CM52 - Master of Emergency and Disaster Management

Overview

Course Overview

The Master of Emergency and Disaster Management recognises the changing nature of emergency and disaster management in Australia and the important role research and evidence-based practice play in underpinning contemporary perspectives and approaches. As a student in this course, you will draw upon the multidisciplinary nature of emergency and disaster management to explore current and emerging trends in national and international approaches, as well as the key concepts and perspectives that underpin contemporary emergency and disaster management practice. This course introduces you to the fundamental concepts and frameworks that underpin the effective management of emergencies and disasters and helps you develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature of hazards and disasters. You will be introduced to the key stakeholders involved with emergency and disaster management and explore the historical and contemporary principles, policies, and legal frameworks guiding the field of practice. The course will explore local and global emergency and disaster management concepts and the models, systems and processes required to effectively mitigate, prepare, respond and recover from various disasters. As a graduate of this course, you will have the opportunity to shape this degree to your own needs by selecting elective units that interest and are relevant to you, your interests or work needs, allowing you to work in various multidisciplinary settings, including emergency service and response agencies, public safety, humanitarian aid organisations, governmental and non-governmental organisations, both nationally and internationally.

Career Information

This course is aimed at people wanting to enter into or who are working in emergency and disaster management that wish to change or advance their careers in this area. This may include people who are in the public safety or emergency services, volunteer groups, healthcare professionals, military personnel, professionals working in private, government, non-government and community-based organisations who play a role in emergency and disaster management; and those with a personal and/or professional interest in the field.

Possible future job titles:

Emergency management officer, Emergency Management Coordinator, Advisor Emergency Management, Coordinator Emergency Management, Emergency Management Work Health Safety Coordinator, Senior Director/Director/Consultant - Safety, Security And Emergency Management, Disaster Manager, Emergency Management Project Officer, Emergency Planner, Emergency Management Trainer, Disaster Planner, Disaster Recovery Specialist, Disaster Resilience Officer, amongst many others.

Course Details
Duration 3 years part-time
Credit Points that Must be Earned 72
Number of Units Required CQUniversity uses the concept of credits to express the amount of study required for a particular course and individual units. The number of units varies between courses. Units in postgraduate courses normally consist of 6 points of credit or multiples thereof (e.g. 12, 18, 24).
Expected Hours of Study One point of credit is equivalent to an expectation of approximately two hours of student work per week in a term.
Course Type Postgraduate Award
Qualification (post nominal) MEDM
AQF Level Level 9: Masters Degree (Coursework)
Course Fees
Indicative Year - 2026
  • Commonwealth Supported Place – Indicative First Year Fee - $10,518
  • Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $30,600
  • International Indicative First Term Fee - $17,880
  • International Indicative First Year Fee - $35,760
Indicative Year - 2025
  • Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $28,992
  • International Indicative First Term Fee - $17,040
  • International Indicative First Year Fee - $34,080
Indicative Year - 2024
  • Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $27,240
  • International Indicative First Term Fee - $16,230
  • International Indicative First Year Fee - $33,270
Indicative Year - 2023
  • Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee - $25,595.5
  • International Indicative First Term Fee - $7,680
  • International Indicative First Year Fee - $15,360

Admission Codes

Domestic Students
Tertiary Admission Centre Codes (TAC) Codes
Not Applicable
International Students
CRICOS Codes
Not Applicable
Where and when can I start?
Units offered internally at the below campuses may be delivered using a combination of face-to-face and video conferencing style teaching.
Units offered via MIX mode are delivered online and require compulsory attendance of site-specific learning activities such as on-campus residential schools, placements and/or work integrated learning. See Course Features tab for further information. Online units are delivered using online resources only.
Please Click Here for more information.
The following tables list the courses availabilities by location and term. Directing your pointer over your preferred location will provide further information if this course is not available for the full duration. Please be sure to also check individual unit availability by location and term prior to enrolling.

Domestic Availability

Term 3 - 2026

Online

Term 2 - 2026

Online

Term 1 - 2026

Online

Term 3 - 2025

Online

Term 2 - 2025

Online

Term 1 - 2025

Online

Term 3 - 2024

Online

Term 2 - 2024

Online

Term 1 - 2024

Online

Term 3 - 2023

Online

Term 2 - 2023

Online

Term 1 - 2023

Online
Show All

International Availability

Term 3 - 2026

Sorry, no international availabilities found.

Term 2 - 2026

Sorry, no international availabilities found.

Term 1 - 2026

Online

Term 3 - 2025

Sorry, no international availabilities found.

Term 2 - 2025

Sorry, no international availabilities found.

Term 1 - 2025

Online

Term 3 - 2024

Sorry, no international availabilities found.

Term 2 - 2024

Sorry, no international availabilities found.

Term 1 - 2024

Online

Term 3 - 2023

Sorry, no international availabilities found.

Term 2 - 2023

Sorry, no international availabilities found.

Term 1 - 2023

Online
Show All
For any problems regarding admissions availability for the selected course please contact 13 CQUni (13 27 86) or send us an email at https://contactus.cqu.edu.au/
Entry Requirements - What do I need to start?
Academic Requirements

To be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must hold:

  • A completed Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) equivalent Bachelor degree, in any discipline, or higher equivalent qualification.

English Language Proficiency Requirements:

If you were not born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa or United States of America, you are required to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements set by the University. Applicants are required to provide confirmation of completion of:

  • A secondary qualification (Year 11 and 12, or equivalent), or
  • An Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Certificate IV qualification, or
  • An AQF Diploma level qualification, or
  • Bachelor level qualification study for a period of at least 2 years fulltime with a minimum overall GPA 4.0

completed within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, or United States of America, which will meet the English proficiency.

If you are an international student, additional requirements may apply. Please visit our international student information for more details.

If you do not satisfy any of the above, you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores:

  • An International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic) overall band score of at least 6.0 with a minimum 5.5 in each subset; or
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT - Requires 75 or better overall and no score less than 17; or
  • Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - Requires an overall score of 54 with no sub-score less than 46; or
  • An Occupational English Test with Grades A or B only in each of the four components.

English test results remain valid for no more than two years between final examination date and the date of commencement of study, and must appear on a single result certificate.

Each student will be assessed individually.

Assumed Knowledge

Nil

Security Requirements

Nil

Health Requirements

Nil

Fees and Charges
Course Features

Awards and Accreditation

Interim Awards CH80 - Graduate Certificate in Emergency and Health Services Management CC33 - Graduate Certificate in Project Management CM39 - Graduate Diploma of Emergency and Disaster Management CC27 - Graduate Certificate in Emergency and Disaster Management CM59 - Graduate Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety CC78 - Graduate Certificate in Fatigue Risk Management CH76 - Graduate Certificate in Management CL46 - Graduate Certificate in Public Health
Exit Awards CH80 - Graduate Certificate in Emergency and Health Services Management CC33 - Graduate Certificate in Project Management CM39 - Graduate Diploma of Emergency and Disaster Management CC27 - Graduate Certificate in Emergency and Disaster Management CM59 - Graduate Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety CC78 - Graduate Certificate in Fatigue Risk Management CH76 - Graduate Certificate in Management CL46 - Graduate Certificate in Public Health
Accreditation
  • Not applicable

Residential School Requirements

No Residential School for this course.

Practicum/Work Placement

Not applicable

Previous and Current Enrolments

Year Number of Students
2025 21
2024 12
2023 8
Inherent Requirements
There are Inherent Requirements (IRs) that you need to be aware of, and fulfil, to achieve the core learning outcomes of the units and course. IRs are the essential capabilities, knowledge, behaviours and skills that are needed to complete a unit or course.

Please note that in some instances there may be similarities between course, entry and inherent requirements.

If you experience difficulties meeting these requirements, reasonable adjustments may be made upon contacting accessibility@cqu.edu.au. Adjustment must not compromise the academic integrity of the degree or course chosen at CQUniversity or the legal requirements of field education.

Ethical Behaviour

Examples are:

  • Complying with academic and non-academic misconduct policies and procedures such as CQUniversity’s Student Conduct and Procedure Policy and Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
  • Demonstrating the applicable codes of ethics as they apply in the practice of emergency and disaster management.
  • Demonstrating an ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and taking responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.
  • Demonstrating respect for cultural diversity as well as individual differences and capacities in emergency and disaster management practice.
  • Treating personal information obtained in professional settings as private and confidential.
  • Maintaining ethical behaviour in a professional setting, through successfully distinguishing your own personal values and beliefs from those of others.
Behavioural Stability

Examples are:

  • Being reflective with personal behaviours appropriate for professional performance and being positive and receptive to processing constructive supervisor/lecturer feedback or criticism.
  • Interacting with people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures in a calm and composed manner that shows respect for difference, including when dealing with difficult situations.
  • Successfully processing your own emotions and behaviour when dealing with stressful situations that can arise in emergency and disaster management practice.
Legal Compliance

Examples are:

  • Complying with university and workplace policy with the use of social media, online discussion forums, email and other electronic forms of communication.
  • Complying with the policies and practices of organisations in which you may be placed or find employment, including those relating to OHS.
Communication Skills (Verbal, Non-verbal, Written and Technology)

Examples are:

  • Verbally communicating your emergency and disaster management knowledge and skills with accuracy, appropriateness and effectiveness in a wide variety of contexts.
  • Actively participating in discussion and course activities with appropriate use and command of language within the context.
  • Using appropriate facial expressions: eye contact, being mindful of space boundaries, and a range of body movements and gestures.
  • Recognising and interpreting non-verbal cues of others and responding appropriately during activities related to the course and in professional practice.
  • Competently and appropriately producing written assessment work in a logical, coherent manner, and with correct grammar and punctuation to the required academic standards.
  • Constructing fluent summarised written text from complex and detailed information.
  • Constructing coherent reports in a timely manner to meet professional standards and clearly communicating the intended message.
  • Competently using a desktop operating system such as Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X skills to engage in on -line learning, reading and responding as required to emails, and completing relevant assessments for the course.
  • Competently using productivity software such as Microsoft Office in your course of study.
  • Regularly accessing the Internet for research, and email for communication with peers and lecturers.
Cognitive Abilities (Knowledge and Cognitive Skills, Literacy and Numeracy)

Examples are:

  • Conceptualising and using appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
  • Completing academic learning activities and assessment tasks, and performing professional skills within reasonable set time-frames.
  • Constructing written text proficiently, in English, using appropriate vocabulary and conventions of speech, including being able to paraphrase, summarise and reference in accordance with appropriate academic conventions.
  • Competently reading, writing and accurately interpreting information to convey language effectively in a professional setting.
  • Completing documentation that is accurate, clear and concise.
  • Demonstrating competency in applying mathematics knowledge and numeracy skills to accurately read and interpret various measurements.
  • Demonstrating effective application of mathematics knowledge and numeracy skills in emergency and disaster management practice.
Relational Skills

Examples are:

  • Initiating and maintaining effective partnerships with a range of interdisciplinary and inter-agency stakeholders.
  • Initiating and maintaining effective relationships with key community networks.
Reflective Skills

Examples are:

  • Undertaking regular self-assessment of emotional intelligence, recognising own responses and effects of own behaviour on others.
  • Critiquing own philosophical, attitudinal and cognitive foundations to practice and a willingness to changing these as necessary.
Interpersonal Engagement

Examples are:

  • Demonstrating the skills of collaborating with fellow students and colleagues, modifying and reflecting on practice, or modifying and reflecting on work in response to supervisor feedback.
  • Building rapport with colleagues and stakeholders in order to engage them in effective emergency and disaster management  practice.
  • Critically self-reflecting on situations that may/may not have gone well, and taking the learning point(s) from those situations.
  • Interacting and engaging with individuals and groups in emergency and disaster management practice in a respectful and culturally competent manner in a wide variety of contexts.
Core Learning Outcomes
  • 1. Analyse and reflect on complex technical and theoretical concepts in the emergency and disaster management context
  • 2. Critically appraise the current and emerging national and international emergency and disaster management approaches
  • 3. Identify appropriate strategies that develop and maintain partnerships to improve capability integration in emergency and disaster management
  • 4. Communicate high-level actions and solutions to emergency and disaster management issues that are grounded in evidence-based research
  • 5. Evaluate effective leadership strategies that drive best practices and operational intelligence in emergency and disaster management
  • 6. Analyse and reflect on the implications of political, economic, social, cultural and technological trends for emergency and disaster management practice
  • 7. Critically reflect on current principles and practices of community education in its application in the emergency and disaster management sector
  • 8. Formulate strategies that educate and encourage communities to prepare and adapt their capabilities and increase their resilience in order to reduce the impact of emergencies and disasters.
  Course Learning Outcomes
Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1. KNOWLEDGE Have a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice
2. KNOWLEDGE Have an understanding of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning
3. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and to reflect critically on theory and professional practice or scholarship
4. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of knowledge or practice
5. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level
6. SKILLS Have communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences
7. SKILLS Have technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship
8. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice and/or for further learning
9. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use high level personal autonomy and accountability
10 APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship.
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Communicate, interact and collaborate with others effectively in culturally or linguistically diverse contexts in a culturally respectful manner
Electives - Level 8 Learning Outcomes
Please refer to the Core Structure Learning Outcomes
Electives - Level 9 Learning Outcomes
Please refer to the Core Structure Learning Outcomes

Electives - Level 8 Elective

Number of units: 4 Total credit points: 24

You will need to choose a combination of units totalling a minimum of 18 credit points from the list of level- 8 electives to make up the required credit points for the course. Consideration should be given to the campus, term of offering and possible exit/interim awards.

Please consult with the Course Advice Team regarding your choice of electives.

You must complete a minimum of 3 Level 8 units (maximum of 4) from the following list. 

Students that take certain units are eligible for additional qualifications/interim/exit awards. Please consult with the Course Advice Team regarding your choice of electives.

If you select these units and opt to receive an additional qualification, please contact the Course Advice Team once you have completed the relevant units for your chosen interim/exit award.

Available units
Students may choose to do any of the following:
BUSN20017 Effective Business Communications
COMM20110 Crisis Communication
HRMT20024 Managing Human Resources
MGMT20129 Managing People, Organisations and Context
MGMT20144 Management and Business Context
MRKT20052 Marketing Management and Digital Communications
SAFE28003 Safety in Complexity
SAFE28001 Safety Regulation and Management
SAFE28002 Psychosocial Hazard Management
PBHL20001 Understanding Public Health
PBHL20002 Systems Thinking in Public Health
PBHL20003 Epidemiology and Statistics
PPMP20007 Project Management Concepts
PPMP20008 Initiating and Planning Projects
PPMP20010 Executing and Closing Projects
SAFE20011 Exposures and Health Risk
SAFE20017 Human Factors in Complex Systems
SAFE20018 Fatigue Risk Management
HRMT20030 Contemporary Human Resource Management and People Analytics
PMSC28004 Fundamentals of Counter-terrorism and Operational Medicine

Electives - Level 9 Elective

Number of units: 1 Total credit points: 6

You will need to choose a unit totalling 6 credit points from the list of level- 9 electives if you have only selected 3 level-8 elective units (18 credit points) to make up the required credit points for the course. Consideration should be given to the campus, term of offering and possible exit/interim awards. Please contact the Course Advice Team for further information regarding your choice of electives.

Students that take certain units are eligible for additional qualifications/interim/exit awards. Please consult with the Course Advice Team regarding your choice of electives.
 
 
If you select these units and opt to receive an additional qualification, please contact the Course Advice Team once you have completed the relevant units for your chosen interim/exit award.

Available units
Students may choose to do any of the following:
PBHL20005 Global Public Health
PBHL29001 Social Innovation and Health: Human-Centred Design Thinking
PBHL29002 Communicable Diseases
PPMP20009 Leading Lean Projects
PMSC29002 Human Performance Optimisation in Complex Environments
SAFE29001 Hazard Management and Risk Control
More Details
There is no additional information for this course.