Humanitarian Policy and Practice (Graduate Certificate)

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Offered by the School of International Service , the Humanitarian Policy and Practice (Graduate Certificate) prepares students to work in the humanitarian sector. Students are equipped with foundational understanding of the humanitarian field including scholarly, policy, and ethical debates in addition to acquiring relevant professional skills and methods. Students must complete a curricular and a co-curricular component.

Admission to the Program

This certificate is available to students currently enrolled in an American University graduate degree program. It is also open to students with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution. Applicants must submit their official transcripts along with a one-page statement of purpose.

Non-native English speakers are required to submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) unless they hold a degree from a U.S.-accredited institution before enrollment at SIS. The minimum TOEFL score for full admission consideration is 100 on the Internet-based test (iBT) or 600 on the paper-based test (PBT). The minimum IELTS score is 7.0.

Certificate Requirements

12 credit hours with grades of C or better
Complete a designated SIS Humanitarian Response co-curricular activity
Compliance with all regulations for a certificate (Graduate Academic Regulations 4.11 , 5 , 6 )

Course Requirements

Competence Acquisition (9 Credit Hours)

Foundational

Complete 3 credit hours from the following, or other humanitarian response-related course approved by Faculty Advisor:

SIS-619 Special Studies in International Politics (1-6) :
Laws, Ethics, Dilemmas, and Ways Forward

Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Intervention

Professional Skills and Methods

Complete 3 credit hours from the following, or other humanitarian response-related course approved by Faculty Advisor:

SIS-730 Skills Institutes in International Affairs (1) :
Acquiring and Managing Consulting Projects

Briefing Policymakers

Building Cross-Sector Partnerships

Building Resilience

Conflict-Sensitive Programming

Culturally Responsive Program Design

Data Visualization: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques

Ethics for International Service

Fundraising and Grantwriting

Green Recovery and Reconstruction Toolkit

Media Relations in Conflict Zones

Program Design, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

Project Management: Leading Projects with Agility

Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters

Smartphone Media Production

Writing Op-Eds
SIS-750 Research and Professional Methods in International Affairs (3)

Concentration

Complete 3 credit hours from one of the following concentrations, or other humanitarian response-related course approved by Faculty Advisor:

Migration (3 credit hours)

SIS-635 Advanced Topics in Development Management (3) : Migration, Displacement, and Health
SIS-712 Advanced Topics in Global Governance, Politics, and Security (3) : Refugees, Migration, and Trafficking

Conflict and Peacebuilding (3 credit hours)

SIS-619 Special Studies in International Politics (1-6) :
Conflict and Peacebuilding in Africa

Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Intervention

Human Rights (3 credit hours)

SIS-619 Special Studies in International Politics (1-6) : Global South Framing of Human Needs and Human Rights

Global Health (3 credit hours)

SIS-635 Advanced Topics in Development Management (3) : Program Planning in Global Health

Competence Application (3 Credit Hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from one of the following related to humanitarian action and approved by Faculty Advisor: