Program Description

The MA in Disaster and Emergency Management program examines international political, economic, ecological, and cultural factors, cross-jurisdictional relations, business continuity and infrastructure maintenance, health, legal and insurance issues, public safety and citizen involvement in disaster and emergency mitigation, community resiliency and post-incident recovery. Students learn how to analyze risks and develop strategic plans for mitigating the effects of complex incidents and crises.

Topics covered include: logistics and financial management, business continuity, risk assessment, knowledge and information management, systems thinking, and inter-agency coordination. Students study and develop skills in communication, conflict and crisis management, leadership, human resource and volunteer management, public education, and media management. Attention is paid to intercultural issues and the socio-psychological aspects of disaster and emergency management. Students also acquire research skills that enable them to contribute to the development of the emergency planning and disaster management field.

The four competency domains on which the program concentrates are:

• emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery and disaster management
• leadership, teamwork, communication, inter-agency collaboration
• analytical thinking, strategic planning, decision making, problem solving, conflict and crisis management
• research

MA in Disaster and Emergency Management program streams:

1. Practitioner Stream (Spring start date)
   This stream of the MA in Disaster and Emergency Management program is for those applicants who have at least five or more years of management experience in the disaster and emergency management field. Students without an undergraduate degree will be assessed under the flexible admission policy. Suitable applicants for this stream include senior and mid-level managers from public sector, private sector and not-for-profit organizations who currently possess an undergraduate degree (preferred), and/or those who have extensive direct experience/training in the field.  Such individuals include local, provincial or federal government emergency response program planners and managers, Canadian military personnel, RCMP and municipal police officers, ambulance, paramedic and health sector professionals, firefighters, risk management and business continuity professionals, insurance and disaster recovery professionals, and international humanitarian assistance professionals.
2. General Stream (Fall start date)
   This stream is geared to those with a relevant undergraduate degree who aspire to work in the field, but have less than five years of relevant disaster or emergency management experience.