MSc Crisis and Disaster Management
Southsea, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
GBP 8,100 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for full time: £8100, part time: £4,050 per year for UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students/EU residents I Full time: £17,000 Part time: £8,500 per year : international students
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
This course offers an exciting opportunity to learn about environmental and manmade hazards, vulnerability and risk, planning and logistics, disaster response and crisis management. You’ll develop your skills as a confident, professional emergency planner and responder, able to manage people and situations in the field.
Uniquely to Portsmouth, students participate in SIMEX – the UK’s largest annual international disaster response simulation exercise – for responders and agencies to practise and learn from the disaster response.
You'll graduate with the skills you need for a successful career in emergency planning and disaster management and response, either in the governmental or non-governmental sectors, anywhere in the world. You'll also get transferable skills in project planning, data analysis and communication, putting you in a strong position to pursue a career in other industries.
Course highlights
- Learn new skills, including disaster management techniques, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing for mapping, social surveying methods, approaches to risk analysis, and the design of emergency management training exercises.
- Be supported by expert staff and practitioners who are active in the field, with extensive industrial and consultancy experience working for government agencies, businesses and NGOs.
- Have the opportunity to complete a work placement with an emergency planning, crisis management or disaster response organisation and complete a final project based on your experience.
- Take part in field training with the UK and international emergency services, the military and NGOs, building your skills in emergency management, disaster response and safety issues within hazardous environments.
- Gain transferable skills such as project planning, data analysis, report writing, teamwork, presentation and communication.
- Hear from experts with organisations such as the Red Cross, NHS, local authorities, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, the armed forces, Oil Spill Response, NGOs, humanitarian and United Nations agencies.
- Careers our graduates have progressed into including emergency management and response for 'blue light' services (police, ambulance, coast guard, fire and rescue), city and county council contingency planning, the oil industry, and risk management and continuity specialists in the business.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
Full-time
In this course, you'll study four core modules and one optional module.
Core
- Disaster Management: Techniques and Study Visits – 30 credits
- Disasters: Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk – 30 credits
- Emergency Management and Planning – 30 credits
- Research Project – 60 credits
Optional
- Humanitarian Action and Response – 30 credits
- Crisis Management and Governance – 30 credits
Part-time
Year 1
In the first year of this course, you'll study two core modules and one optional module.
Core
- Disasters: Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk – 30 credits
- Disaster Management: Techniques and Study Visits – 30 credits
Optional
- Crisis Management and Governance – 30 credits
- Humanitarian Action and Response – 30 credits
Year 2
In the second year of this course, you'll study three core modules.
Core
- Emergency Management and Planning – 30 credits
- Research Project – 60 credits
Placements and industry connections
You'll get the opportunity to undertake voluntary work placements within emergency planning or disaster management organisations in the UK or overseas. In most cases, these placements will form the basis of your research project. This will benefit your studies, but it’s also a great way to gain valuable work experience.
Many students have undertaken their research projects abroad, in destinations including the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Montserrat, Sierra Leone, Tenerife, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the USA – we can help you make these connections plan your placements.
Throughout the course, you'll have opportunities to listen to guest speakers from organisations such as:
- the Police
- the Red Cross
- NHS
- local authorities and councils
- the Environment Agency
- Applied Resilience
- Oil Spill Response
- International Red Cross
- Save the Children
- the United Nations
Career Opportunities
When you graduate, you'll have the knowledge and practical skills needed for a career in the emergency planning, crisis management or disaster response sectors anywhere in the world. The research and analytical components of the course will support you in applying for research positions, for example, at PhD level.
Graduates of this course have gone into areas such as:
- Humanitarian agencies and NGOs
- Emergency management
- Emergency logistics and contingency planning
- Flood management
- Military-civilian emergency liaisons
- (Re)insurance and risk management
- Utility companies
- Civil defence
- Disaster relief
- Epidemiology
Graduates of this course have gone onto roles such as:
- Built environment lecturer
- Auditor
- Technical adviser
- Emergency planning and resilience officer
- Business resistance executive
- Catastrophe analyst
- Civil contingencies officer
- Emergency planning and resilience officer
- Policy and international engagement advisor
- Technical adviser
Career planning
During your course, you'll have expert career support from your tutors and our Careers and Employability Centre – which you can access for up to 5 years after you graduate.
You'll benefit from
- Networking events
- Applied projects with employers
- 1-to-1 appointments
- CV and cover letter advice
- Interview preparation and practice
- Workshops to enhance your employability skills
- Recruitment events, including the Student and Graduate Opportunities Fair
- Support starting your own business