Disaster Management and Resilience MSc

Postgraduate
Conversion course

Close up of an erupting volcano with molten lava and smoke

Disaster impacts economies, destroys homes and plunges an ever-increasing number of people into poverty. Discover how you can help mitigate the effects of and respond to a range of disasters.

Year of entry

2024-25 2025-26

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time

Duration

1 year full-time

Course code

EECT016

Start date

September 2025
January 2026
May 2026

How to apply

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Course overview

Are you starting or looking to advance your career in disaster management and humanitarian action? If you currently work in a local or national government agency, NGO, or civil society organisation, this course should provide the advanced skills and knowledge you need.

Develop the necessary knowledge and skills to anticipate, assess, mitigate, critically analyse, prepare, plan for and successfully manage increasingly complex disasters. Learn to operate confidently in policy development, strategy implementation, and response and recovery planning and management.
The overall aim is for you to be able to contribute to the strengthening of community, professional, organisational, national and international capacity to deal with complex multifactorial disasters, developing strategies that could increase resilience to acute and chronic threats to both economies and societies.
During your studies, you should advance your skills in evaluating complex situations, developing creative and innovative solutions, and implementing lessons learned. There will be opportunities to take part in training and exercises through simulated emergency scenarios in our immersive Simulation Centre.⁴

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Ranked 9th Modern University in UK by the Times

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Ranked 8th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2024

Why you should study this course

Climate change, urban pressure and lack of disaster preparedness are increasingly transforming natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or tsunamis into disastrous events causing life and economic losses.
Gain an advanced understanding of concepts, theories policy and practice within the areas of risk, humanitarian practice, development, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation. Learn to better evaluate the activities of NGOs, government organisations, multilateral agencies and institutions and drive necessary improvements.
There is dedicated support available for those who are new to Higher Education, or returning after a long break, with additional modules designed to transition you into postgraduate study and support you as you learn to research.
You will have the opportunity to carry out an independent piece of research of your choosing, producing an industry-facing working paper which should be of publishable quality.

Accreditation and professional recognition

Chartered Management Institute

As part of this course, you will undertake a professional development module which is currently accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for the 2025-26 intake. Upon successful completion of the module, you will gain the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice at no additional cost. Further details can be found under the modules and on the Professional Development module webpage.

Coventry University’s accreditation with CMI is currently ongoing for the relevant modules and is regularly reviewed and monitored by the CMI through its quality systems.

What you'll study

This course aims to provide you with a solid understanding of risk management theory and practical applications. Learn how to create long-term management plans to help mitigate disaster before it arrives.

Modules

Supporting Transition to Postgraduate Study – 0 credits

This regular online module helps you transition to postgraduate study by developing essential academic skills to improve your effectiveness as a learner. You will focus on areas such as critical reading, academic writing, and referencing.

The module encourages reflection on your learning to enhance your independence and understanding. It outlines expectations for postgraduate study and provides resources to help you meet them. These skills are transferable and will benefit both your current studies and future professional development.

Compulsory

Disaster Risk, Resilience, Adaptation and Sustainability – 15 credits

Explore the connections between disaster risk, resilience, adaptation, development, and sustainability through historical and current global events, strategies, and policies. Examine how these concepts shape international development, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and emergency work.

You will critically evaluate the goals and activities of NGOs, multilateral agencies, and institutions at local, national, and global levels. By the end of the module, you should understand how sustainability, development, DRR, resilience, and humanitarian work are closely linked.

Compulsory

Training and Exercise Design and Delivery – 15 credits

Learn how to plan, design, and manage exercise programmes for disaster, crisis, and emergency management. The module places these exercises within the broader context of preparedness and organisational resilience, exploring training and exercise theories.

You will learn to assess training needs, apply training principles to disaster management, and evaluate exercises and their outcomes. The module also covers project management skills for organising and running these exercises.

Compulsory

Foresight, Insight and Strategy – 15 credits

Explore strategies for long-term planning in a changing and uncertain world. Traditional planning often focuses on 5–10 years ahead, but global trends like social justice, climate change, and political shifts require more advanced approaches. You will explore methods like systems and strategic thinking to address complex, interconnected issues and meet the evolving needs of stakeholders.

Compulsory

Community Preparedness, Recovery and Resilience – 15 credits

Examine the concept of community resilience in emergency and disaster management, highlighting its varied interpretations in research and practice. Develop a strong understanding of resilience and its links to community preparedness and recovery efforts.

Using UK and international case studies, you will evaluate what influences resilience and explore the roles of professionals and communities in these processes. The module also critically examines methods for engaging community groups and the role of public service providers and NGOs. Sustainable approaches and ways to measure the effectiveness of resilience interventions are key areas of focus.

Compulsory

Humanitarian Principles, Preparedness and Response – 15 credits

Gain an understanding of modern theories of humanitarian action and management approaches to disaster preparedness and response. Examine the structure, goals, and standards of humanitarian organisations, as well as the challenges and changes they face. This module focuses on humanitarian response from the perspective of response agencies.

Compulsory

Disaster Interventions, Evaluation and Learning – 15 credits

Explore good governance practices for integrating effective and sustainable disaster interventions, linking international policies with local projects. Examine traditional and emerging approaches to disaster interventions, focusing on opportunities and best practices for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL).

Using case studies from disaster response and risk reduction contexts, the module highlights the importance of sharing MEAL activities and results across disaster phases, projects, programmes, and agencies to enhance learning, intervention impact, resilience, and sustainability.

Compulsory

Risk, Incidents and Leadership – 15 credits

Develop a deep understanding of different views on risk and explore non-technical skills, risk reduction methods, and leadership models for managing incidents and crises. This module uses models and theories to evaluate the challenges of leadership and decision-making within command-and-control systems. You will also examine how incidents can provide valuable learning opportunities and investigate ways to overcome the barriers to implementing changes effectively.

Compulsory

Research Perspectives and Practice – 15 credits

This module aims to equip you with skills in critical evaluation, research design, and data collection for assessing practices and policies in emergency and crisis-related fields. It covers key research processes and principles, exploring both extensive methods (such as surveys, archival research, and quantitative analysis) and intensive methods (like interviews, ethnography, and qualitative analysis). The module also addresses research ethics and how to effectively share research findings.

Compulsory

Professional Working Paper – 50 credits

You will be tasked with identifying a key issue within the emergency management and resilience sector and explore potential solutions using theoretical approaches. Working with a supervisor, you will create an industry-focused paper that researches and evaluates evidence, offering recommendations for change and addressing potential barriers at team, institutional, or national levels.

Compulsory

Leading Diverse Workforces – 10 credits

Understand how to lead and develop people in a diverse and inclusive way. You will explore topics such as leadership theories, culture, wellbeing, and strategies for improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in various organisational settings. You will also have the opportunity to develop strategic priorities for leadership and inclusivity.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

All of our modules are designed to provide both the depth and rigour required for development, reflection and networking in this sector. Delivery is supported by our innovative online social learning platforms, allowing you to undertake substantial parts of your study at home, where you can revisit content and find additional materials. You also have access to our library's electronic resources 24/7, including thousands of books, ejournals and newspapers.

Teaching and learning methods may include:

seminars and discussion
practical sessions and workshops
simulation exercises⁴
study visits.²

Prefer to study 100% online? Click here to view our 100% online course.

Teaching contact hours

As a full-time postgraduate student, you will study modules totalling 180 credits each academic year. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching contact hours, and guided and independent study.

Teaching hours

Teaching hours may vary, depending on where you are in your studies, but on average you will have between 8 and 12 teaching and learning hours each week. You will also have the opportunity to attend optional sessions including time with a Success Coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback.

Guided and independent study

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You will be digging deeper into topics, reviewing what you’ve learnt and completing assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress to the end of your studies, you’ll spend more time on independent learning.

Online learning

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods, including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include:

essays
group work
presentations
reports
projects
coursework
individual assignments.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

Applicants should have a 2:2 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline. Applicants with a lower class of degree and/or professional experience only will be individually considered and will usually be interviewed prior to being offered a place on the course.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications; speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Typical requirements

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall, with at least 5.5 in each component area.

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man	£11,200	Not available
EU	£11,200 per year with EU Support Bursary £18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary	Not available
International	£18,600	Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees³and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page and see the university's Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Any optional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Our interactive simulation centre includes a ‘virtual’ construction site with fully equipped site cabins and an observation deck. Here, you can take part in role-play exercises to prepare you for a range of situations in the workplace.

People walking in front of a building which has a big library sign

Lanchester Library

The library is usually open 24/7, in term-time. It’s where you can access your course’s specialist Academic Liaison Librarian. It’s also home to specialist teams which can support you with your academic writing and maths and statistics questions.

Glass modern building with a spire in the background

The Hub

The Hub is the centre of student life on campus. Facilities include a food court, convenience store, multi-faith centre, medical centre, hairdresser, coffee shops and the Your SU offices. It has fully licensed function spaces and a bar.

Two people working together with a laptop in front of them

Careers and employability

Get one-on-one career and employability guidance lasting up to 36 months from the end of your course. We’ll help you find placements and graduate roles, offer CV and application checks, mentoring, skills workshops, employer events and more.

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Careers and opportunities

On successful completion of this course, you should have knowledge of:

risk, its components and influencing factors, approaches to assessment, and prioritisation and organisational role in planning, managing and recovering from humanitarian crises and disasters.
policy and approaches for mitigating, preparing for, managing and recovering from crises, conflict and disasters for responding agencies, organisations and affected communities.
approaches to assessing complexity and interaction and developing, monitoring and evaluating resilience in processes, systems, organisations and communities at risk from known and emergent threats in a sustainable way.
stakeholder analysis and multi-stakeholder engagement, communication, co-operation and governance in all aspects of policy and strategy development, implementation and management, at all scales in disaster contexts.
challenges and approaches for information management, evaluating uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity in knowledge, appropriate and defensible decisions for managing complex disaster situations.
issues and challenges at the forefront of research and practice in disasters and resilience.
how to evaluate and use appropriate methods of enquiry and analysis, and to progress good practice in the discipline over the course of their career.
skills demanded to research, evaluate high-level material to produce an independent working paper that meets ethical requirements of the university, synthesises both academic and sector perspectives and presents findings and recommendations in a professional way.

Where our graduates work

Successful graduates of this course have gone on to work here in countries including the UK, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, the United States and Canada. Some have taken up roles as:

planning officers
emergency planners
international humanitarian coordinators
disaster risk reduction analysts
deployable emergency response managers.

Employers of our previous graduates have included:

UNICEF
UNEP
WFP
Action Centre La Faim (Toronto, Canada)
the Institute for Risk Management and Climate Change (Bogota, Colombia)
WWF
Danish Refugee Council
Deutsche Bahn
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Mumbai, India)
United Nations Population Fund (Jakarta, Indonesia)
the British and German Red Cross
The Netherlands Institute for Safety
Medecins Sans Frontieres.

How to apply

UK students

To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online. Please read the entry criteria page before applying.

Start your application

For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

+44 (0)24 7765 2222

ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

International students

Full-time international students should apply directly to the university. Please read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degrees view our International hub.

You can also download our international mini guide for an overview of study options and why you should study with us.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

+44 (0)24 7765 2152

applications.io@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations, partnerships and memberships

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply. See the relevant body website for more details). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships are subject to successful renewal in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery. If the accreditation, recognition or membership of this course changes, we will seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.

Where relevant, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) module content is undergoing assessment by the CMI to confirm that all criteria are met to the required standard. Whilst it is expected that students who successfully pass the module will be eligible to be considered by CMI for the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice as an additional qualification, we cannot confirm this until the accreditation is approved. This is a normal part of the continuous improvement process for our courses to ensure they remain up-to-date and reflect best practice.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2024/2025 contract is available on the website for information purposes however the 2025/2026 contract will apply for the 2025/2026 intake. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.