Online and In-Person Humanitarian Training Courses

Humanitarian Training Courses

The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs offers credit/non-credit professional courses for practitioners around the world. Each professional course for Spring 2025 is designed to prepare current and future aid workers with the knowledge and skills needed to respond effectively to humanitarian crises and disasters.

Upcoming Spring 2025 courses include:

Course dates: January 13 - May 12, 2025

Below you will find the descriptions and outlines for each course. 

You will also find FAQs and contact information regarding registration, fees, course materials and structures at the bottom of the page.

Applications for humanitarian training courses are open. All courses listed on this page are one semester long. 

Upon fulfilling the course requirements described in the syllabus, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from Fordham University.

If you are interested in pursuing credit for any of the classes below, please email us at [email protected]. 

HUST 5012: Contemporary Issues in Humanitarian Action. (0 to 3 Credits)

Online

This course will introduce students to the pressing issues and acute challenges of contemporary humanitarian response through three modules on (1) Threats and Vulnerabilities, (2) Accountability in Humanitarian Response, and (3) Innovations in Humanitarian Response. The aim of the course is to examine how the international community forms consensus regarding best practices, and how this, in turn, informs humanitarian practice.

Attributes: PMMA, PSIC, PSJH.

Upon fulfilling the course requirements described in the syllabus, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from Fordham University.

Meet your professor here

HUST 5350. Climate Change in the West African Sahel: Impact on Water and Migration. (0 to 3 Credits) 

In Person

This course will examine the impact of climate change on societies, cultures, and economies in the West African Sahel, which includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Nigeria. The Sahel, a transitional zone between the Sahara Desert and the savanna in sub-Saharan Africa, has been particularly affected by climate change, which has led to unpredictable rainfall and drought. This is also an area of significant out-migration to other parts of Africa and Europe. Considering the movement of Sahelian populations in search of areas with heavier rainfall or irrigation, this course aims to examine the interdependence existing between climate change, conflict, and migration in order to confront the challenges facing rural and urban development in the Sahel. The course goes beyond approaches focused on the physical and chemical aspects of water to develop a constructive perspective, valuing local and international responses to climate change and water management.

Attributes: HULI, PSEV, PSJH, URSG.

Upon fulfilling the course requirements described in the syllabus, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from Fordham University.

Meet your professor here

HUST 4200: Forced Migration and Humanitarian Action. (4 Credits)

Online

Forced migration is a central issue in the provision of humanitarian and assistance. This course will examine the causes of forced migration, including violent conflict, natural disasters, development projects, human trafficking and others, and will use a variety of case studies to examine international responses to forced migration, the migrant experience, legal and human rights around migration, and the role of human agencies and NGOs in responding to forced migration. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.

Attributes: HPSE, INST, ISIN, LAHA, LALS, PJCR, PJST.

Upon fulfilling the course requirements described in the syllabus, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from Fordham University.

Meet your professor here

HUST 5600. International Humanitarian Law: Policy and Practice. (0 to 3 Credits)

In Person 

This course will explore the development and application of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict. IHL is a set of rules that, in times of armed conflict, seeks to protect people who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities, and to restrict the means and methods of warfare. The rules of IHL aim to balance military necessity against fundamental principles of humanity. IHL also provides a normative framework to facilitate the delivery of aid by humanitarian organizations engaged in mitigating the suffering caused by armed conflict. Students will examine the rules of international customary law, as well as treaty law, which form the legal bases for IHL; in particular the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their two additional protocols of 1977, and the Hague Regulations of 1907. Students will also study the principles of proportionality and distinction between military objectives and civilian objects, as well as the prohibition against means of combat that lead to unnecessary suffering and superfluous injury, which underpin this body of law. Questions to consider throughout the course include: What is international humanitarian law? How is it created, interpreted, applied, and enforced, and how does it evolve? How does it intersect with other branches of public international law, mainly international criminal law and international human rights law? This course will use case studies to illustrate principles and concepts.

Attribute: HUHR.

Meet your professor here

HUST 5016. Monitoring and Evaluation in Humanitarian Response. (0 to 3 Credits) 

In Person

This course will introduce students to the principles and theoretical frameworks behind data collection and analysis in the context of humanitarian response. It will cover qualitative and quantitative research methods used in humanitarian program monitoring and evaluation (M&E). The aim is to give students an overview of basic methodologies utilized in the field as well as the tools to determine appropriate M&e strategies in various humanitarian settings.

Attribute: PMMA.

Meet your professor here

HUST 5200. Human Rights Protections for Vulnerable Groups. (0 to 3 Credits)

In Person

This course will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to international practices and norms concerning the protection of vulnerable populations in humanitarian emergencies. The past 20 years of international humanitarian interventions has given rise to standardization of humanitarian activities, with a particular emphasis on protection practices. Students will gain an understanding of the landscape of organizations and entities involved in designing these frameworks and assess their efficacy and continued relevance to protecting vulnerable groups.

Attributes: GSSC, HUHR, PMMA.

Meet your professor here

 

Returning Fall 2025- Listen to Professor James Shepherd-Barron as he introduces his class, International Disaster Management.

Returning Fall 2025 - Listen to Lynne Jones, Professor of Mental Health in Complex Emergencies (MHCE), answer common questions about our most popular course. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • These semester-long courses can be taken for 3 academic credits or for a Certificate of Completion from Fordham University at a reduced cost.

    Cost with Academic Credit: View GSAS Tuition and Fees

    Cost for Certificate: $990

  • To apply to an Online Humanitarian Training Course:

    • Create an application
    • Select "Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs"
    • Select Online Humanitarian Training Course
    • Select credit option
    • Select online course or courses

  • When taking the course for a Certificate of Completion, students must pay the fee listed under the course and fulfill the course requirements described in the syllabus. Upon completion of the requirements, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from Fordham University.

  • Each course is taught in an asynchronous format where professors will upload weekly units on Monday. Each professor may propose a few live online sessions throughout the semester. However, if this is the case, they will work with students on scheduling the synchronous meetings, which will not be mandatory and will be recorded and made available to students who cannot attend.

  • Upon registering for each course, students are provided with access to Fordham's E-Learning system, Blackboard. Blackboard is the platform by which students will access all course materials, including the course lectures, readings, discussion boards, and other interfaces designed to enable students and professors to interact and engage throughout the course.

  • For all registration inquiries, please connect with Lucianny De Leon, IIHA Programs Coordinator, at [email protected] or call (718) 817-5732.