Empower communities worldwide with innovative, sustainable solutions by combining engineering expertise with sociocultural knowledge.
Promoting well-being in underserved communities and reducing inequalities is not just an act of charity. If you really want to create sustainable, impactful solutions that empower communities to achieve better health, stability, and self-sufficiency, you need to take on a scientific approach – an approach that requires knowledge of engineering as well as sociocultural dynamics. Do you feel called upon to tackle complex humanitarian challenges all over the world, and develop socio-technological solutions by working together with people on location? For example, by contributing to disaster-resilient housing, developing solutions for safe water access or providing refugee camps with sustainable power solutions? Then the brand-new Master’s in Humanitarian Engineering at the University of Twente might just be what you are looking for.
In this two-year, English-taught master’s, you will develop an eye for the needs of underserved and marginalised communities in order to find and adapt technical solutions to suit their needs. Because without awareness of the local context, stakeholders and resources, engineering solutions may fall short of being effective or sustainable. So next to building technological knowhow, you will learn to integrate cultural, social, and economic factors into your design process, ensuring that the technologies are both practical and impactful.
New Master’s starting in September 2025
The brand-new Master’s in Humanitarian Engineering starts in September 2025. From then on, you can start your studies each year in September. If you need to follow a Pre-Master’s first, you can also start in September and continue with the Master’s later on.
Learn to integrate theory with practical field experience
Next to helping you gain the theoretical foundations, this Master’s places great emphasis on practical, field-based skills. The courses often involve professionals from the working field or representatives of a community, and as a student you will engage in fieldwork as well. For example, during your internship in the second year, where you will work on-location, directly with the underserved communities, learning to adapt technical solutions to meet local needs. This way, you will not just get acquainted with the latest scientific and engineering principles but also learn how to apply these concepts in diverse, real-life contexts.
Is Humanitarian Engineering the right degree for you?
The Master’s in Humanitarian Engineering is an interdisciplinary master’s programme, which means that students from many different backgrounds can join.
You might for example have a background in Civil Engineering and work on meaningful projects on disaster-resilient housing or infrastructures. Or you might have completed a Bachelor’s in the field of Biomedical Engineering and want to contribute to health-related projects in low-income countries, like building medical devices suited for low-resource settings. Or perhaps you are an electrical engineer and you are devoted to improving the connectivity or energy resources for off-grid communities. If you have a background in social sciences, you could – depending on your background – also be admitted into the Master’s in Humanitarian Engineering, as knowledge in social sciences is highly relevant in developing appropriate solutions addressing the underserved. You might then, for example, focus on engineering projects combined with sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship.
In some cases, you can only be admitted into this Master’s through a Pre-Master’s, or additional requirements might be requested.
Career perspectives
The demand for engineers with a commitment to social impact is growing as pressing global challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, poverty, hunger, conflicts and population displacement increase. So, with a Master’s degree in Humanitarian Engineering you have excellent prospects for a meaningful career in various fields, both nationally and internationally.
Jobs in Humanitarian Engineering
There is need for humanitarian engineers both in the public and private sector, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international bodies. Of course, you can also continue with a PhD after your master’s and pursue a career as a researcher, at UT or any other university worldwide, or at a research institution. Or what about starting up your own social business and launch an innovative solution to address humanitarian challenges? The choice is up to you!
Programme overview
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