Is this enough to work with UNHCR or a major international NGO?

It is a credible building block. UN agency roles usually require additional field experience and often a master's-level qualification. Many graduates use this advanced diploma as a stepping stone.

Does the course cover the UK asylum system?

Yes, alongside international and regional frameworks. The programme engages with how the UK system applies the Refugee Convention in practice, while noting that policy detail changes regularly.

How does the Advanced Diploma in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies differ from the master in the same area?

The master is longer, more research-led and pitched at strategic and senior roles. The advanced diploma is shorter, more applied and intended for caseworkers and advocates building their grounding.

Can I study while volunteering or working in the sector?

Yes — and many students do. Where flexible study is offered, combining the qualification with active sector experience tends to deepen learning.

Is the advanced diploma internationally recognised?

It is a UK-issued advanced diploma. Recognition by humanitarian employers internationally is generally good, though specific country and agency requirements vary.

Advanced Diploma in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies

Advanced Diploma in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies at HICL

Forced displacement is at a historical high. People work on it in field hospitals, in immigration courts, in policy units in Geneva and in church-hall casework offices in small towns. The Advanced Diploma in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies is for the people who want to do that work seriously, with a grounding in the law, the operational frameworks and the ethics that govern it.

The programme sits between a standard introductory course and a master's degree. It assumes you are committed to the field — likely already volunteering, working in advocacy or planning a deliberate move into humanitarian or protection work — and want a qualification that will be taken seriously by NGOs, casework organisations and policy teams.

What This Diploma Engages With

Content typically spans the 1951 Refugee Convention and its Protocol, regional instruments, statelessness, internal displacement, the cluster system and humanitarian coordination, protection mainstreaming, age and gender considerations, and the realities of casework in receiving countries. The Advanced Diploma in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies also engages with current debates around safe routes, non-refoulement and the politics of asylum policy in the UK and Europe.

Who This Advanced Diploma Is For

NGO caseworkers and volunteers wanting formal grounding in protection law.
Local authority staff working with unaccompanied minors or resettled families.
Legal support staff and OISC-route advisers (regulation should be checked separately).
Career-changers from teaching, social work or journalism moving into humanitarian roles.

Where Graduates Typically Go

Graduates of the Advanced Diploma in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies often progress into casework, advocacy, protection officer and programme support roles with NGOs, faith-based agencies and local authority resettlement teams. Some go on to study for a master's. International field roles with UN agencies are competitive and usually require additional experience, but this qualification is a credible building block.

How the Programme Is Delivered

Teaching combines structured input on law and policy with case-based work that reflects the messiness of real protection work — incomplete documentation, trauma-sensitive interviewing, safeguarding and the limits of what an adviser can promise. Mode of study and intake calendar are confirmed at enrolment.

Entry Requirements

Completion of secondary education or a prior diploma in a related field.
IELTS 5.5–6.0 (or equivalent) for non-native English speakers.
Minimum age 18 at enrolment.
A demonstrable interest in the sector (volunteering, advocacy or relevant work) is recommended.

Apply for the Advanced Diploma in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies

If you are committed to this work, click Enroll Now on the course page. The HICL admissions team will respond within one working day with the next steps for the Advanced Diploma in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies.