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Humanitarian Engineering (MSc/PGDip/PGCert/PGA)

Find out more about our Humanitarian Engineering taught Master's degree.

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We may have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.

P-H1C1 (MSc)
P-H1C5 (PGCert)
P-H1C4 (PGDip)
P-H1C6 (PGA)

MSc/PGDip/
PGCert/PGA

FT: 1 year (MSc), 9 months (PGDip/ PGCert/PGA)

PT: 2 years (MSc), 18 months (PGDip/PGCert)

28 September 2026

School of Engineering

University of Warwick

Join us to play your part in the solution to global humanitarian challenges.

The course is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (ICE, IStructE, IHE, CHIT and The PWI). More information about accreditation is available on the School of Engineering website.

Humanitarian Engineering is the use of science and engineering to invent, create, design, develop, or improve technologies that promote the wellbeing of communities facing grand humanitarian challenges.

The course brings together students and professionals from a wide range of backgrounds – including law, science, education, engineering, humanities, and medicine - to tackle real-world societal challenges. You’ll work in multidisciplinary teams that reflect the collaborative approach of today’s leading global organisations.

Key themes include international development, humanitarianism, ethics, energy, global health, water and environmental management, disaster response, food security, sustainable cities, humanitarian supply chains, urban resilience, innovation through design, and mindful project management.

You’ll explore complex humanitarian challenges from multidisciplinary perspectives, developing balanced, thoughtful and effective solutions. After graduation you’ll be well-placed to work with governments (e.g. central banks, ministries of finance, rural development, and education), international development institutions (e.g. World Bank, IMF, United Nations), NGOs and the private sector (e.g. professional services, manufacturing, investment banking). You may also decide to pursue PhD studies.

Postgraduate Award, Certificate and Diploma options are specially designed to support professional development for those already working in the field or interested in humanitarian engineering.

For full details, visit the Humanitarian Engineering MSc pages on the School of Engineering website.

Each module will run intensively over one week (or two weeks, in some cases). Typically a few weeks before each module, learning materials will be provided for you to engage with the content in your preferred learning style allowing you space to apply your expertise to the subject area. Face-to-face teaching over the week block then gives you the opportunity to discuss and apply theories within the classroom.

During the week block you will participate in lectures, seminars, workshops and fieldwork, depending on your module selection. You’ll have the chance to carry on the conversations outside of the classroom and feel a real sense of camaraderie through your shared experience. After teaching has finished, you will have a number of weeks to complete assessments and prepare for the next module.

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

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

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

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 the Talis 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.

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

In certain instances we will also consider applicants with a degree result of 2:ii (or equivalent). This may be the case if an applicant has relevant professional experience (see below) in a subject relevant to the content of the course such as (but not restricted to) Engineering, Politics, International Relations or Political Science, International/Sustainable Development Studies, Sociology, Business, Geography.

Professional experience considered in the above context can be in the following areas, although this list is not exhaustive: Humanitarian Sector, International/Sustainable Development, Social Enterprise, Professional Services or Administration/Public Sector.

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

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

For more details about modules, visit the Humanitarian Engineering MSc pages on the School of Engineering website.

Optional modules

(One chosen from List A and one chosen from List B)

List A:

List B:

The Postgraduate Award, Certificate and Diploma are specially designed to support professional development for those already working in the field or interested in humanitarian engineering. Making time for work, family, and friends is important, so take advantage of our flexibility.

Each module runs over 5 days (in weekly or biweekly blocks), meaning study can fit in around other commitments and is tailored to your personal interests or development requirements.

Postgraduate Award (30 credits) 

Select any combination of core (excluding Project) and optional modules for 30 credits (2 modules).

Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) (60 credits) 

Take any combination of core modules (excluding Project) for 60 credits (4 modules) or any combination including a maximum of 30 credits of optional modules.

Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) (120 credits) 

Complete all core modules (excluding Project) for 90 credits, and any combination of optional modules for 30 credits (2 modules).

Page updates

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.