Program Overview

Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience

The Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience is a program designed to equip graduates from diverse backgrounds with resilience and sustainable development skills. This program helps prevent disasters and handle extreme events, applying principles to emerge stronger and better prepared for the future.

Degree Overview

Organisations worldwide value championing disaster resilience, saving lives and revenue while gaining a competitive advantage. By becoming more resilient, disaster risks can be mitigated and reduced. This program is for individuals whose role involves identifying, mitigating, and managing business, safety, community, or environmental risks.

Career Opportunities

This program is designed for those in management positions in private and public sector organisations, focusing on resilience-building against extreme events such as natural hazards, climate change, data breaches, political instability, terror attacks, human conflicts, and health epidemics. Graduates may qualify for roles including:

• Risk Manager
• Compliance Officer
• Recovery Outreach Worker
• Emergency Management Officer
• Disaster Resilience Officer

Program Details

• Program Code: 50010
• Duration: 2 years (full-time) up to 6 years (part-time)
• Next Start Date: 11 May 2026
• CRICOS Code: M
• Indicative Fee: AUD 45,500
• English Proficiency Requirements: IELTS overall minimum - 6.5, IELTS section minimum - 6.0

What You Will Study

This program provides UN co-certification in the use of tools and frameworks central to resilience building, achieving sustainable development. It contains core elements related to disaster risk reduction and resilience building, underpinned by practical grounding and application of the Sendai Framework and UN-SDGs, and the development of disaster risk management skills.

Core Courses

• Disaster Risk and Resilience Principles
• Community-led Resilience and Leadership
• Disaster Resilience Economics and Business Resilience
• Disaster Governance and International Frameworks
• Methods for Evidence-Based Decisions in Disasters
• Disaster Risk and Resilience Capstone Project

Electives

• Complete up to 90 units from a list of available courses, including but not limited to:
  • Aboriginal Communities: Advocacy, Development and Partnerships
  • Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
  • Project Management Principles
  • Decolonisation and Indigenous Ways of Knowing
  • First Nations Community Engagement and Indigenous Cultural Heritage
  • Biodiversity, Conservation Science and Management
  • Environmental Legislation and Policy
  • Sustainability and Ecosystem Health
  • Environmental Management
  • Impact Assessment and Climate Change Policy
  • Geographies of Development
  • Spatial Science
  • Advanced Remote Sensing Data and Applications
  • Managing Under Uncertainty
  • Managing Human Resources in International Organisations
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • Human Resource Management
  • Human Resource and Organisational Development
  • Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility
  • Database Management 1
  • Business Intelligence for the Enterprise
  • Systems Design for the Digital Economy
  • Big Data
  • ICT Project Planning and Management
  • Environmental Law
  • Law and Economics of Climate Change
  • Understanding People in Organisations
  • Introduction to Public Health
  • Global Health Systems and Policy
  • Project Design and Evaluation
  • Development and Social Change
  • Environmental Justice
  • Data Wrangling and Visualisation
  • Data Analytics for Business Intelligence

How to Apply

Applications to study are now open. To apply, review the program handbook, admission requirements, program fees, and costs. Decide on your preferred commencement date and ensure you meet the English Language Proficiency requirements.

Domestic Students

• Review the information below and submit your application.
• Find out when applications close for available intakes.
• Before applying, review the program handbook, admission requirements, program fees, and costs.

International Students

• Applications to study are now open.
• Review the information below and submit your application.
• Find out when applications close for available intakes.
• Before applying, review the program handbook, admission requirements, program fees, and costs.
• Ensure you meet the English Language Proficiency requirements: IELTS overall minimum - 6.5, IELTS section minimum - 6.0.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for current, future, and international students. Browse the available scholarships and apply if you meet the criteria.