Course description

• Develop the practical and theoretical knowledge you need to work in the fields of intelligence, security, emergency planning, crisis and disaster risk reduction and management in the UK and overseas
• Combine the knowledge and skills developed in an inter-disciplinary programme where social sciences, natural sciences and public and environmental health provide real-life solutions to real-life resilience issues
• Improve your skills as you engage with all aspects of emergency preparedness, resilience and response across a range of natural and man-made hazards, from terrorism and extreme weather events to public health and humanitarian crisis
• Combine theory and best practice as your learning includes practical multi-agency exercises, simulations and response structures across all emergency services.

At Derby, you don’t just study the theory and background to resilience, through security, intelligence and planning for emergency and disaster risk reduction and response. You will take these aspects into real-life situations and develop knowledge, skills and vocational attributes that will give you the necessary experience to develop or enhance career paths in these fascinating areas.

A unique combination

This course uniquely combines the social sciences disciplines of criminology and sociology with the natural sciences disciplines of geoscience and public and environmental health.

This unique combination examines resilience, risk reduction and response through emergency and disaster management. You will focus on real-world concerns associated with:

• terrorism
• extremism
• radicalisation
• climate changes
• migration
• natural hazards

You will study at Masters level developing critical skills which bring together work-based learning approaches and innovation in the teaching of research methods. You will do this using scenario building, exercises and simulations in a multi-agency environment to enhance your development, communication and planning

Developing your skills through practice

You will work with emergency services first responders and local authority leads and also benefit from the university’s relationship with the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College (EPC).

You will also develop GIS mapping skills and benefit from opportunities to work with Derbyshire Emergency Planning Officers and volunteer teams involved in crisis management. Field trips will involve command and control visits, humanitarian aid facilities and multi-agency simulations of real-world hazards.

Aligned to UK standards

The programme examines National Occupational Standards in the UK for Civil Contingencies (NOSCC) in support of employer demands and the Core Competencies of the Emergency Planning Society (EPS).

How you will learn

You will be taught by a passionate, enthusiastic and skilled team, together with expert guest lecturers and speakers from across the fields of intelligence, security and disaster management including UN agencies, first response agencies, NGOs and public sector entities.

You will learn through:

• Traditional lectures,
• Experiential learning (which may include seminars, role-playing, fieldtrips, digital experience such as
• The use of VR representation)
• Service learning (which may include research, risk management, disaster preparedness activities and volunteering)
• Creative learning (which may include prediction, simulation exercise, design thinking and thought experiment)

How you are assessed

The course will assess your skills, knowledge, and understanding including transferable skills through essays based on scenarios, presentations, briefings and risk assessment and analysis, practical mapping and research-based planning and preparedness.

You will also be assessed through independent study based on a topic of your choice. Additional practical assessment takes place in the field at exercises and simulations, based on observation, interaction and a range of experiential approaches to problem-solving.

The assessments align with the National Occupational Standards for Civil Contingencies (NOSCC)