Master in Coordinated Humanitarian Response, Health and Displacement

Master in Coordinated Humanitarian Response, Health and Displacement is one of 16 English-taught Humanities & Theology programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 7 institutions. 5 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme has no tuition fee. 16 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

This is a joint master's degree run by NTNU with several partner universities. It takes two years, 120 ECTS, and is taught in English. The point is to professionalise humanitarian workers: you learn to handle response, health and displacement in volatile settings, mixing theory with fieldwork.

What you study

The curriculum brings together social work, anthropology, public health, crisis management, development studies and design in humanitarian response. You cover logistics, leadership, project management and research methodology. The programme also has a strong focus on south-north collaboration and local leadership.

Courses are spread across the partner institutions. In the first semester, in Lisbon, you are introduced to humanitarian work, logistics, leadership and research methodology. The second semester, in Trondheim, focuses on public health, humanitarian design and health innovation, plus more research methodology. The third semester, based in Uganda, gives practical skills and introduces social work in crisis settings. The final semester is for your master's thesis, where you apply what you have learned to a real humanitarian challenge.

How the programme is organised

This is a joint degree with ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon (Portugal), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Cape Verde and University of Santiago (Cape Verde), University of Athens (Greece) and Rovuma University (Mozambique). Mobility is mandatory: you spend time at partner universities in Portugal, Norway and Uganda, and there are summer schools in countries such as Cape Verde and Greece. You also gain practical experience through internships and summer schools.

Teaching methods include coursework, fieldwork, internships and summer schools. The programme is full time over two years.

Who it suits

Applicants come from diverse academic backgrounds relevant to humanitarian response, such as health sciences, public policy, engineering, social work, international relations and political science. You need a bachelor's degree and English proficiency. Selection is based on academic merit, relevant experience and motivation for a career in humanitarian response.

If you want to work in volatile settings and are ready to move between countries during your studies, this programme is built for that. It suits people who want leadership and crisis management skills for humanitarian work.

Admission, language and next steps

All applications go through ISCTE's online application portal. There is joint admission for the programme. Admission requirements and application guidelines are on the HumanResponse webpage (information to come). Check the programme page for deadlines and document requirements. The language of instruction is English, and you must demonstrate English proficiency.

Scholarships are available through the Erasmus+ programme for eligible candidates. Students can also self-fund their studies. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland are normally exempt from tuition fees at state institutions; other degree students normally pay a fee set by the institution.

For general queries about eligibility and admissions, contact the programme managers at ISCTE (humanresponse@iscte-iul.pt). For NTNU-specific questions about the teaching semesters, contact the local programme coordinator Elin Yli Dvergsdal (elin.y.dvergsdal@ntnu.no, +47 73 59 88 68) or the scientific director Jennifer Infanti (jennifer.infanti@ntnu.no, +47 73 59 87 82).

Master’s applications go straight to Norwegian University of Science and Technology, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme. Deadlines are set by each institution for each programme, so confirm yours. Entry requirements and language tests are also set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, study permits and housing.