Graduate Certificate of Humanitarian Leadership
2025 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2025 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 |
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
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Course Learning Outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Fees and charges
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.
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 at Faculty Board November 2018
Course rules
To complete the Graduate Certificate of Humanitarian Leadership students must pass 4 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
- 4 credit points of core units
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.
Note:
- This course is part-time only.
Course structure
Students must complete 5 units (totalling 4 credit points) from:
| AHL701 | The Humanitarian World |
| AHL702 | Developing Humanitarian Leadership |
| AHL703 | Leadership in Humanitarian Operations |
| AHL704 | Demonstrating Strategic Leadership in Humanitarian Contexts |
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit point compulsory unit) |
Course duration
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.
Further information
Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.
- Contact Student Central
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 or 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.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.