Programme

Study Plan

Moreover, “Human Response” provides an innovative training through three mobility teaching periods in Portugal, Norway and Uganda, providing students with a grounding knowledge in sociology, public policy, management, health, design, development and social work. A fourth mobility allows students to collect dissertation data in humanitarian contexts with 25 institutions (associated partners of the consortium) in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America or Asia.  

The curriculum is taught in English, both academics and practitioners, emphasizing problem-based learning and knowledge application opportunities in summer schools and internships. It also offers opportunities to learn relevant languages for humanitarian response, such as Portuguese, Kiswahili and Spanish or Arabic.

The program is also designed to equip students with other skills (e.g. language training) and provide them with practical work and research experiences in these critical contexts, there bridging the existing gap between academic training and the actual locations where humanitarian crises demand immediate and effective responses.

Staff mobility enables and enhances curriculum internationalization and strengthens the consortium’s global South-North humanitarian action network. This objective is focused on uplifting groups within society who would have firsthand lived experienced in emergencies but who don’t usually participate, nor are considered for high-level positions in international NGOs.

The proposed specialized curriculum includes courses and access to a network of experienced professionals to prepare students (young and employed) to enter the labour market, move upwards within their organizations or undertake a PhD programme.

The programme of 120 ECTS, conducted in English, offers opportunities to learn relevant languages for humanitarian response. Staff mobility enables and enhances curriculum internationalization and strengthens the consortium’s global South-North humanitarian action network.

Structure

Semester 1, in Iscte (Portugal), provides a global approach to humanitarian action.

30 ECTS (6 ECTS each):

Mandatory courses: 

  • Concepts, Fundamentals and Challenges in HA
  • Public Health in Humanitarian Action
  • Management in HA
  • Research Methodology

Electives:

  • Project Management in HA
  • Participatory Evaluation in HA
  • Environmental Risk and Societal Resilience

In Semester 2, hosted at NTNU (Norway), students delve into a specialisation in global health, innovation and entrepreneurship, humanitarian design and advanced research methodology.

30 ECTS (7.5 ECTS each):

Mandatory courses:

  • Advancing Public Health Perspectives
  • Innovation in Global Health
  • Humanitarian Design

Electives:

  • Advanced Qualitative Research Methodology
  • Advanced Quantitative Research Methodology

Summer Schools are held between the semester 2 and 3. This two-week ECTS-bearing module provides students with contact with institutions (APs) that implement life-saving interventions in countries affected humanitarian crises, namely Cape Verde (intake 1 – June 2026), Greece (intake 2 – June 2027), Uganda (intake 3 – June 2028) and Mozambique (intake 4 – June 2029).

6 ECTS

Week 1 (see themes below)

  • AP Workshops
  • Field visits
  • Group work and presentation on specific assignment

Week 2

  • Research Methodology (3 days)
  • Presentation and discussion of master dissertation projects students (2 days)

Semester 3, at Makerere (Uganda) has an internship on social support for HA to apply knowledge, along with development studies and tools to deal with high volatile contexts due to war-induced conflicts or climate disasters.

24 ECTS (6 ECTS each):

  • Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources
  • Conflict, Security and Development
  • Advanced Counselling in Social Work
  • Fieldwork/Internship

In Semester 4, the student intake is split into universities and APs from five continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America to develop the research and finish the dissertation.

30 ECTS

  • Dissertation writing
  • Dissertation Seminar 1 (each FP)
  • Dissertation Seminar 2 (each FP)

Teaching Staff

Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon

NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Makerere University

University of Rovuma

University of Cape Verde

University of Santiago

University of Athens

Degree

The “Human Response”awards a joint degree diploma (distinguished track), awarded Iscte in collaboration with the other 4 universities that in each edition deliver the Master.

The diploma is co-signed the universities where students completed the semesters 1, 2, 3, 4 and the respective Summer School of that edition, corresponding to 120 ECTS, EQF Level 7.

Students also receive a diploma supplement with a full transcript of their achievements in a format accepted and understood internationally other institutions and future employers.

Accreditation

This joint degree has undergone scientific official procedures at each university partner of the consortium, with approval decisions being informed full scrutiny of academic standards and the quality of the learning processes.

Universities are also undertaking the necessary European and national accreditation procedures.