Spring 2027 Humanitarian Training Courses

The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs offers online non-credit professional courses for practitioners around the world. Each professional humanitarian training course for Spring 2027 is designed to prepare current and future aid workers with the knowledge and skills needed to respond effectively to humanitarian crises and disasters.

 Individual Humanitarian Training courses include: 

  1. Humanitarian Response Management and Administration

         2. Humanitarian Advocacy

         3.  Accountability in Humanitarian Action

All Spring 2027 semester-long courses listed can be taken for three academic credits or for a Certificate of Completion for zero credits from Fordham University at a reduced cost. These courses are taught at the graduate level.

Cost with Academic Credit: View GSAS Tuition and Fees

Cost for Certificate: Visit our FAQ Section

*Course Dates: January 19, 2027 – May 17, 2027

*Course dates may vary slightly according to each syllabus. Please check with your professor.

Deadline to apply: January 5, 2026

** PLEASE READ **

Visa Requirements:

If you’re an international applicant seeking a non-immigrant visa to enter the US, please note taking this course alone does not qualify you for a student visa (F-1).

Payment:

Payment is due only after you have received your visa.

What the course fee covers:

Enrolling in any Humanitarian Training Course (HTC) will only cover the course content. None of these courses cover any form of accommodations or travel. Any personal costs will be the sole responsibility of the student.

Scholarship:

There is no funding available to support students for any of the upcoming  Humanitarian Training Courses. Whether you are enrolling as a certificate student (no academic credit) or a credit-bearing student, you will be fully responsible for paying your tuition fees.

Meet your professors
Apply today!

HUST 5014: Humanitarian Response Management and Administration (0 to 3 credits)

Asynchronous Online

This course provides an essential introduction to the management and administration of humanitarian responses, focusing on the operational realities of the sector. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how humanitarian organizations function, with an emphasis on: (i) Financial Management: Fundamentals of budget development, financial reporting, and accounting methods necessary for effective program oversight; (ii) Grant & Donor Relations: Skills for identifying funding opportunities, preparing successful proposals, and managing stakeholder expectations; (iii) Operational Planning: Tools for launching programs, establishing logistics/security, and planning for both headquarters and field-level implementation; and (iv) Human Resources: Staff management and addressing personnel challenges in emergency settings. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to apply these practical skills to navigate the complexities of humanitarian interventions effectively.

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

This course will…

  •  
Apply
Meet Professor Pierrette Quintiliani
International Disaster Management Will promote understanding of the principal determinants of disaster risk and provide an evidence-based approach to the interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral frameworks required to efficiently and effectively manage international disasters Will cover key concepts in international disaster management policy and practice Will integrate disaster epidemiology, health economics, and public administration into the disaster management mix Will enable students to think critically about the appropriate allocation and management of resources in times of crisis

Example Units:

Coming soon!   

HUST 5045 Humanitarian Advocacy (0 to 3 Credits)

Asynchronous Online

This course will prepare students for the task of advocacy in humanitarian environments, with a focus on identifying and working with invisible and vulnerable populations. Introducing the concepts of advocacy, humanitarian negotiation, and humanitarian advocacy campaign creation, students will conduct a series of projects which culminate in the creation of a humanitarian advocacy campaign. This course introduces students to the tools required to assess and analyze a humanitarian crisis (including SMART goals, interviewing and being interviewed, messaging and prioritizing). Then students research, practice, and present using the advocacy tools for real-world solutions to influence real-world stakeholders. Students will also undertake self- and peer-evaluation to raise soft skills awareness and be able to interact and ask questions of current industry professionals. Examinations of recent advocacy initiatives will help the student situate advocacy in the humanitarian delivery system in current crises today, while practice of advocacy campaign building allows students to experience how to design successful real-world campaigns.

Attributes: HUCB, PMMA.

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

Apply
Meet Professor Ann Edgerton
West African Sahel (Google image)

HUST 5082  Accountability  in Humanitarian Action (0 to 3 Credits) 

Asynchronous Online

This course will examine the values, principles, and ethical standards that humanitarian personnel must follow when engaged in humanitarian work. Adherence to these values, principles, and standards is critical in developing and maintaining beneficiary confidence, promoting a strong public image, cultivating an effective workforce, and nurturing accountability and transparency. At the end of this course, students will have a better understanding of the meaning of ethics in the context of humanitarian work; the standards of conduct applicable to humanitarian personnel; how to systematically approach ethical problem situations; key ethical and corruption risks pertaining to the humanitarian sector; how to report and deal with ethical breaches, including sexual and other interpersonal misconduct; how to make ethical decisions; and where to seek help.

Attributes: CETH, HUHR, PSIC, PSJH.

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

This course…

  •  answers: how do we know if our humanitarian work brings positive changes in people’s lives? Monitoring and evaluation are essential ways of finding out.
  • will be challenging; to complete meaningful and valuable evaluation, we need to grasp some abstract methodologies and concepts that become alive once we use practical case studies.
  • require 2 to 4 hours of reading and exercises.
Apply
Meet your Professor
Have more questions? Visit our FAQ’s page

Fast Facts

Take up to 3 courses toward the MIHA or earn individually
1
15-35 is the average class size
15
Online courses
1
Asynchronous courses
3 1

“I had the pleasure of taking your Contemporary Issues in Humanitarian Action course, which deeply influenced my perspective on global humanitarian efforts. Your course provided me with invaluable insights into the challenges faced by humanitarian actors, particularly in light of current global crises, and I often reflect on the topics that we learned throughout the course almost everyday with what I hear on the news and on social media.” 

Frederika Evans Ralph

Frederika Evans Ralph

May 2025 Master’s candidate in Ethics and Society

Meet your professors
Apply

Holly Curtis

Assistant Provost for Corporate Relations at Fordham University

Linkedin
hcurtis2@fordham.edu

Holly Curtis is an accomplished education leader, currently serving as the Assistant Provost for Corporate Relations at Fordham University. In this role, she fosters partnerships between academia and industry, driving innovative collaborations and advancing strategic goals. Prior to this, Holly was the Chief of Staff at Ascend Public Charter Schools, where she oversaw strategic planning for one of New York’s largest charter networks, and she also led MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business.
With a strong background in strategic leadership, education management, program development, and recruitment, Holly’s career began in international development with Pencils of Promise in Laos. Her work there shaped her expertise in strategic planning and talent development.

Holly holds an MBA from NYU Stern and a BA in International Political Economy from Fordham University. She is deeply committed to advancing diversity and inclusion, and is a certified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). She is also an alumna of NYU’s Global Inclusive Leadership Management Institute.

Martine van der Does

Helen Hamlyn Humanitarian Fellow and Global Program Director

Linkedin
Work Location
  • Netherlands and Jordan
m.vanderdoes@fordham.edu

Martine van der Does is a Dutch national and humanitarian expert with over 15 years of international experience. With a background in architecture she started her career working on humanitarian shelter at Delft University of Technology but soon moved to the field with Médécins sans Frontières (MSF) as a Construction Logistician. In 2010 Martine joined the Netherlands Foreign service where she worked in the Africa Department, Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid Department and served as a Diplomat in Afghanistan and Jordan. In 2018 joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Myanmar where she worked in remote areas on protection and water and habitat issues. Until recently Martine was the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Netherlands Government in Amman, Jordan. 

Martine is academically involved as a lecturer at Delft University in the Netherlands and Fordham University in New York. In the past years she also ran the prestigious International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA) as a Course Director in Geneva. Martine holds a Master of Science Degree in Architecture from Delft University of Technology and a Masters of Arts Degree in International Humanitarian Action from Fordham University. In her time off she is an active cyclist, runner, and enjoys ultraraces.

She accepted a position as Helen Hamlyn Humanitarian Fellow at the IIHA in 2024.

Seriously considering the IDHA and want to learn more? Book an appointment with Martine on the left. 

Martine hosts Corporate Humanity, a podcast produced by Fordham University’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs. 

Academic Background

Master of Science in Architecture (MSc) and Master of Arts in International Humanitarian Action (MIHA) and IDHA 24 

With the IIHA since: 2008

Current courses: IDHA and non-academic courses

In my free time I enjoy: Traveling, mountains, playing guitar and endurance sports such as long (distance) running, cycling, skiing and swimming. 

“In a world you can be anything, be kind to yourself and the people you work for and with. ”