2022-23 MSc International Humanitarian Affairs Programme Design Document

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2	1. Admissions/ Management Information
3	Title of the programme – including any lower awards Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award. See guidance on programme titles in:
4	https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
5	Masters			MSc in International Humanitarian Affairs
6	Postgraduate Diploma			International Humanitarian Affairs						Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, i.e.. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Exit
7	Postgraduate Certificate			International Humanitarian Affairs						Please indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Exit
8	Level of qualification			Level 7
9	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:							2022
10	Awarding institution								Teaching institution
11	University of York								University of York
12	Department(s): Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department								Board of Studies
13	Lead Department		Health Sciences						Health Studies
14	Other contributing Departments:								Health Studies
15	Route code (existing programmes only)							PMINTSHUM1
16	Admissions criteria
17	Applicants are expected to have at least an upper second-class (2:1) honours degree or international equivalent in an appropriate subject. However, we are willing to consider applications from those who do not have the appropriate qualifications but have suitable humanitarian and development experience through working with the United Nations, international humanitarian and development organisations, government authorities, community-based groups or local charities. Minimum language requirements will include: IELTS 7.0.
18	Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
19	Programme				Length (years/ months)	Status (full-time/ part-time) Please select	Start dates/months (if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
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21									Face-to-face, campus-based			Distance learning		Other
22	MSc in International Humanitarian Affairs				2 years	Part-time	Start date of each Autumn Term		Please select N		No	Please select Y	Yes
23									Please select Y/N			Please select Y/N
24									Please select Y/N			Please select Y/N
25	Language(s) of study
26	English
27	Language(s) of assessment
28	English
29	2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
30	2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
31	Please Select Y/N:		No	if No move to section 3 if Yes complete the following questions
32	2.b. Name of PSRB
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34	2.c. Please provide details of any approval/ accreditation event needed, including: timescales, the nature of the event, central support / information required:
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36	2.d. Are there any conditions on the approval/ accreditation of the programme(s)/ graduates (for example accreditation only for the full award and not any interim award)
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38	3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
39	Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
40	Please Select Y/N:		No	if Yes, provide details
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42	4. Programme leadership and programme team
43	4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
44	Dr Janaka Jayawickrama; Dr Jo Rose
45	4.b. Who has been involved in producing the PLOs, programme map and enhancement plan? (please include confirmation of the extent to which colleagues from the programme team /BoS have been involved; whether student views have been incorporated, and also any external input such as external examiners, employer liaison board)
46	Teaching Team i. Dr Janaka Jayawickrama – Programme Leader ii. Dr Jo Rose – Deputy Programme Leader Students i. Five Prospective Students ii. Three Graduates iii. Three Students (2016 Cohort) iv. Three Students (2015 Cohort) v. One Dissertation Student Humanitarian and Development Agencies i. United Nations Development Programme ii. United Nations refugee Agency iii. The Asia Foundation iv. Islamic Relief Worldwide v. International Rescue Committee Academic Institutions i. International Trauma Treatment Program / University of Washington, USA ii. Global Health Programme, University of Ottawa, Canada iii. Department of Social Sciences, Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka iv. Centre for Applied Social Sciences, University of Zimbabwe v. Department of Geography, Northumbria University, UK
47	5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
48	5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the Masters programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective masters student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
49	This interdisciplinary Masters programme will provide you, as an active professional in the field of international humanitarian affairs or as a newcomer, with the opportunity to reflect on core debates, policy and practice issues in humanitarianism, whilst also strengthening your abilities to operate knowledgeably and decisively in regions subject to violent conflict and war, natural hazards and complex political emergencies. During the distance-learning programme, you will engage in international communities of learning and research, enabling you to share your experience and expertise with other professionals and advance the boundaries of knowledge and understanding of humanitarian practice. This course is the only online postgraduate programme in the UK that focuses on humanitarian affairs. Your learning will be supported by online platforms that provide the full postgraduate experience with a world leading University for teaching and research. As a graduate of the programme you will have enhanced your professional capabilities enabling you to play a pivotal role in the humanitarian arena in terms of both policymaking and operations.
50	5.a.i Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Diploma programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective diploma student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
51	(max 500 words)
52	5.a.ii Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Certificate programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective certificate student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
53	(max 500 words)
54	5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme will be able to do. If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
55	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
56	1	Critically evaluate humanitarian crises, and responses to them, drawing on an advanced understanding of the dynamic relationship between humanitarian affairs theory, policy and practice (Subject Knowledge).
57	2	Appraise the design and delivery of humanitarian projects to improve the impact, efficiency and effectiveness of responses to humanitarian crises (Subject Knowledge and Skills and Professional Development).
58	3	Use strategic and innovative thinking to deal with the challenges of humanitarian crises (Skills and Professional Development).
59	4	Coordinate, cooperate and communicate effectively with different cultures and organisations, and collaborate with disaster and conflict affected communities as equal partners of change (Skills and Professional Development).
60	5	Carry out accurate, ethical, evidenced-based academic, policy and practice research into humanitarian affairs using an appropriate range of methodological skills and presenting the results in audience-appropriate formats (Skills and Professional Development).
61	6	Operate as ethical professionals, based on knowledge of contemporary protection and legal frameworks of humanitarianism and their challenges (Management and Personal development).
62	7	Approach humanitarian work with humility, demonstrated through their ongoing personal reflection on practice (Management and Personal development).
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64	5.b.ii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Diploma Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Diploma programme will be able to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
65	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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72	5.b.iii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Certificate Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Certificate programme will be able to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
73	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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80	5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
81	i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
82	The field of humanitarian studies are rapidly changing and everyday there are new challenges emerging. The PLOs of this programme are designed to critically evaluate crises, response programmes and impact. The students will be introduced to challenges in current humanitarian policy and practice, so that they will develop their own approaches and methods to coordinate, cooperate and communicate effectively in humanitarian policy development and response to complex disasters and conflicts. As seen in many humanitarian responses in Syria, South Sudan and Iraq, humanitarian responses are weak and result the increase of negative effects on the ground. The students will be challenged and stretch their intellectual capacities to find effective, efficient and relevant approaches and methods to respond to complex humanitarian crises.
83	ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
84	The PLOs of the MSc are designed based on research-led teaching as well as ongoing engagement with the field of humanitarian affairs. They produce a programme that provide students with an understanding of the humanitarian discourse including policy formulation, humanitarian response design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The distinctiveness of the programme is that it strongly connects policy into practice and vis a vis through a unique distance learning programme that draws on a range of historical and contemporary case studies and scenarios. Further, the programme creates opportunities for students to critically engage and analyse real-time humanitarian crises as well as, significant humanitarian disasters in the past such as Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Palestine. This influences the students to develop the key skills necessary to become humanitarian professionals as well as develop their methods for continuing learning and development. The graduates of the MSc are well suited to be employed by the humanitarian sector and if needed they are ready to go into further education and research.
85	iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
86	Prior to commencing the first taught module, every student submits a study plan that identifies any gaps in academic skills. Following this, students are diverted to a range of skills development activities within the programme and services such as, the York Writing Centre and CELT. All students must complete the academic integrity tutorial as part of the induction process. Although students come from diverse entry routes such as medicine, engineering, law and other backgrounds, they have a basic understanding of the key elements of humanitarian affairs such as human rights, global politics and international response mechanisms. There are a reasonable number of students that also come with lived experiences such as, being refugees or displaced as well as, working in the field for more than 5 years. The learning and teaching of the programme is designed to cater for this diverse range of students. The teaching team has both field experiences and the academic skills to deliver the teaching according to the student population in any given cohort. The teaching team asks themselves the following 3 questions at the beginning of each year to develop appropriate teaching materials, methods of delivery and effective student engagement: What is the nature of our student body? / What is the purpose of our teaching? / What is the best way to achieve this purpose? The teaching team also engage with each student through individual tutorials to evaluate their academic skills and facilitate their effective learning. When necessary the students are referred to the York Writing Centre, CELT and York Library for additional support and resources.
87	iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills. See QAA masters characteristics document http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
88	This MSc is a specialised and advanced masters degree. The Programme provides students with skills on analytical engagement with academic, policy and practice literature, critical thinking, research skills that are needed for humanitarian affairs, coordination and collaboration and community engagement with humility. The competencies and practical skills are based on the professional requirements of the United Nations and humanitarian agencies. Examining Humanitarianism (Module 1) lays the foundation of the key humanitarian principles in the field. The Protection and Assistance (Module 2) enables students to understand the rights-based approaches to humanitarian responses. The Module 3 - Humanitarian Response, builds on the previous two modules, allowing students to apply their new knowledge. Module 3 takes students further and teaches the design and response to different humanitarian contexts within the frameworks of coordination, cooperation and collaboration. The Research Methods (Module 4) establishes a strong academic and policy based for qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research in humanitarian affairs. The Optional Modules (Education in Emergencies: Evaluating Humanitarian Programmes: Communities in Humanitarian Affairs: Disasters in Complex Political Emergencies) allows students to select two modules that are suitable for their work or future studies. These Optional Modules reflect on the current major themes in the field of humanitarian affairs based on the policy and practice promoted by the United Nations, but allow students to examine them critically through the knowledge developed in Modules 1-3 and apply the skills learnt in Module 4. The Dissertation Module enables the students to consolidate their learning in the MSc into an independent study.
89	v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classrooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc.).
90	As an online distance learning programme, this MSc engage with students through the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) of the University. Various teaching and learning activities are designed through YouTube, Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts and various digital platforms. The different assignments such as essays, reports and groups work allow students to learn various digital skills. At the end of the programme, the students have increased digital literacy that is necessary for employment in humanitarian affairs. Throughout the programme, students become familiar and confident in using digital platforms in the humanitarian sector such as, relief web, ALNAP, the Financial Tracking Service and other UN digital platforms. (max 500 words)
91	vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)? The programme's employability objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
92	http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
93	All the learning and teaching of this programme is based on real world humanitarian policy and practice. Through that the students become familiar with the humanitarian affairs by examining real case studies such as Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan. These actual case studies, policy and practice enhance students to be confident in approaching future employers as well as become critical in establishing innovative humanitarian responses. (max 500 words)
94	vii) Consultation with Careers The programme proposal should be discussed with Careers (tom.banham@york.ac.uk, ext. 2686) Please provide details of Careers' comments and your response.
95	All the modules and assessments of the MSc are designed for students to reflect on their existing and future employment. The skills developed through the MSc are the key skills required by the UN and other humanitarian agencies. The MIHA Associates are senior academics, policy makers and practitioners in the field and were engaged in the development of the contents and design of delivery. The programme team of the Masters continue to engage with the Alumni, which became a resource base for finding internships and employment for the current students. The consultation with the Careers conducted on April 05, 2017 to understand how to strengthen the career support for the students of the MSc in International Humanitarian Affairs. The following areas have been identified: • Skype and telephone one-to-one appointments (information, CV or careers advice) • Skype and telephone mock interviews • Email queries which are responded to by a qualified Careers Consultant • Access to all of our web and VLE resources including the CV Guide, the Interview Guide and Simulator and the Employability Tutorial.
96	viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
97	The Department of Health Sciences conduct research under the Public Health and Society research theme. The research on community wellbeing (affected by disaster, conflict and uneven development) comes under this research theme. Currently the staff that are involved in community wellbeing research and conduct various research activities in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon with disaster and conflict affected communities in relation to humanitarian responses. At the sametime the MSc programme is networking and participating in various humanitarian policy platforms with the United Nations and other agencies at a global level. All these activities inform the teaching and learning of the MSc.
98	5.d. Progression For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one. Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
99	On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to: If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
100	The PLOs 1 - 4 will be covered in the PG Certificate . The students will obtain 60 Credits after successful completion of the following Modules: 1. Examining Humanitarianism (HEA00095M) 2. Protection and Assistance in International Law and Intervention (HEA00096M) 3. Humanitarian Response: Food and Nutrition, Shelter, Health and WASH (HEA00097M)