Humanitarian Training Courses

Spring 2026 Humanitarian Training Courses

The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs offers non-credit professional courses for practitioners around the world. Each professional course for Spring 2026 is designed to prepare current and future aid workers with the knowledge and skills needed to respond effectively to humanitarian crises and disasters.

Semester-long courses include:

Contemporary Issues in Humanitarian Action (Online)
Monitoring and Evaluation of Humanitarian Action (In-person)
The International System: Principles and Practice (In-person)
Forced Migration: The Humanitarian Challenge of the Decade (In-person)
International Humanitarian Law, Policy and Practice (In-person)

All Spring 2026 semester-long courses listed can be taken for 3 academic credits or for a Certificate of Completion 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: $990

*Course Dates: January 12, 2026 – May 11, 2026

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

** 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 Spring 2025 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.

HUST 5012: Contemporary Issues in Humanitarian Action (0 to 3 Credits)

Thursdays 5:30pm-7:15pm

Synchronous Online

HUST 5012 This course offers a deep dive into the evolving world of humanitarian response. By examining real-world crises and the challenges faced by humanitarian actors, this course provides a unique opportunity to understand how the humanitarian system is adapting to new threats and promoting localization. Through active learning and expert insights, students will gain valuable knowledge and skills to contribute to a more effective and equitable humanitarian future.

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

This course will…

allow you to practice public presentations
encourage you to contact current practitioners to gain insight into the realities in the humanitarian field today.
actively pair a current humanitarian response to the principles and origins of humanitarian action.
learn guest speakers.

Example Units:

Humanitarian Aid: Accountable to Whom, and What for?

What Does It Mean to be Food Insecure?

Humanitarian Futures: What Are Our Strengths?

Humanitarian Origins: Neo-Colonialist and Racist?

HUST 5017: The International System: Principles and Practice (0 to 3 Credits)

Tuesdays, 5:30pm – 7:15 pm I Lincoln Center

This course provides a critical, practice-oriented introduction to the international humanitarian system. Students will examine the historical evolution of humanitarian action, from early relief efforts and post–World War II institutions to today’s complex network of United Nations (UN) agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donor states and local actors, among others. The course explores the legal frameworks, normative foundations, and humanitarian principles that guide global action, while reviewing the dilemmas that shape response in crises. Special emphasis
will be placed on contemporary challenges, such as protection of civilians, accountability to affected populations, climate-related crises, digital technologies, and the humanitarian–development–peace nexus – equipping students to engage critically with debates on the future of humanitarian aid. Guest practitioners from the UN system and NGOs may contribute, ensuring a direct connection to field realities and policy discussions. This course is intended for students and professionals seeking to work in humanitarian action, or in fields that work alongside humanitarian actors, as well as for those wishing to deepen their understanding of how the international system responds to crises worldwide. This course is open to seniors.

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

HUST 5035: Forced Migration: The Humanitarian Challenge of the Decade (0-3 Credits)

Wednesdays, 5:30 pm – 7:15 pm | Lincoln Center

This course will provide students with a thorough overview of the
issues relating to forced displacements and migrations of people around the world. Students will learn of the international legal frameworks under which different types of migration are defined and legislated for. They will also learn from eye witnesses and historical accounts of the impact forced migrations have had on individuals and communities including people smuggling, trafficking, exploitation and modern slavery. Course material includes lectures, readings and multimedia presentations.

Migration is a growing phenomena which is often at the top of the agenda in the media, political discourse, government policy and public opinion. Unfortunately it is also the source of much misinformation and prejudice. When migration is forced, assistance to those displaced becomes a major focus of activity for humanitarians, their donors, the governments and communities of affected countries. This course will enable students to confidently engage on the issue of migration. In their future careers they will be enabled to interact with policy makers, those who implement policy and external actors in a knowledgeable, evidence based manner, demonstrating leadership and clarity of thought.

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

HUST 5016. Monitoring and Evaluation of Humanitarian Action (0 to 3 Credits)

Mondays, 5:30 pm – 7:15 pm | Lincoln Center

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the principles and methods of assessing humanitarian programs. By learning how to design and implement effective monitoring and evaluation strategies, students will gain the skills necessary to make informed judgments about the success of humanitarian interventions and contribute to more evidence-based decision-making in the field.

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.

Example Units:

HUST 5600: International Humanitarian Law, Policy and Practice (0 to 3 Credits)

Fridays, 5:30 pm – 7:15 pm | Rose Hill

This course will explore the development and application of
International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict. IHL is a set of rules that, in times of armed conflict, seeks to protect people who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities, and to restrict the means and methods of warfare. The rules of IHL aim
to balance military necessity against fundamental principles of humanity. IHL also provides a normative framework to facilitate the delivery of aid by humanitarian organizations engaged in mitigating the suffering caused by armed conflict. Students will examine treaty law which forms the legal bases for IHL; in particular the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their additional protocols of 1977, in addition to customary international law. Students will study the principles of proportionality, distinction between military objectives and civilian objects and precautions in attack. They will also become familiar with weapons restrictions and prohibitions. This course is open to seniors.

This course will encourage students to consider…

What is international humanitarian law?
How is it created, interpreted, applied, and enforced, and how does it evolve?
How does it intersect with other branches of public international law, mainly international criminal law and international human
rights law?
This course will include case studies to illustrate principles and concepts.

Fast Facts

Take up to 1-5 online and/or in-person courses

15-35 is the average class size

In-person courses

Online courses

1 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

May 2025 Master’s candidate in Ethics and Society