Program Overview

BSc International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response and Spanish

Overview

Course overview

• Develop knowledge about the causes and impacts of disasters, as well as how we can address contemporary global issues surrounding such events
• 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 a broad understanding of both global strategies, dynamics and practices, as well as regional specificities, histories and cultures
• Study abroad in Spanish-speaking countries
• Contact speakers of Spanish and get involved in Spanish events beyond the University, from public lectures to cultural celebrations.
• 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

• ABB including one essay based/humanities subject. We offer Spanish language at either beginners or advanced level. If you are taking A Level Spanish we will require grade B and you will be placed in the advanced stream.
• 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

• BBC including one essay based/humanities subject. We offer Spanish language at either beginners or advanced level. If you are taking A Level Spanish we will require grade B and you will be placed in the advanced stream.
• 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/humanities subject. We offer Spanish language at either beginners or advanced level. If you are taking A Level Spanish we will require grade B and you will be placed in the advanced stream.
• 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

• 34 points overall. 6,5,5 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

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.

Course details

Course description

• On the Spanish side of the degree students will study compulsory language units (the number of credits will depend on whether students are ab-initio or post-A-Level) and the study of the culture and history of Spain and Latin America.
• Teaching in Spanish in these latter areas is characterised particularly by the historically and politically contextualised study of culture and cultural practices, including in literature, visual culture and music, with thematic focus on such issues as the environment, popular culture, gender, immigration and transnationalisms, and race and ethnicity.
• Crucial here is the understanding of language skills being informed by intercultural awareness and cultural knowledge being mediated by linguistic skills.
• On the HCRI side of the degree students critically explore contemporary and historical issues within the broader fields of international disaster management; peace and conflict studies; and humanitarian response.
• The thematic focus of the HCRI degree significantly overlaps with that of Spanish.
• For instance, the investigation of environment, gender, migration, cultural norms and behaviours, power, politics, and popular culture.
• As such, students will be able to apply their theoretical understanding of these broader ideas and contextualise them in different disciplinary and empirical areas.
• Furthermore, teaching within HCRI is very much research led, and draws on contemporary and historical case sites from across the world.
• Most of these cases are in countries where English is not the principal language.
• For example, students will explore issues such as resilience, peacebuilding, relief aid, maternal mortality, and refugees in diverse contexts including Puerto Rico, China, Haiti, Venezuela, Mexico, Iraq, Japan and Cameroon.
• This will make the content particularly engaging and relevant for students of Languages.
• In the first, second and final year students will follow core compulsory and optional introductory modules on both sides of the degree.
• In their final year students will also have the option of taking a dissertation on either side of the degree alongside their core language units and other optional units.
• Students will be allocated a dissertation supervisor according to existing procedures for the respective subject areas.
• Students will also be able to take one free-choice unit at levels 2 and 3, though they will not be required to do so.
• In the third year of the degree students will undertake a period of residence abroad according to the School's established residence abroad requirements and provision.
• It is likely that many students on this degree combination will want to undertake work placements with relevant organisations where possible; but students will also be able to take up the offer of a study placement at one of the existing partner universities in the region of study.

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 academic knowledge 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.
• Provide a comprehensive grounding in the Spanish language, literature, culture, history and linguistics, enabling you to become proficient enough in the language to live and work effectively in a Spanish-speaking environment.
• Give students the opportunity to learn Catalan.

Special features

• Insight from the field
• Residence abroad
• Industry partnerships

Coursework and assessment

• The IDMHR part of the degree is 100% coursework based.
• This involves a variety of assessment types including essays, policy briefs, blogs, book reviews and reflective writing.
• On the Spanish side of the degree, you will be assessed in various ways, including:
  • written and oral examinations;
  • presentations;
  • coursework (which may include library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection, or web-based research);
  • in your final year, you can do a dissertation based on a research topic of your choice.

Course content for year 1

• You will split your study time equally between the two components of your degree.
• You will take compulsory core units in the modern spoken and written Spanish language (with separate strands for beginners and post-A level students).
• You will also be provided with an introduction to the cultural and historical development of the Hispanic world, and develop the skills required to be successful in your further study of Spain and Latin America.
• For the IDMHR component of your degree you will take core modules introducing you to the key concepts and theories necessary to make sense of the humanitarian world.
• You will also take modules introducing you to international disaster management and humanitarianism.

Course content for year 2

• You can study up to two-thirds of your credits on either side of your degree.
• In your second year, you take a compulsory Spanish language course, and options (usually two) across cinema, history, politics and the literature of Spain and Latin America.
• In second year for IDMHR, you can choose between core units which allow you to explore aspects of responding to crisis; the links between disaster and development; and peacebuilding.
• There is also an option to take a module centred on a professional experience project.

Course content for year 3

• Your third year of study is spent abroad under approved conditions.

Course content for year 4

• You can study up to two-thirds of your credits on either side of your degree.
• Language study in the final year is centred on essay writing, translation and oral work involving discussion of texts, debates and presentations.
• You also choose from a wide range of specialised options building effectively on Year 2 study, including Latin American business and politics, Hispanic cinema and Modern Spanish Music.
• You can also choose to write a dissertation, explore Catalan language and culture, and choose from a range of options within IDMHR, which will allow you to specialise in a specific area of the degree such as humanitarianism or disaster management.

Careers

Career opportunities

• The study of humanitarianism and responses to conflict and disaster is dependent not just on knowledge of global strategies, dynamics, and practices, but also on regional specificities.
• For that reason, by combining learning about humanitarianism with modern languages - courses that depend on the integrated study of linguistic knowledge and regional culture and history - you will be able to demonstrate a range of different intellectual and practical skills.
• Your transferable and academic skills will appeal to employers involved in planning and response to disasters and conflict such as NGOs, international organisations, and government departments.
• You'll also be well equipped to enter a career in business and commerce, law, journalism, tourism management, and teaching.
• You can also pursue further study 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.