This is a two-year (four-semester) joint master's programme in International Humanitarian Action delivered through collaboration between partner universities. Taught in English within the social sciences, the programme takes a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together perspectives from different academic fields and institutions to study humanitarian crises, responses and practice.
The course is structured as a postgraduate degree (Master of Arts) over four semesters, combining academic coursework with applied learning designed to prepare graduates for roles in humanitarian organisations, international agencies, NGOs, policy, and research. For international students, the inter-university format typically provides access to a broader network of faculty, peers and resources than a single-institution programme.
Practical details such as exact curriculum, mobility or placement components, tuition and funding, and the specific partner universities involved vary by intake and should be confirmed on the programme’s official webpage.
Typical facts and admission-related items (confirm exact details on the official programme page)
This programme begins with an immersive six-day Intensive Programme (5 ECTS) that brings all NOHA students together to introduce core principles, main actors, and current challenges in humanitarian relief. From September to January, the cohort follows 25 ECTS of jointly developed NOHA courses at the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) in Bochum. These interdisciplinary modules — designed to be comparable across the NOHA network — cover World Politics, Legal Dimensions of Humanitarian Action, People & Culture, Management, and Public Health, combining theory with capacity-building and problem-solving activities to prepare students for complex, international humanitarian settings.
In the second semester (February–June) students move to another NOHA partner university for a 30 ECTS specialisation period. At IFHV this specialisation, titled "Humanitarian Policy and Practice: From Delivering Aid to Ending Needs," concentrates on the specific challenges of working in contexts of violence and armed conflict. Key themes include the legal frameworks shaping humanitarian work (protection, military engagement, justice), advanced management issues, and practical project design supervised by experienced practitioners. The semester also emphasises communication, negotiation, and leadership with a variety of counterparts (non-state armed actors, media, donor governments) and concludes with a simulation exercise to apply learning in a realistic scenario.
The third semester (July–January) offers two 30 ECTS options: regional training or a supervised work placement. Regional training exposes students to humanitarian approaches within a particular cultural context and supports development of regionally relevant research projects (offered at several partner universities). The work placement combines career-development training with a mentored traineeship formalised through an individual traineeship agreement with partner organisations. The fourth semester is devoted to the 30 ECTS Master’s thesis, allowing students to synthesise academic study and field experience into an independent research project.
Key modules
Learning outcomes
Programme requirements and credits (concise)
This programme admits applicants who meet the NOHA consortium’s common minimum eligibility criteria and who complete the joint application process. All candidates must submit a full online application through the NOHA portal; incomplete submissions will not be considered. The programme requires applicants to hold at least a first-cycle university degree (Bachelor’s, EQF level 6) in a field relevant to humanitarian action.
For step-by-step instructions and the full checklist of required documents, consult the NOHA admissions pages linked below.
Winter Semester (International)
https://www.nohanet.org/masters
Graduates are prepared for careers in the international humanitarian sector, including operational and policy roles in non‑governmental organisations (NGOs), international organisations, UN agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement, government humanitarian and development departments, and specialised legal or protection units. The programme’s combination of legal, managerial and field‑oriented training equips students for roles in programme management, protection and advocacy, emergency response coordination, monitoring & evaluation, and capacity building.
The international mobility, language training and practitioner placements foster strong employability for positions requiring cross‑cultural teamwork and field readiness. Graduates may also pursue further academic research or doctoral studies in humanitarian studies, international law or related social science fields.