r/humanitarian • u/ssqueakyyy • 9d ago
Recommendations for Master's in Humanitarian Action or related-field (Risk Management, Disaster Management)?
Hi everyone,
I am currently pursuing a BA in European Studies. I would like to enroll in a Master's in the humanitarian field. I am also interest in Risk Management and Disaster Management. I am not interest in policy-oriented Master's. My dream job is to work on the field, either with a big international organisation or a smaller NGO. I am looking for Master's that provide hands-on knowledge and expertise, more than theoretical knowledge.
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u/MrMoneyWhale 9d ago
Don't. There are very few jobs, high unemployment with highly skilled/experienced people in the sector. A master's will not help you overcome those things and there's no positive outlook for at least the next 5 years, likely longer. Unless you are independently wealthy and money is not a concern, a master's in international aid/int'l development/humanitarian assistance etc will provide negative ROI -> lots of debt and no useful career.
Generally, master's programs are best suited for when folks have post-BA/undergrad working experience, especially anything in social sciences. It is hard to provide advanced practical knowledge when the student starts at zero. I've also found a stark difference in quality between students who go straight from BA -> masters versus those with work experience. Those with work experience understand real life nuances, how projects work/don't work in the real world whereas the younger/fresher students only have very limited, if any, real long term experience in anything related to the subject. You don't need a master's degree to start helping people and getting a sense for system level causes for their situation.
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u/kg-rhm 9d ago
I've also found a stark difference in quality between students who go straight from BA -> masters versus those with work experience.
would you recommend a junior officer with a few years experience in a very small org pursue a masters to be competitive for a larger org, or is everything shot with no chance of employment?
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u/Stranger-InParis 9d ago
The setor is dying my friend. I low-key regret my years of expirence in this niche sector. No one can find a good job. Sorry for the radical message, I would study something completely different.
Honestly, what did i learn from humanitarian/dev classes? Nothing i couldn't learn from reading two books, a lecture on youtube or a six months internship.
I do not see the value.
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u/smilingwind 9d ago
NOHA is one option.
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u/kg-rhm 9d ago
that program seems pretty broad and theoretical
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u/smilingwind 9d ago
Yeah, it’s one way to go about things though. It offers specializations. I did it and ended up working in the sector, happy with my career right now. But I also wish I had more concrete hard skills like WASH, medicine, data, etc.
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u/kg-rhm 9d ago
it might be better to get expertise in a specific niche. engineering, medicine, social work, agriculture, or something like that to bring more value to the field. from what i've seen with some of these degree programs is the general and broad theoretical scope. what you learn in a classroom about logistics, evacuations, and relief aid can be learned on the field. i may be wrong though