Master of Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development

University of Newcastle

About Master of Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development

This program is delivered through CIFAL Newcastle, a United Nations training centre with a focus on disaster resilience and sustainable development, which is hosted at the University of Newcastle. The United Nations has partnered with the University to develop the Master of Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development. Students in this program develop the best practice knowledge and skills needed to implement the new UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Master of Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development equips people from diverse backgrounds to understand resilience and sustainable development principles, and systematically apply them to avoid disasters, operate through extreme events and emerge better placed to face the future.

Organisations around the world are realising that by championing sustainable development, they can not only save lives and revenue, but also achieve a competitive advantage and lead the way within their industry. They seek to become more resilient in the face of disasters by mitigating risks and reducing their impact. If your role involves identifying, mitigating and managing business, safety or environmental risks – or if you aspire to such a position – this program will place you at the forefront of your field

What you will study

This the first and only degree to contain UN co-certification in the use of tools and frameworks central to resilience building and achieving sustainable development.

It contains core elements related to disaster resilience and sustainable development that are underpinned by a practical grounding and application of the UN-SDGs and Sendai Framework and the development of disaster risk reduction and management skills.

Core courses include:

Theory and Practice of Disaster Management
Policy and Social Considerations in Disaster Management
Disaster Resilient Economics
Government Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction
Private Sector Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction
Sustainable Development and the 2030 Development Agenda
Professional Practice in Disaster Risk Management
Professional Practice Research Project

Depending on your entry level, you will also complete between one and eight courses from a list of directed courses. These include courses in community development, sustainable development, and related areas of:

project management
law
business management
environmental management
social sciences

Entry options and duration

This program recognises prior learning. Admission is available to applicants who can demonstrate a suitable combination of education, professional experience and industry qualifications.

The tables below outline the number of years experience required, depending on your previous educational qualifications.

Pathway one

Educational Qualification	Number of years relevant industry experience	Units required to complete Masters
A three year bachelor degree	One	120: 80 units core courses + 40 units directed

Pathway two

Educational Qualification	Number of years relevant industry experience	Units required to complete Masters
A three year bachelor degree	Five	80 of core courses
A four year bachelor (hons) degree	Zero	80 of core courses
A three year bachelor degree plus a relevant graduate certificate or graduate diploma	Zero	80 of core courses

Pathway three

Educational Qualification	Number of years relevant industry experience	Units required to complete Masters
A three year bachelor degree PLUS the UON Graduate Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction	Zero	80 units: 40 units of core courses + 40 units directed courses
A four year bachelor (hons) degree PLUS the UON Graduate Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction	Zero	80 units: 40 units of core courses + 40 units directed courses
A three year bachelor degree PLUS the UON Graduate Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction	Five	80 units: 40 units of core courses + 40 units directed courses

Pathway four

Educational Qualification	Number of years relevant industry experience	Units required to complete Masters
Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree	Five	160 units: 80 units of core courses + 80 units of directed courses
A three year bachelor degree	Zero	160 units: 80 units of core courses + 80 units of directed courses

Pathway five

Educational Qualification	Units required to complete Masters
Applicants holding an advanced diploma or associate degree which is not accompanied by employment in a disaster-relevant role or work experience are eligible for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction. Upon completion of the graduate certificate, students will be eligible for admission to the Master of Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development with 40 units credit	160 units: 40 units core courses + 80 units directed courses + 40 units credit from Graduate Certificate

Entry Requirements

There are four pathways into the Master of Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development (MDRSD) program:

1. Direct entry into the MDRSD program (120 units) is available for applicants who have:

a three year bachelor degree and a minimum of one year of work experience in a role that is deemed to be disaster-relevant

2. Direct entry into the MDRSD program (80 units) is available for applicants who have:

a three year bachelor degree and five years' work experience in a role that is deemed to be disaster-relevant; or
a four year honours bachelor degree, or a three year bachelor degree plus a relevant graduate certificate or graduate diploma

3. Direct entry into the MDRSD program (80 units) is available for applicants who have:

a three year bachelor degree and five years' work experience in a role that is deemed to be disaster-relevant plus the UON Graduate Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction
a four year honours bachelor degree, or a three year bachelor degree plus the UON Graduate Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction

4. Direct entry into the MDRSD program (160 units) is available for applicants who have:

an advanced diploma or associate degree and five years' work experience in a role that is deemed to be disaster-relevant; or
a three year bachelor degree which is not accompanied by employment in a disaster-relevant role or work experience

5. Indirect entry into the MDRSD program via the Graduate Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction (GCDRR). Upon completion of the GCDRR, students would be eligible for admission into the MDRSD program (160 units) with 40 units of credit. This entry path is available for applicants who have:

an advanced diploma or associate degree which is not accompanied by employment in a disaster-relevant role or work experience.

Relevant work experience will be assessed using the following information:

An applicant statement detailing current role and work experience that is disaster-related
A statement of service relating to disaster-related employment
A comprehensive curriculum vitae

English Program Requirements

All Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the University’s English proficiency requirement. Further information regarding English language proficiency requirements can be found at the English Language Proficiency for Admission Policy here.

Applicants for this program must satisfy a minimum English Language Proficiency Standard equivalent to an IELTS overall minimum of 6.5 with no subtest result below 6.0

English Requirements

Min IELTS: 6.5

Career

The Master of Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development is designed to appeal to those in management positions in private and public sector organisations, as well as those in NGOs and civil society, whose work involves resilience-building through the mitigation of impacts arising out of extreme events, which can be as varied as natural disasters, data breaches, political instability, terror attacks or health epidemics.

The term 'Resilience Officer' is being increasingly used by organisations to describe this role, though many have yet to embrace the terminology. Nevertheless, elements of this job role will be familiar to those who work in local government, planning and implementing strategies for town planning, urban and rural development, community safety and service continuity in times of emergency.

In the private sector this is mirrored by business continuity, environmental protection, risk management, disaster recovery planning, emergency and crisis management and workplace health and safety functions. Given the financial implications posed by risk, this program is also highly relevant to those managing and minimising risk and insurance cover.

There is also clear alignment between those employed in the emergency services and the planning and implementation of risk mitigation programs, and this is mirrored in the NGO and voluntary sectors including community-based organisations.

Following the recent disasters in Australia and globally, the need for expanded professional roles to support resilience building has become important and this program prepares graduates for such roles.

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Course Summary

Study level

Postgraduate

Discipline

Social Studies and Media

Cricos

095159B

Duration

2 years

Study mode

On Campus

Fee*

A$62,910 per year

University Summary

AU Ranking: 11

QS Ranking: =197

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