Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Humanitarian Action

Humanitarian action is the assistance given to people affected by armed conflict, disasters and other crises, with the aim of saving lives and relieving suffering. What sets it apart from other kinds of aid are four principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. The European Commission's humanitarian aid department explains that aid must address suffering wherever it is found, must not favour any side in a conflict, must be given solely on the basis of need, and must stay autonomous from political, economic or military objectives. The principles are endorsed by two UN General Assembly resolutions.

Studying humanitarian action means learning how such operations are analysed, planned and managed. The joint courses of the NOHA master's at the University of Groningen show the usual mix: world politics and humanitarian action, social and medical sciences, the legal dimensions of humanitarian action, and management. Students come from many backgrounds, including law, health, psychology, economics and international relations.

Qualifications and levels

Humanitarian action is studied mainly at master's level, after a first degree in another field. Shorter options and volunteer programmes also exist.

  • Joint master's degree. The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree Programme in International Humanitarian Action is run by NOHA, the Network on Humanitarian Action, an international association of universities. It was established in 1993 with the support of the European Commission, and in 2025 it was again selected as an Erasmus Mundus programme. It lasts 24 months and has 120 ECTS credits. Semester 1 is spent at the home university and semester 2 at another European NOHA university. In semester 3 students choose between a regional training track at a global partner university and a work placement. Semester 4 is for the master's thesis.
  • Related official master's degrees. Some master's degrees cover humanitarian crises as part of a wider subject. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) offers the Máster universitario en Derechos Humanos y Globalización, an official degree of 60 ECTS credits, taught fully online in Spanish or Catalan, which includes humanitarian crises and international conflicts among its topics.
  • Volunteer programmes. Richmond Vale Academy, a registered non-profit in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, runs six-month and ten-month volunteer programmes on climate and community projects. These are not university degrees; ask the school what recognition the programme has.

Admission and costs of the NOHA master's

  • A first-cycle university degree (bachelor's, at least 180 ECTS credits) in a discipline relevant to humanitarian action
  • English at C1 level, for example IELTS with a minimum overall score of 6.5 and no component under 6.0
  • Spanish at CEFR level B2 for the first semester at the Universidad de Deusto, which is taught in Spanish; French at C1 for Aix-Marseille Université
  • Study periods in at least two countries

The participation costs are €4,000 per semester for four semesters, according to NOHA. They do not cover accommodation, living costs or travel. Applications go through the NOHA online application system. For entry at the University of Groningen on 1 September 2027, the deadline is 1 April 2027.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 5 active schools under this subject: 2 in Spain and 1 each in the Netherlands, the United States and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. They include the University of Groningen, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Colorado School of Mines and Richmond Vale Academy.

The NOHA network has 9 European member universities: Aix-Marseille Université, the University of Malta, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the Universidad de Deusto, University College Dublin, Uniwersytet Warszawski, Uppsala universitet and Vilniaus universitetas. It also has 11 global partner universities, among them the Universidad Javeriana in Colombia and the Universidad Rafael Landívar in Guatemala. English is the language of instruction, except at Aix-Marseille (French in the first two semesters) and at Deusto (Spanish in the first semester).

Careers

Graduates work for international and national NGOs, international institutions, agencies and governments, in the field and at headquarters. The University of Groningen lists programme managers, protection officers, field or country directors, emergency team leaders, administrators, researchers and consultants as typical positions. NOHA states that over 3,500 of its graduates work in humanitarian relief and international cooperation. There are no official employment statistics for this field as a separate occupation.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to study a master's in humanitarian action?

For the NOHA joint master's, a bachelor's degree of at least 180 ECTS credits in a relevant discipline, such as law, health, social sciences or management, and English at C1 level. Relevant work experience is an advantage, according to the University of Groningen.

Can I study humanitarian action in Spanish?

Partly. In the NOHA master's, the first semester at the Universidad de Deusto is taught in Spanish and requires a B2 certificate; the other semesters are in English. The UOC's official master's in human rights and globalisation is taught online in Spanish or Catalan.

How much does the NOHA master's cost?

NOHA sets the participation costs at €4,000 per semester for four semesters. Accommodation, living costs and travel are not included.

What makes humanitarian action different from other activities?

Humanitarian action responds to crises and is guided by the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These principles distinguish it from activities of a political, religious, ideological or military nature.