Master in Disaster & Emergency Management

The Master in Disaster & Emergency Management is a unique program developed in response to the growing recognition of the urgent need for graduate-level education in this new and important field. Business, industry, government and non-profit sectors increasingly recognize the necessity of having better-educated planners and policymakers at senior levels who can bring to bear a sophisticated analytical perspective informed by current research.

The program takes both a theoretical and problem-oriented approach to Disaster & Emergency Management, exploring beyond simple cause-and-effect models to consider the complex interactions between environmental, social and technological systems. Students acquire the knowledge and understanding needed to pursue and enter a career in the field of disaster management, or to engage in more advanced studies. Studying on either a full-time or part-time basis in a flexible program that allows the pursuit of students’ own areas of special interest, they learn from an impressive group of academics with expertise in areas like environmental risks and management, natural hazards, business continuity, emergency planning, decision-making, leadership, public health, humanitarianism, crisis management, war, and complex emergencies.

The program is intended for those with an academic background in emergency and disaster management as well as those aspiring to become disaster and emergency management professionals. It is designed to build on a student’s existing foundational knowledge to develop the knowledge needed for mid to senior-level emergency managers. For applicants with nonstandard qualifications, opportunities exist to acquire this foundational knowledge before beginning the program.

The Graduate Program in Disaster & Emergency Management can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Entry is fall term.

_{Former MDEM student Catherine Kenny speaks about her experience completing a Major Research Paper as part of her MDEM degree. The program enabled her to specialize in refugee affairs, and graduate with a joint diploma in Refugee and Migration Studies. Catherine discuss the vibrant emergency management community at the university and how what she learned throughout the program is helping her in her current job.}