Humanitarianism and Conflict Response MA

Year of entry: 2026

Course length: On campus: 12 months full-time | 24 months part-time

About the course

This interdisciplinary and comprehensive course focuses on response to crises originating from both conflict zones and disasters. Bringing together the study of medicine and humanities, it will give you a deep and critical understanding of complex issues and broader contexts and will equip you to thrive in fast-changing fields.

You’ll study at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI), which is widely recognised as a leading international research institute focusing on the study of what the United Nations calls the ‘triple nexus’ - humanitarian response, development and peace. Our work is driven by a desire to inform and support practitioners and policy makers, to optimise joint working between partner organisations, and to foster increased understanding and debate within the field. You’ll benefit from drawing on a wide breadth of disciplinary traditions and research expertise at the Institute and beyond.

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Engage first-hand with the people, projects and organisations that shape humanitarian, global health, disaster management, conflict response and intervention issues around the world.

Join an optional research trip abroad (previously in India, Northern Ireland or Uganda), where you will understand more about humanitarian work and add significant experience to your CV.

Our graduates are among the most targeted by top UK employers

(High Fliers 2024)

Course Units

This course consists of taught units and a dissertation. Taught units cover topics including:

Armed Groups and Humanitarian Aid
Anthropology of Violence and Reconstruction
Conceptualising the Camp
Economics, Peace and Conflict
Ethics, Human Rights and Health
Humanitarian Diplomacy
Young people in conflict and displacement
Vital Mobilities: Delivering Healthcare in a Changing Climate

These are example course units based on 2025/26 options and are subject to change each year.

Anna Fraine

Campaigns Officer at CAFOD

Humanitarian and Conflict Response MA

"I enjoyed most that HCRI adopts an interdisciplinary approach. Coming from an undergraduate degree in English and History, I appreciated the reflective focus that the Institute adopts, in its study of the history of humanitarianism but also across the disciplines of global health, mental health and psychosocial support, humanitarian protection and anthropology – just to name a few of its diverse offerings. I have since been interim trust manager for a charitable trust and have recently taken up post at the Catholic development agency (CAFOD) as the Campaigns Officer. My work this year will be focused on the UK’s hosting of the G7 and COP26 and implementing CAFOD’s ‘Reclaim our common home’ campaign that focuses on tackling the climate crisis; ending unjust debts by pushing for full debt cancellation for low and middle-income countries; and holding business accountable for practices throughout their supply chains to ensure that communities are protected from human rights abuses and environmental destruction carried out by multinational businesses."

Maddie Roberts

Humanitarian and Conflict Response MA

"During my time at HCRI I enjoyed most the diversity of core and optional modules that allowed for technical, theoretical, and even vocational skills in the humanitarian sector. As a previous psychology undergraduate and having spent a few years working in organisations supporting people on the move at UK-French border I was drawn to the global health, young people in conflict and displacement, cash-based assistance, and emergency humanitarian assistance modules. These modules really helped better my understanding and develop my professional skillset both for the hard and soft aspects of crisis response roles. Additionally, the modules I audited in securitisation and technologies of control were greatly influential in my dissertation and theoretical thinking to the barriers and future of the sector.

Since my master’s degree I have worked in various crisis response roles, and I am now the Syria Programme Officer for the British Red Cross. I support our programmes and partnerships with donors, stakeholders and our implementing national Red Cross Red Crescent Society partners in Syria. This work primarily supports our flagship and tailored cash voucher assistance programmes, flexible emergency response support and localisation through the national society development."

Anna Fraine

Humanitarian and Conflict Response MA

"I most valued HCRI’s interdisciplinary approach and the course’s ability to combine academic rigour with a learning approach that was grounded in historical context, contemporary situations, and ethics. The modules I took – from ‘economics, peace and conflict,’ to ‘armed groups and humanitarian aid’ – allowed me to deepen my knowledge while consistently engaging in critical reflection on humanitarian practice throughout. A highlight of my time at HCRI was a research visit to Uganda, which sparked a lasting interest in the political economies that arise in complex humanitarian and conflict environments.

Truly unique to HCRI is its international network and the diversity of background and experiences that make up every cohort, which enriches every debate and discussion. Since graduating, I have been an intern with Chatham House’s Africa Programme and am now Programme Coordinator in its Global Economy and Finance Programme. In the coming year, my work will focus on convening high-level events and discussions with governments, NGOs, the private sector, academia, and beyond, as well as overseeing research on issues such as the developmental implications of US tariff regimes across emerging markets, innovative fiscal solutions for climate financing, and mechanisms for ensuring that critical mineral supply chains deliver value to local economies and communities."