MSc Crisis and Disaster Management

This course will prepare you to understand decision-making approaches and develop the necessary skills to prepare for and manage crisis and disaster specialising either in business crisis or in humanitarian operations.

Course outline and modules

Aston University is home to the Aston CRISIS Centre. Academic members of the Centre have worked on European projects related to evacuation, crisis management, emergency services and logistics in disasters. The academic staff have used the experience and expertise acquired in different projects to deliver relevant knowledge on the topics useful for your future career. In addition, our links to crisis and humanitarian organisations inform the design and support the delivery of our modules.

With the rise of social media, the threat of cyber-attacks, appearance of pandemics e.g. Covid-19, and the impact of climate change on natural disasters, there has never been a more pressing time for organisations to establish effective crisis and disaster management strategies and to deploy the appropriate skills to handle them.

From product recall and industrial action, to accidents and natural disasters and pandemics, organisations need the ability to do and say the right things under pressure when it matters most, including strategic plans, critical decision making and effective communications.

Our Crisis and Disaster Management MSc will give you a solid understanding of the core approaches to manage crises and disasters (such as Covid-19 and other similar ones) and of the wider impact on stakeholders, including the implications of mismanaged situations through relevant case studies, discussions and exercises. In the second semester you will also advance your knowledge in either the humanitarian stream or business crisis stream, helping you to progress your learning and career path in the area that interests you most.

How will my skills develop?

A good crisis manager has a wide range of skills, from being able to create crisis management plans, including testing them and putting processes and resources in place, to implementing the plans. In addition, during a crisis, they need to be able to influence senior leadership teams and provide sound, compelling advice, using strong communication skills to get their point across as well as being able to make analytical, objective decisions under pressure.

On this course, not only will you learn about the theoretical aspect of the crisis lifecycle and the role that ethics and technology play, you’ll also develop your research skills to help you examine the strengths and weaknesses of the methods and the techniques used. You’ll develop your skillset around simulation modelling, data collection, group work and predictive and prescriptive analytics, as well as presentation skills.

You’ll study The Aston Global Advantage module which focuses on professional development and employability, helping you to apply the key skills that you will gain throughout the year.

Career prospects

A postgraduate qualification in this subject prepares you for many different careers within the field. Graduates from this programme may seek careers working in academia, business, government and non-profit organisations in areas such as emergency planning, disaster response, crisis communication, and risk management both in the UK and overseas.