Humanitarian EngineeringLink opens in a new window is the integration of engineering with science, humanities and social sciences to invent, create, design, develop, or improve technologies which promote the well-being of poor, marginalised, under-served communities and, communities which face global challenges. The cross faculty, interdisciplinary postgraduate programme launched in 2018 and runs in collaboration with nine Warwick departments: School of Engineering, Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL), Institute for Global Sustainable Development, School of Law, School of Life Sciences, Warwick Business School, WMG, Warwick Medical School and the Warwick Institute of Engagement.

The development of the MSc Humanitarian Engineering interdisciplinary programme was incubated and supported by IATL from 2015–2022. The creation of the programme began when Professor Georgia Kremmyda and Dr Volkan Degirmenci, bid for IATL Strategic Projects fundingLink opens in a new window to start researching and developing the course (see: Paving the way towards a Warwick Humanitarian Engineering CentreLink opens in a new window and Warwick Humanitarian Engineering Centre; Creating Shared ValueLink opens in a new window). They were subsequently awarded project funding from HEFCE in partnership with IATL, Developing a student-driven educational model between, beyond and across disciplines (completed in March 2018).Link opens in a new window

Since its inception, this collaborative endeavour has provided 113 postgraduate students with rigorous interdisciplinary education in the field of Humanitarian Engineering, covering themes from international development to humanitarianism, ethics, energy, global health, water and environmental management, disasters, food security, resilience and responses to emergencies, sustainable cities, humanitarian supply chains, urban resilience, innovation through design thinking and mindful project management, which are all underpinned by equitable access and inclusion.

The student cohorts have been diverse in terms of previous undergraduate study, professional work experience, country of origin, and gender identity. The programme has welcomed students and scholars (Commonwealth (3), Fulbright (2), GREAT India (1), John Monash (1), Sanctuary (1)) from Africa, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, the United Kingdom, the United States of America; and a greater balance of gender identity than the departmental/sector benchmark for Engineering postgraduates (School of Engineering Athena SWAN Silver Submission).

The success of this programme has been further demonstrated by the employability of our graduates who work in varied roles across diverse sectors and industries. Many have been selected for positions in competitive graduate schemes (i.e. Barclays, UK Civil Service, DAI, among others) or have gone on to fully-funded graduate doctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh, Ulster University and Warwick. We are proud to sustain such a strong alumni community who now meet annually.

From 2022/23 onwards, the programme management, operations and administration has moved to the School of Engineering. IATL will continue to play a valuable role regarding interdisciplinary educational governance to assure that the interdisciplinary character of the programme will be preserved. This will be supported by the IATL Steering Committee and the Humanitarian Engineering Advisory Group.