General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent), ideally in Engineering, Science, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Business or Medical Sciences, although we will consider graduates of all disciplines.

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

• Band A
• IELTS Band of 6.5 or more overall, with a minimum component scores not below 6.0.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.

Additional requirements

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Core modules

Humanitarian Engineering: Ethics, Theory and Practices

This module is an introduction to humanitarian engineering viewed from ethical, cultural, and practical perspectives. It is designed to enable you to reflect upon the history and meaning of Humanitarianism and Humanitarian Engineering.

An Introduction to Global Health

The module aims to give you a comprehensive knowledge and critique of key global health issues. You will be introduced to the global burden of disease and the social determinants of health.

Water and Environmental Management

The main aim of this module is to present to students a global topic such as water in its complexity and to engage them so they can discover, research and experiment the great potentialities of an interdisciplinary approach to the matter.

One Humanity; Shared Responsibility

The international community is expecting that we come together and tackle global challenges from poverty to gender quality and climate change, and to create a better world for future generations. Now it is time to turn promises into action for this generation, and uphold people’s safety, dignity and the right to thrive.

The Agenda for Humanity outlines five core responsibilities in which we must take collective action. One of the core responsibilities is 'Leave no one behind'. It is our responsibility and commitment to transform the lives of those most at risk of being left behind. This means reaching everyone and empowering all women, men, girls and boys to be agents of positive transformation. It means reducing displacement, supporting refugees and migrants, ending gaps in education and fighting to eradicate sexual and gender-based violence and increasing disaster management.

Urban Resilience, Disasters and Data

This module is aimed at introducing the topics of disaster risks and urban resilience with emphasis on the use of innovative digital technologies to gather and analyse urban data for improving disaster resilience. It approaches, theoretically and practically, the main issues involved in disaster resilience and the way in which social media, mobile technologies and the web 2.0 are related to our collective experience of disasters and crisis events.

By means of a practical project and potential fieldwork conducted in the city of Coventry, you will learn how to collect urban data using open-source mobile data collection software (OpenDataKit), process and analyse this data with Geographic Information Systems (QGIS) and produce interactive digital maps to visualise urban aspects related to disaster resilience.  

Renewable Energy

This module aims to impart an advanced understanding of the principles of modern renewable energy technologies, including biofuels from a variety of sources, wind power, solar energy, geothermal, ocean and hydro power and ethical and practical considerations. The particular focus will be given to the limitations and restrictions in developing countries.

Specialist core modules

Sustainable Operations and Humanitarian Supply Chains

The aim of the module is to explain the purpose and value of humanitarian organisations and supply chains within the society. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between commercial and humanitarian operations by discussing the trade-offs in decision making through social and financial frames of reference. This module sets out to provide a holistic strategic view of social enterprises through a comprehensive discussion of critical operational issues pertaining to performance, risk, strategy and sustainability.

Mindful Project Management

There are two specific features about project management theory which make it a slightly different type of subject to most other academic modules. Firstly, the subject has its origins in large-scale, complex operations. This means that a substantial proportion of the published theory concerns the planning and control aspects of the management of such processes. Secondly, most of the concepts were developed in the heyday of the 1960s, where a lot of activity was taking place in the aerospace, defence, and construction sectors. This means that most of the basic literature is old and technically focused.

In the modern context, project management methods are now used for much wider variety of applications including Humanitarian Engineering projects. In times of humanitarian challenges such as climate change, more people are engaged in post-disaster rebuild project management Consequently, this module aims to span a range of sectors and be as multi-disciplinary and as possible.

Project

You will study projects individually or as a group depending on your choice, guidance provided by the module leader and discussions with potential project supervisor. The group projects aim to give you experience of working within a team and parallels the way teams formed with people with different background to tackle challenging projects similar to project teams formed in real life situations. Individual projects will be more focussed on in-depth studies in line with your interests and in line with the supervisor’s expertise. Projects are proposed by academics, industry partners or students.

Optional modules

(One chosen from the list below)

• Humanitarian Law
• Design Thinking for Social Impact
• Challenges to Global Food Security
• Public Engagement

Read more about the core and optional modules offered on the Humanitarian Engineering website.Link opens in a new window

Teaching

Each module will run intensively over one week and will be taught by a variety of methods: seminar, lecture, field research, flipped classroom, journal club etc.

Class sizes

Core modules are up to 30 students; optional modules vary between 5-15 students and seminars typically average around 15-20 students.

Typical contact hours

Contact hours vary from 24 to 30 hours per module, per week.

Assessment

The core modules are assessed in a variety of ways including essay, poster, presentation, artefact, student-devised assessment.

Reading lists

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on theTalis Aspire platform 

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue 

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you, and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

Your career

A degree in Humanitarian Engineering will leave you well-placed to work with governments (e.g. ministries of finance, rural development, and education), multilateral development institutions (e.g. World Bank and United Nations), NGOs and the private sector (e.g. professional services and investment banking). You may also decide to pursue PhD studies.

Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

• Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
• Working for More than Profit sector event and careers fair
• Careers in the Creative Industries sector event
• Centrally run careers workshops including CVs, applications, interviews and assessment centres

You can also contact the Humanitarian Engineering Department to arrange a visit or email  hum dot eng at warwick dot ac dot uk  to arrange a meeting in person or via video conferencing.

School of Engineering

Think Differently. Do Differently.

Humanitarian Engineering is an exciting programme designed for students of all disciplinary and professional backgrounds.

It brings together the expertise and insight of multiple disciplines to discover new and innovative solutions to the world's most pressing problems.

Learn more about us by visiting our website.

Our Postgraduate Taught courses

• Advanced Mechanical Engineering (MSc)
• Biomedical Engineering (MSc)
• Communications and Information Engineering (MSc)
• Diagnostics. Data and Digital Health MSc
• Diagnostics, Data and Digital Health (Medical Diagnostics) MSc
• Diagnostics, Data and Digital Health (Medical Imaging) MSc
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering (MSc)
• Electrical Power Engineering (MSc)
• Humanitarian Engineering (MSc/PGDip/PGCert/PGA)
• Humanitarian Engineering (with Management) (MSc)
• Humanitarian Engineering (with Sustainability) (MSc)
• Predictive Modelling and Scientific Computing (MSc)

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your taught course fees  

Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and bursaries

How to apply

The application process for courses that start in September and October 2025 opens on 2 October 2024.

Applications will close on 2 August 2025 for students who require a visa to study in the UK, to allow time to receive a CAS and complete the visa application process.

How to apply for a postgraduate taught course