Graduate Certificate of Humanitarian Leadership

2024 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2024 course information
Award granted	Graduate Certificate of Humanitarian Leadership
Deakin course code	A540
Faculty	Faculty of Arts and Education
Online	Yes
Duration	1 year part-time
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8
The next intake for this course will be T2, 2026. This course is facilitated by the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership (CHL), Deakin University. Please note: students will have some located learning requirements

Course sub-headings

Course overview

The Graduate Certificate of Humanitarian Leadership is a uniquely intensive and challenging accredited leadership course designed for all actors involved in emergency and humanitarian responses.

Students will examine the leadership and strategic issues faced by local, national and international leaders and managers in the aid system. It helps students to critically reflect on the principles and values that underpin any humanitarian operations and explores the leadership behaviours aid workers should demonstrate to affected communities, to their teams, their organisation, and their partner agencies

Career opportunities

Designed for all actors involved in emergency and humanitarian responses, this course will transform the leadership offered by humanitarians and emergency responders and their organisations.

For more information go to DeakinTALENT.

Participation requirements

The Graduate Certificate of Humanitarian Leadership includes two intensive residential units, one held in Melbourne, Burwood Campus and the second in Semarang, Indonesia. All students are required to participate in and successfully pass these residential units in order to complete the course.

Students find these face-to-face units very fulfilling as the content of the learning becomes more personal and relationships are forged with other students and faculty.

Students should be aware that these units are very intense and challenging in nature, similar to that of a first phase emergency response. They are not the usual university classroom practices but rather intensive experiential learning.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Use the Fee estimator to see course and unit fees applicable to your course and type of place. For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Apply specialised knowledge of the historical development of the humanitarian sector and relate this knowledge to the current humanitarian context through analysing current and future sector-wide trends and applying learning, best practice in leadership, sector standards and strategies to a range of complex national and international situations.
Communication	Effectively communicate the theories and practices of leadership in operational contexts of complex humanitarian emergencies, and influence and engage a diverse variety of stakeholders to effect change.
Digital literacy	Demonstrate specialised skills to select and apply sector-specialised as well as generic digital communication technologies to conduct and critically analyse research, communicate findings and other information and build relationships to engage a diverse group of stakeholders.
Critical thinking	Review and critically analyse current local physical and political and aid environments, synthesise knowledge from a variety of stakeholders and critically reflect on current and future humanitarian trends, to propose solutions and prioritise actions in relation to complex humanitarian dilemmas.
Problem solving	Use creative and critical thinking, high level professional judgement and leadership skills to identify resources, to engage stakeholders, and to plan, implement, manage and evaluate a range of solutions and responses to complex problems and dilemmas encountered in humanitarian operations.
Self-management	Demonstrate advanced leadership behaviours through independent and reflective learning, commitment to continuing professional development, response to feedback and critical reflection on their own behaviour and its impact on others; demonstrate accountability and responsibility for personal actions and outputs as leaders in complex humanitarian emergencies.
Teamwork	Operate as a proactive and constructive team member and leader working with key stakeholders in multi-skilled, multicultural and inter-agency response teams, to positively influence the team dynamic.
Global citizenship	Demonstrate the ability to apply humanitarian principles and values, and actively engage in humanitarian operations across a variety of contexts and communities, including local, national and international, taking into consideration cultural, social, political, economic, environmental and ethical issues.
Approved by Faculty Board November 2018

Course rules

To qualify for the award of Graduate Certificate of Humanitarian Leadership, a student must successfully complete 4 credit points of study as listed below.

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.