BSc International Disaster Management & Humanitarian Response

Overview

Course overview

Develop knowledge about the causes and impacts of disasters and how we can address contemporary global issues surrounding them. Build a critical understanding of the process and practises of humanitarianism. Explore the causes of contemporary conflicts, as well as the current debates about peacebuilding. Gain valuable transferable skills for your future career through work placements. Undertake fieldwork in emergency preparedness and response, recovery, and reconstruction The University of Manchester is a world-leading institution, ranked in the top-50 globally across all of Arts and Humanities by Times Higher Education 2025.

Entry requirements

A-level

• AAB including one essay based subject.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
• Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.
• Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels.
• If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer.
• We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

A-level contextual offer

• BBB including one essay based subject.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
• Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.
• Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels.
• If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer.
• We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

UK refugee/care-experienced offer

• BBC including one essay based subject.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
• Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.
• Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels.
• If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer.
• We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

International Baccalaureate

• 35 points overall. 6,6,5 in Higher Level subjects
• Applicants studying the International Baccalaureate Career Related Programme (IBCP) should contact the admissions team prior to applying so that their academic profile can be considered.

GCSE/IGCSE

• Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 6 or B in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and 4 or C in Mathematics.
• GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language.

Other entry requirements

• Other entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
• Scottish requirements
• Welsh Baccalaureate
• Foundation year
• Pearson BTEC qualifications
• OCR Cambridge Technical qualifications
• Access to HE Diploma
• T Level
• Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

Fees and funding

Fees

• Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

Policy on additional costs

• All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme.
• Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application.

Scholarships/sponsorships

• Find out more from student finance
• Eligible UK students can apply for bursaries and scholarships
• Funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages
• Many students work part-time or complete a student internship

Application and selection

How to apply

• Apply through UCAS

Advice to applicants

• If your qualifications do not include a humanities-related subject, at least 60% of which has been assessed by essay, then we may ask you to complete a written assignment on a relevant topic.

Home-schooled applicants

• If you are a student who has followed a non-standard educational route, e.g. you have been educated at home; your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course for which you are applying.
• You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the specified academic entry requirements of the course.
• We will also require a reference from somebody who knows you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education.

Non-standard educational routes

• Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences.
• Students come from a whole array of backgrounds, study every kind of course, undertake full-time and part-time learning and are motivated by career intentions as well as personal interest.
• There is no such thing as a typical mature student at Manchester.
• The application process is the same as for other prospective undergraduates. If you require further clarification about the acceptability of the qualifications you hold please contact the academic School(s) you plan to apply to.

Returning to education

• We welcome applications from mature students and value their contribution to our study culture and social life.
• Mature applicants are given individual consideration and are normally interviewed.

Overseas (non-UK) applicants

• Applications from overseas students are warmly welcomed.
• Disaster and Humanitarian Studies have tradition of admitting suitably qualified international students.
• Students from abroad find the Subject Areas to be a relaxed and richly diverse home from home, and tend to make the most of the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Manchester and its cultural and ethnic plurality.
• In view of the diversity of overseas qualifications, we consider applications from overseas on an individual basis.
• All students applying to the University of Manchester must satisfy the English language requirement.

Deferrals

• We welcome applications for deferred entry and feel a gap year benefits many students.
• We do ask applicants to let us know as early as possible if they are intending to defer.
• This helps us to adjust the number of offers we make, in order to achieve the required number of students in a given year.

Re-applications

• If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again.
• Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry.
• In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved.
• We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Transfers

• We will consider applications to transfer to Manchester from other universities and would normally ask for a letter explaining why a transfer was needed, relevant transcripts, a copy of the applicant's UCAS form and a confidential reference from one of the applicant's current university tutors.
• We will consider applications to transfer from other degrees within the University of Manchester but applicants are required to have the A-level grades (or other qualifications) needed for entry to that degree programme.

Course details

Course description

Disasters are so prominent in the media at the moment. I can study issues that are happening presently - one of my assignments was on the Grenfell fire. I feel as if my work and the research done by the department is very important. If you're interested in making the world a better place, then take this great opportunity. Catriona Spence / BSc International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response

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 through a theoretical lens - both globally and locally in the UK.

Through the course you can expect to build research expertise, knowledge and theoretical 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.

Alternatively, you can study for a joint honours degree combining Arabic, Chinese, French or Spanish.

Please note this course covers distressing and upsetting topics such as genocide, sexual violence and the impact of conflict on women and children.

Aims

• 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.

Special features

• Insight from the field
• Work placements
• Research dissertation

Teaching and learning

Teaching takes place in a variety of formats, including lectures, seminars, small group tutorials and virtual web-based seminars.

We will 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 will explore lecture themes in more detail via individual and group readings and presentations.

Coursework and assessment

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.

Course content for year 1

• Histories of Humanitarianism
• Key Concepts in International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response
• Introduction to Disaster Management
• Key Skills in International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response
• Introduction to Conflict Analysis
• Governing Aid
• Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Development

Course content for year 2

• Everyday Peace Building and Security
• Disasters and Development
• Rethinking Crisis
• Emergency Humanitarian Assistance
• Understanding hazard risk
• Professional Experience Project
• Introduction to Global Health
• Sustainable Global Development
• Political Economy of Globalisation
• Urban Development in the Global South
• The State and the Political Economy of Development
• Climate Change and Biodiversity in a Developing World
• From Cholera to COVID-19: A Global History of Epidemics
• Crisis of Nature: Issues in Environmental History
• Understanding Mental Health
• From Cholera to COVID-19: A Global History of Epidemics
• Crisis of Nature: Issues in Environmental History

Course content for year 3

• Extended Research Paper
• Introduction to Global Health
• War, Migration and Health
• Diseases in Developing Countries
• Ethical Decision-Making Under Pressure
• Decolonising Disaster Studies
• Illicit Economies, Conflict, and Development
• Practical Approaches to Researching Disasters and Conflict
• Research Paper
• Geographical Information Systems and Disasters: A Critical Introduction
• Systemic Approaches to Disaster Management
• Living Interventions
• Climate Change and Society

Careers

Career opportunities

We have pioneering partnerships with national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs). These shape the real-world focus of our teaching and offer strong links to key career destinations.

Your transferable and academic skills will appeal to employers including international organisations such as the United Nations and humanitarian NGOs such as The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

You'll also be well-equipped to enter a career in business and commerce, law, journalism, tourism management and teaching.

Additionally, there's the opportunity to continue your studies through our master's courses.

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability.

University of Manchester

---

Overview:

The University of Manchester is a renowned public research university located in Manchester, England. It is known for its academic excellence, research impact, and vibrant campus life.

---

Student Life and Campus Experience:

The University of Manchester offers a diverse and engaging campus experience. Students can enjoy a range of activities, including:

Social events:

The university hosts numerous social events throughout the year, providing opportunities for students to connect with their peers and explore different interests.

Student clubs and societies:

There are over 300 student clubs and societies catering to various interests, from sports and music to academic and cultural pursuits.

Campus facilities:

The university boasts modern facilities, including libraries, sports centers, and student unions, providing students with access to resources and support services.

City life:

Manchester is a vibrant city with a thriving cultural scene, offering students access to museums, theaters, music venues, and a diverse range of restaurants and shops.

---

Key Reasons to Study There:

Academic excellence:

The University of Manchester is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world, offering high-quality education across a wide range of disciplines.

Research impact:

The university is a leading research institution, making significant contributions to various fields, including medicine, engineering, and social sciences.

Global reputation:

The University of Manchester has a strong international reputation, attracting students and researchers from around the world.

Career opportunities:

The university provides excellent career support services, helping students to develop their skills and secure employment after graduation.

---

Academic Programs:

The University of Manchester offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various faculties and schools, including:

Faculty of Humanities:

Arts, Languages, History, Philosophy, and more.

Faculty of Science and Engineering:

Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and more.

Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences:

Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and more.

Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences:

Law, Economics, Sociology, and more.

---

Other:

The University of Manchester is committed to social responsibility and sustainability, actively engaging in initiatives to promote equality, diversity, and environmental protection.