Apr 08, 2025

2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Disaster Science and Management (PhD)

The purpose of graduate education in Disaster Science & Management is to provide students with the intellectual ability to understand, create, integrate, and apply sophisticated discipline- specific interdisciplinary knowledge to the disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. Recognizing that the discipline itself is inherently interdisciplinary and continues to evolve, students are expected to acquire the vocabulary and critical thinking skills to acquire and evaluate future knowledge.

Toward these ends, the following are the goals for the DISA PhD:

Program Educational Goal #1: Students will be able to explain the development of disaster science as an interdisciplinary field. This includes the principal theoretical approaches from geography, sociology, political science, and anthropology and how they have evolved over time.
Program Educational Goal #2: Students will articulate how the interconnection of social, natural, and technical systems generates hazards and vulnerabilities along axes of gender, race, class, sexuality, and age, among other human attributes, characteristics, and identifiers.
Program Educational Goal #3: Students will comprehend theories of individual and organizational responses to hazard and disaster in such areas as warning, evacuation, donations, volunteers, emergence and convergence, and other areas.
Program Educational Goal #4: Students will critically analyze scientific arguments; dissect the structure and argumentation style of scientific papers; and form research questions, propositions, and hypotheses.
Program Education Goal #5: Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research and writing by developing, proposing, and implementing a research plan leading to a successful dissertation.

Program Policy Document:

Please see the Program Policy Document for more information.

Requirements for the Degree:

The Doctor of Philosophy in Disaster Science & Management requires 47 credits of graduate- level coursework beyond the Master’s degree including 9 credits of dissertation. Students are expected to demonstrate interdisciplinary strength across both social disaster sciences and engineering or natural disaster sciences, as well as advanced methodological skills. The 47 credits of coursework are specified in the individual planned program of study, and must include:

Core Requirements:

15 credits

SOCI 672 - Disaster and Society Credit(s): 3
CIEG 641 - Risk Analysis Credit(s): 3

Equity, Justice, Disparities, or Vulnerability of Disaster:

3 credits. Choose one of the following:

SOCI 671 - Disasters, Vulnerability & Development Credit(s): 3
SPPA 614 - Environmental Justice in Disasters Credit(s): 3
or another course as approved by the Disaster Science & Management Program committee or a designated sub- committee.

Disaster-focused Social/Public Health Sciences:

3 credits. Choose one of the following:

ANTH 640 - Disaster Anthropology Credit(s): 3
DISA 650 - Overview of Disaster Science and Management Credit(s): 3
DISA 652 - Issues in Disaster Recovery Credit(s): 3
DISA 655 - Disasters and Cultural Change Credit(s): 3
DISA 657 - Challenges in Disaster Preparation Credit(s): 3
DISA 670 - Issues in Disaster Response Credit(s): 3
EPID 622 - Disaster Epidemiology Methods Credit(s): 3
SPPA 619 - Climate Change Adaptation Policy & Practice Credit(s): 3
or another course as approved by the Disaster Science & Management Program committee or a designated sub-committee.

Physical or Natural Science or Engineering:

3 credits. Choose one of the following:

CIEG 645 - Industrial Ecology Credit(s): 3
CIEG 680 - Coastal Processes Credit(s): 3
GEOG 609 - The Ocean and Climate Change Credit(s): 3
GEOG 652 - Seminar in Climatology Credit(s): 3-12
or another course approved by the Disaster Science & Management Program committee or a designated sub-committee.

Other Requirements:

Interdisciplinary Research and Grant Proposal Development

3 credits.

DISA 880 - Interdisciplinary Grant Design Credit(s): 3

Research Methods/Analysis Courses

(9 credits, 6 credits at advanced level)

Courses must be pre-approved by the Disaster Science & Management Program committee or a designated sub-committee.

Pre-approved advanced research methods/analysis courses:

6 credits. Choose two of the following:

EDUC 812 - Regression and Structural Equation Modeling Credit(s): 3
EDUC 873 - Multilevel Models in Education Credit(s): 3
EDUC 884 - Advanced Research Design for Causal Inference Credit(s): 3
EPID 610 - Epidemiology Methods II Credit(s): 3
EPID 615 - Epidemiology Methods III Credit(s): 3
GEOG 671 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems Credit(s): 3
SOCI 614 - Advanced Data Analysis Credit(s): 3
SOCI 625 - Advanced Social Statistics Credit(s): 3
SOCI 676 - Advanced Qualitative Methods Credit(s): 3
SPPA 704 - Advanced Quantitative Methods Credit(s): 3
SPPA 721 - Data Science Tools for Evidence-based Policy Credit(s): 3
SPPA 722 - Machine Learning for Public Policy Credit(s): 3
SPPA 800 - Research Design and Data Analysis Credit(s): 3
UAPP 709 - Advanced Topics in Economics for the Public and Non-Profit Sectors Credit(s): 3

Pre-approved non-advanced research methods/analysis courses:

3 credits. Choose one of the following:

EPID 605 - Epidemiology Methods I Credit(s): 3
EPID 621 - Methods in Field Epidemiology Credit(s): 3
EPID 622 - Disaster Epidemiology Methods Credit(s): 3
EDUC 858 - Advanced Qualitative Research Methods Credit(s): 3
EDUC 859 - Qualitative Methodology Research Workshop Credit(s): 3
GEOG 670 - Geographic Information Systems and Science Credit(s): 3
HBNS 634 - Health Science Data Analysis Credit(s): 3
SOCI 605 - Data Collection and Analysis Credit(s): 3
SOCI 606 - Qualitative Methodology Credit(s): 3
SPPA 718 - Survey Research Methods Credit(s): 3
SPPA 808 - Qualitative Research Methods Credit(s): 3
UAPP 691 - Quantitative Analysis in Public and Nonprofit Sectors Credit(s): 3
UAPP 693 - Economics in Public & Nonprofit Sectors Credit(s): 3

Additional Substantive Graduate Coursework:

9 credits.Three of following (if foundational knowledge is required, or 9 credits of 600-level or higher coursework related to individual research with advisor approval):

ANTH 640 - Disaster Anthropology Credit(s): 3
DISA 652 - Issues in Disaster Recovery Credit(s): 3
DISA 655 - Disasters and Cultural Change Credit(s): 3
DISA 657 - Challenges in Disaster Preparation Credit(s): 3
DISA 670 - Issues in Disaster Response Credit(s): 3
EPID 621 - Methods in Field Epidemiology Credit(s): 3
EPID 622 - Disaster Epidemiology Methods Credit(s): 3
SOCI 647 - Disparities in Heath & Healthcare Credit(s): 3
SOCI 661 - Racial Stratification Credit(s): 3
SOCI 671 - Disasters, Vulnerability & Development Credit(s): 3
SPPA 614 - Environmental Justice in Disasters Credit(s): 3
SPPA 619 - Climate Change Adaptation Policy & Practice Credit(s): 3
UAPP 648 - Environmental Ethics Credit(s): 3
UAPP 665 - Climate Change: Policy, Equity and Mitigation Credit(s): 3
UAPP 810 - Political Economy of the Environment Credit(s): 3

Dissertation:

9 credits.

SPPA 969 - Doctoral Dissertation Credit(s): 1-12

Doctoral Professional Development:

(1 credit during first two semesters; 2 credits total)

SPPA 861 - Academic and Professional Development for UAPP, DISA, ENEP Doctoral Students Credit(s): 0-1

Disaster Science and Management (PhD)

Program Policy Document:

Requirements for the Degree:

Core Requirements:

Equity, Justice, Disparities, or Vulnerability of Disaster:

Disaster-focused Social/Public Health Sciences:

Physical or Natural Science or Engineering:

Other Requirements:

Interdisciplinary Research and Grant Proposal Development

Research Methods/Analysis Courses

Pre-approved advanced research methods/analysis courses:

Pre-approved non-advanced research methods/analysis courses:

Additional Substantive Graduate Coursework:

Dissertation:

Doctoral Professional Development:

Credits to Total a Minimum of 47

Last Revised 2024-2025 Academic Year