Health

Course units may vary from year to year

For further details click here for the module guide for 11/12

Entry Requirements

Bursaries

The HCRI MA bursary, worth £5,000, will fund home fees or can be used as partial payment for the overseas fee. It is tenable for one year only. Applicants should state their interest in the award within the funding section of the online application form and also provide a personal statement (max 500 words) outlining why they have chosen to study this particular MA and what they will bring to the course. The HCRI MA bursary is awarded based on a number of criteria including previous academic performance, relevant professional experience, reference letters, and the quality of the reflections in the applicant's personal statement. Deadline for applications is 1 June 2012.

Past Students

Charlie Reeves
Charlie Reeves graduated from the MA in Humanitarianism and Conflict Response in 2010 and now works for Save the Children in Haiti Blog entry about Charlie's work

Chris Marsh

In December 2009 the HCRI hosted a three-day workshop as part of their MA programme. Amongst the numerous highly regarded speakers was the director of an NGO called Mines Advisory Group (MAG), winners of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. Ten months later I found myself working for MAG as their base manager in Somalia. Studying an MA at the HCRI really can open doors!

Whilst I am not entirely new to working in the NGO world, having previously been the area program manager for a WATSAN NGO in Uganda, operating in Mine Action in Somalia has thrown up its own unique challenges and provided me with new insights into the successes and failings of the broader NGO operational environment. Whilst most of us get into the sector in order to make a positive contribution to those less fortunate than ourselves, competition and in-fighting between rival NGOs, and the UN, often puts the needs of those we are trying to help in second place. This is just one of many issues affecting and damaging the work of NGOs around the world. It is vital that the lessons leant by those working in the field can be shared amongst each other, and with the academic community, in order to bring us closer to our common original goal – that of improving peoples lives. The HCRI strives to do just this.

Career Opportunities