Programme structure
The Master of Disaster Management is a professional master’s programme for humanitarian aid professionals. This 60 ECTS master’s programme consists of 4 compulsory courses, 2 elective courses and a master’s project.
Programme study plan
1 year of full-time study.
The Master of Disaster Management (MDMa) is intended as a 1-year full-time study programme, but can also be completed as a flexible study programme up to a maximum of 3 years.
New structure for MDMa Elective courses offerings
For academic year 20023-2024, the Spring MDMa elective courses offerings will be limited to 3 elective courses only. This change is to maintain a good class size for its elective courses to ensure quality and good interaction in the MDMa courses.
| Onboarding (August) |
| Orientation course (0 ECTS) |
| Semester 1 (September to January) |
| Disaster Risk Management from Theory to Practice (7.5 ECTS) |
| Preparedness and Response to Humanitarian Crises (7.5 ECTS) |
| Disaster Recovery and Planning Development (7.5 ECTS) |
| Research Methodology and Ethics (7.5 ECTS) |
| Semester 2 (February to July) |
| Elective course 1 (5 ECTS) |
| Elective course 2 (5 ECTS) |
| Master's project (20 ECTS) |
Flexible study
2–3 years of part-time study.
The Master of Disaster Management as a flexible study programme must be completed within a maximum of 3 years.
The courses require full-time study, and you must be able to be away from work in the periods where you attend courses.
By dividing the programme into smaller chunks, you may be able to work between courses.
The Programme Coordinator can assist in designing your flexible study plan.
Frequency of courses
The courses are available on an annual basis.
Order of courses
You are advised to follow the courses as listed, as this ensures the natural progression in the programme.
All coursework must be completed prior to starting your master’s project.
Duration of courses
The duration of each course is approximately 4–5 weeks and requires full-time study.
Each ECTS equals a 27.5 hours’ workload. The total workload of this master’s programme is estimated at 1,650 hours in total, which equals one year of full-time university study.