Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience

Masters (Coursework)

The United Nations defines a disaster as a disruption of social and community function, involving so many losses and destructive impacts that affected communities and regions are unable to cope using their own resources.

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Key details

Degree Type

Masters (Coursework)

Duration

1 year full-time

Course Code

MDRR

Domestic Fees

$13,362 per year / $13,362 total

International Fees

$57,000 per year / $57,000 total

About this course

The United Nations defines a disaster as a disruption of social and community function, involving so many losses and destructive impacts that affected communities and regions are unable to cope using their own resources. Global efforts to reduce the impacts of disasters over the last decade have failed to keep up with growing exposure of people and assets to natural and other hazards, which is generating new risks and a steady rise in disaster-related losses. To reverse this trend, UN member nations ratified the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015.

The Sendai Framework calls for a broader, more people-centred, preventative approach to disaster risk reduction, in which communities, government and private sectors, civil society organisations, academia, and research institutions work together to build resilience and develop collaborative disaster risk reduction practices.

This Professional Master's degree provides an introduction to this rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field.

Entry requirements

To apply for the Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience (MDRR), you will need to have:

a bachelor's degree which is relevant to Disaster Risk and Resilience, normally with a B Grade Point Average or higher in the final year; and
15 points from STAT 100-level courses, or equivalent.
Note:
This prerequisite may be waived at the discretion of the Programme Coordinator.

If English is your additional language, you are also required to meet UC's English language requirements.

For the full entry requirements, see the Regulations for the Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience or use the admission requirements checker.

How to apply

It is recommended you apply at least a month before the start of the programme in February or July to complete the enrolment process. For more information please contact Thomas Wilson, Thomas Robinson, or Sarah Beaven at Te Kura Aronukurangi | School of Earth and Environment.

You can apply online at myUC. Find out more about how to apply for graduate and postgraduate qualifications.

Study locations

Main Campus

Career pathways

MDRR graduates are in a position to choose between proceeding into funded doctoral programmes, or pursuing careers in disaster reduction, risk assessment, hazard assessment, and environmental management and consulting, as well as in local and regional government.

Graduates have found work in consultancies locally and internationally, in NZ Crown Research Institutes, in the Ministry for Civil Defence and Emergency Management, in regional Civil Defence and Emergency management Groups, and in the private sector.

Useful information:

Read what other UC postgraduate students have gone on to achieve in their studies and careers in our student and graduate profiles.
Te Ropu Rapuara | UC Careers can help you to achieve the career you want, connect with employers, or find a job.
For research into career destinations by qualification, visit Te Pokai Tara | Universities New Zealand website.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree from UC.
Come along to an upcoming information event for prospective postgraduate students.