Executive Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Action (MAS) in Switzerland

At the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies we strongly believe in promoting diversity and inclusiveness.

Our scholarship programme remove barriers so that humanitarian professionals from middle- and low-income countries can benefit from our training. Thanks to our scholarships, we have a very diverse mix of students in the classroom to make sure their experience reflects the diversity of their working environments. Such diversity creates a great opportunity to hone negotiation and listening skills, both key to successful project and people management.

Each year, thanks to the financial support of the Service de la solidarité internationale of the Canton of Geneva we offer full or partial scholarships for two of our courses:

• Executive Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Action (MAS) 60 ECTS
• Executive Diploma of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Action (DAS) 30 ECTS

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We have three categories of scholarships holders:

1) Those with a full scholarship to cover their 4-month living expenses in Geneva + MAS tuition fees.

2) Those with a scholarship to cover their 4-month living expenses in Geneva (no coverage of tuition fees).

3) Those with a scholarship to cover their tuition fees for the DAS (4 residential months in Geneva from September to December 2021) but no coverage of living expenses.

Please be aware that all MAS and DAS scholarship holders have to contribute to the tuition fees with a minimum payment of CHF 1,000.

(Please note that the deposit is not part of the scholarship and must be paid by the student).

Who can apply 

Our scholarships are  open only to students who come from and work  in one of the ‘least developed’, ‘low income’ and ‘lower middle income’ countries according to the DAC list of ODA Recipients. Please note the 4th column is excluded from applying for grants: upper middle income countries and territories. 

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Application process

Do you want to apply for a scholarship? Remember to check the registration deadlines for each course and the application requirements.

Candidates can apply for a scholarship by filling in the online application form. Please remember tick the button “I would like to apply for a scholarship” that you will find inside the application form of the programme you have selected, and fill in all the financial information required.

All scholarships are allocated and administered by the centre. We expect all students to contribute towards the cost of their education. The scholarship selection committee takes into account individuals’ financial contribution. We therefore strongly advise candidates to look for other financial support options.

Other funding options

We are aware that the cost of living in Geneva is high and we provide advice and information to our students on how to live on a student budget, including a list of suitable student accommodation.

For those who pay Geneva taxes for at least one year, there is an additional funding option. Candidates can apply for a “chèque annuel de formation” (training subsidy) which amounts to a maximum of CHF 2,250. A request should be made to the OFPC (office pour l’orientation, la formation professionnelle et continue) before the start of the course, for more information, please visit this page. A video (in French) with information on this process is available here.

We also encourage candidates to check with their employer to see if training grants are available, and with their local or national government education and training programmes.

Official website