Certificate of advanced studies in disaster risk reduction: vulnerabilities and capacities in the context of climate change

Location and dates
The course will be organised in 2 parts, each consisting of 2 weeks of full-time study. The first part will take place at EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, from 1-12 September 2008. The second part will be held in India, at the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) in Bangalore, from 3-14 November 2008.

Objective 
The main objective of the course is to train specialists in both Southern and Northern countries, or strengthen their capabilities, in the field of natural disaster prevention, especially hydrometeorological disasters and/or those related to climate change. This course proposes an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to the issue. It focuses on the reduction of vulnerabilities and strengthening of the capacities of populations at risk. The course does not have a technical vocation however.

Target public
The course is primarily intended for professionals, researchers or managers specialising in natural risks or called upon by their profession to make decisions concerning risk situations. 

Structure and content
The programme combines theoretical courses, workshops, case studies and field visits.
 
First part in Switzerland 
- disaster risk management
- climate change and hydrometeorological risks
- analysis of vulnerabilities and capacities.
In order to avoid an arbitrary Swiss-Indian division of the three themes, it is proposed that both Swiss and Indian parts should consist of these 3 modules, thus providing a different - but complementary - slant. 

Second part in India
-  one week of theoretical courses : a more in-depth study of the 3 modules of the first part, adopting a very practical approach
-  one and a half week: field visits in East coast
 - one and a half week: finalisation of participants' individual work, presentation of this work and final course assessment.

Requirements & Qualification
Participants are required to have a university degree or equivalent. Their background could be in environmental sciences, civil engineering, architecture, physics, or mathematics, but also human sciences, such as sociology, geography, and international relations. 

Participants who successfully fulfil all the requirements of the course will obtain a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Disaster Risk Reduction. This represents 16 credits as per the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), corresponding to 400 hours of work (approximately 180 hours of classes, plus participants' individual work).