Humanitarian Services Administration

This Humanitarian Services Administration degree is designed to meet the educational needs of individuals involved or interested in humanitarian assistance programs, whether in disaster relief or sustainability programs. Students will develop theoretical and professional knowledge to operate and conduct humanitarian response missions with non-governmental, governmental, and international organizations.

This program provides students with the broad base knowledge and skills to conduct successful sustainable community renewal and disaster relief programs. Graduates will be efficient and flexible enough to meet immediate local needs in disaster areas, including nutrition, water resources, and the control and prevention of infectious disease.

Students can choose electives related to disaster relief and/or sustainability depending on their interests.

The MPS requires 36 graduate-level credits that include 30 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours of a capstone project towards the end of the program. The MPS also includes an issues-based course as a two-week on-site residency requirement.

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Please Note:
Beginning summer 2008, course numbers have changed. The old course numbers are in parenthesis. When registering for classes, please use the new numbers.

Check the schedule of courses for dates and times before registering.  To see course syllabi, click on the course links below.

Core MPS Courses (9 credits)

• Organizational Behavior MGMT 5637 (MGMT 337)
• Program Evaluation GPPS 5347 (GPPS 347)
• Quantitative Analysis GPPS 5357 (GPPS 357)

Core HSA Courses (12 credits)

• Community Development for Local Capacity Building HSA 5323 (HSA 323)
• International Human Rights HSA 5332 (HSA 332)
• Issues in Humanitarian Studies HSA 5312 (HSA 312)
• Complex Humanitarian Emergencies Seminar HSA 5302 (HSA 302)

• Advocacy and Grassroots Development HSA 5325(HSA 325)
• Gender and International Development HSA 5324 (HSA 324)
• Issues in Economic Development GPPS 5325 (GPPS 325)
• Nutrition During Human Emergencies HSA 5304 (HSA 304)
• Poverty and Public Health HSA 5303 (HSA 303)
• Principles of Sustainability HSA 5305 (HSA 305)

MPS Capstone Project GPPS 5397 (GPPS 397): (6 credits)

Towards the end of the MPS program, students will select, with faculty approval, a topic for a major project that demonstrates the student’s ability to define, analyze, evaluate, and recommend actions or solutions to deal with a major issue, problem, or opportunity within the field of study.

• Capstone Projects may include job-related field projects, integrative analyses of professional literature and published research, original research projects, and comprehensive project proposals for adoption by third parties.
• In all cases, the Capstone Project is intended to demonstrate an extensive understanding of the topic area selected, the ability to develop an integrative and systemic analysis of a problem, and the ability to identify appropriate solutions and recommendations.
• A written report documenting all aspects of the project will be presented for faculty approval.

MPS Residency

The MPS program requires students to complete a professional residency. Consistent with the criteria for the MPS Capstone Project, each residency will be subject to the approval of the student’s advisory committee. Appropriate residencies are those designed to: (a) provide students with an opportunity to develop a sense of affiliation and identification with the program and the university; (b) provide students with an opportunity for scholarly dialogue related to their capstone project; or (c) provide students with an opportunity for professional socialization by developing relationships with peers, faculty, and practitioners in the field. Examples of appropriate residencies include but are not limited to sessions at the Storrs campus, attendance and participation in approved regional national or international professional conferences.

For more information on the Humanitarian Services Administration Program please contact:

Dr. Rodney Allen
r.allen@uconn.edu
860-486-6490

Donna Lee Campbell

donna.campbell@uconn.edu

860-486-0184