Offered to continuing students only. The final intake to this course was in Trimester 3, 2026.
Students should contact Student Central for course, course map and enrolment information. Further course structure information can be found in the handbook archive.
Duration
1 year full-time (2 years part-time) - 8 credit points
1.5 years full-time (3 years part-time) - 12 credit points
The time and cost could be reduced based on your previous qualifications and professional experience. The Master of Humanitarianism and Development is typically 1 or 1.5 years duration. See entry requirements below for more information.
Engage in disciplinary research to critically analyse the major theoretical, conceptual and policy issues in development, humanitarian action, and disaster response / management, both locally and internationally, with a focus on engagement with communities and community-led responses to the world’s crises, including climate change, food insecurity, conflict and disasters, inequality and injustice, racism and exclusion.
Use oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills to disseminate the findings of research into complex multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral issues for improving social, environmental, and economic outcomes including global justice, peace, sovereignty, community resilience, and transformations of power to a wide range of specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Research, analyse, report, and communicate complex data and information on contemporary issues in international and community development, global justice, disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action, utilising a range of digital sources for effective research and professional development, across interpersonal, organisational, and professional contexts.
Conduct in-depth scholarly and practice-based research to investigate, synthesise, critically analyse, report, and propose actions on local and global issues such as global justice, disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action and opportunities, in the context of historical and contemporary development and humanitarian discourse.
Apply advanced skills in research, comprehension, interpretation and evaluation of theory, critique and proposed innovative responses to complex situations or “wicked” problems encountered in a range of community, development, humanitarian, and disaster contexts, with creativity, innovation, and respect.
Plan, organise and manage competing demands on time, to work mindfully in a personal and professional capacity, whilst committing to ongoing learning, and performing as an independent and reflective practitioner capable of operating effectively in the context of developing community-led solutions to the world’s crises.
Work collaboratively as an active, engaged, and reflective team member seeking solutions to the world’s problems by contributing to mutual goals, research, tasks and leadership across practice, cultures, and disciplines, demonstrating active and constructive participation and contributions to resolving impasses and conflict.
Question, engage, provoke, and innovate on a broad and interrelated range of social justice, environmental, development and humanitarian issues taking into consideration cross-cultural, indigenous, local and global knowledges, contexts, and perspectives that can inform the development of creative solutions for the world’s crises.
Approved at Faculty Board 2023
Note – From 2026, Deakin commenced introducing Graduate Attributes (GAs), which define the distinctive characteristics of a Deakin graduate. You may notice some courses still refer to Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) during this transition period.
Course rules
To complete the Master of Humanitarianism and Development you must pass 8 or 12 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate. The exact number of credit points you study depends on how much credit you receive as recognition of prior learning (RPL):
DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in your first study period
1 credit point of core units
7 or 11 credit points (depending upon entry point) from:
one pathway option
Minor Thesis - PhD Pathway
Research Paper - non PhD Pathway
Professional Experience - non PhD Pathway
at least one stream
any remaining credit points can be chosen from a stream and/or course electives.
Most units are equal to one credit point. As a full-time student you will study four credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters per year.
Plus either 5 or 9 credit points of course electives used to form at least one stream
^ The Research Paper and Professional Experience options are not PhD Pathways.
Streams
Students may select units within or across the streams as detailed below. To complete a stream students must complete 3 out of 4 elective units within a stream. Students may complete more than one stream.
Introduction to Humanitarianism, Development and Disasters
ADS711 Non-Government Organisations and other Development Actors [No longer available for enrolment]
ADS722 Private Sector Development: Corporations, Social-Enterprise and Microfinance [No longer available for enrolment]
AHA721 Humanitarian Knowledge and Principles [No longer available for enrolment]
AHA722 Program Design [No longer available for enrolment]
AHL701 Principles of Humanitarianism and Disaster Management [No longer available for enrolment]
Fees and charges
Tuition fees will vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, your study load and/or unit discipline.
Your tuition fees will increase annually at the start of each calendar year. All fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD) and do not include additional costs such as textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment, mandatory checks, travel, consumables and other costs.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.
