Masters in Disaster Risk Science and Development

Stellenbosch, South Africa

Masters of Philosophy in Disaster Risk Science and Development

This one-year programme provides students with an integrated understanding of disaster risk and its implications for sustainable development in Africa, as well as competencies in risk assessment and risk reduction. It combines taught modules with a compulsory research thesis. Through the use of case studies, it places disaster risk within rural and urban contexts, at regional scale and also with respect to its trans-boundary considerations.

The Masters programme will be launched annually in February and build on the Honours DRS module. This course aims to consolidate a broad-based theoretical understanding of disaster risk, including the interplay between hazard and vulnerability factors.

Specific learning outcomes for this course are:

- Competence in understanding and analyzing disaster occurrences, patterns and trends in urban and rural contexts relevant to southern Africa.
- Analytic and strategic planning competencies in addressing priority disaster risks.
- Knowledge of critical ethical principles that guide responsible disaster risk management policy and practice.
- Knowledge of DRR strategies and implications for implementation.

Disaster Risk Reduction - Urban Contexts

BA Honours or a BSc Honours who completed the existing honours module in Disaster Risk Studies (DRS) at Stellenbosch University.

Students who have not completed the DRS honours module or students holding comparable qualifications from other universities will be considered.

Annual

English

Dr. Robyn Pharoah. Stellenbosch University, Research Alliance for Disaster and Risk Reduction (RADAR). Tel: +27 (0)21 808 9492. Email: robynpharoah@sun.ac.za