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M.A./M.SC. IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Introduction

Disaster Management is emerging globally as a full-fledged academic discipline. Since disaster response has primarily been a practitioner's domain, its boundaries have been permeable. People from diverse backgrounds — including relief workers, engineers, social scientists, or medical professionals — have worked in disaster management. This has facilitated the growth of disaster management as a substantive field. However, as a field of practice, it demands specialisation to meet with the dynamic challenges posed by disasters.

The Master's programme in Disaster Management, offered by the Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management, aims at enhancing knowledge, capacities and skills, and perspective on disasters. While enabling an understanding of disasters from the vantage point of science and technology in the prediction, mitigation and response, the programme will also foster a critical and reflective appreciation of current debates in disaster management within the framework of social and environmental justice, state and civil society dynamics, development, conflict and displacement, and globalisation.

The Master's programme is designed to include thematic and issue-based courses related to aspects such as the relationship between environment, livelihood and disasters, institutional building and governance, inequalities and social exclusion, local knowledge systems and disaster management. The course will also endeavour to cultivate appropriate values, a strong multidisciplinary knowledge base and skills essential for intervention in disasters and their prevention. Students will develop expertise in select areas such as logistics and supply chain management, public health, information and communication, peace, conflict and human security and so on.

Spread over four semesters, this Master's programme is a pioneering initiative within the country and has certain unique features which will enable mid-career professionals to combine their work with study. It has one year of intensive contact classes with field exposure and internship. Research is a compulsory component of the programme. In the second year, students have the option to work off campus in distance education mode. The programme however, will follow a pre-determined calendar.

It also offers multi-level entry–exit option where a student coming for a semester can obtain a Certificate in Disaster Management on completion of the stipulated requirements. Students who wish to continue through with the next semester would obtain a Diploma. Alternately, a student on completion of the Certificate programme could come back after a break (not exceeding five years from the date of completion of the Certificate programme), and join in for the second semester. In order to obtain the Master's degree a student can complete the four semesters without a break or in an incremental manner after completing the credits required for a diploma.

Course Outline

Distribution of Credit Hours

Semester-Wise Listing of Courses

Concentrations

The programme offers the opportunity to develop specialist knowledge. Seven concentrations or specialisations are envisaged in the third semester. Students will choose any two of the concentrations.

1. Public Health and Disaster Management
   
2. Psychosocial Care in Disaster Management
   
3. Governance in Disaster Management
   
4. Conflicts, Peace and Development
   
5. Logistics Management and Service Delivery Systems
   
6. Geographical Information Systems in Disaster Management
   
7. Communication and Media

Eligibility

There are total 30 seats available in the programme, including and observing the reservation norms SC, ST, Other Backward Castes [OBC], and Persons With Disability [PWD]) of the GoI and international students/children of Indian workers in the Gulf and in South–East Asia. This programme is designed for mid-career professionals who will also have the scope for multi-level entry and exit. However applicants could also be fresh graduates with a high degree of motivation to work in the area of disaster management.

Selection Procedure

Those satisfying the eligibility requirements will be assessed for selection (Total Marks = 200) through the following:

1. Academic Background (30 Marks): Marks are awarded to each applicant on the basis of overall percentage of marks secured in the Bachelor's Degree Examination and the maximum marks are 30. However, high academic achievement is not the only criterion on which the candidate will be selected.
   
2. Written Test (100 Marks): A Written Test in English aims at an assessment of (i) proficiency in English Language, (ii) awareness of and reflection on disaster related issues, social and environmental justice, humanitarian assistance, (iii) analytical capabilities, and (iv) sensitivity to social and technological issues. The time allotted is two hours.
   
3. Personal Interview (70 Marks): To become eligible for the Personal Interview (PI), a general candidate should secure a minimum score of 45 marks (35 marks for SCs and STs) in the written test.

Reservations

The TISS is an equal opportunity institution and there is no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, age or physical disability. As per the Government of India directives, there is a reservation for the following groups:

• 15% for SC candidates and 7.5% for STs.
  
• 3% for the persons with disability, of which 1% each for (a) Low Vision/ Blindness (b) Hearing Impairment, and (c) Locomotor Disability/ Cerebral Palsy in all the programmes.
  
• 15% supernumerary seats for foreign nationals.
  
• GoI directives will be followed for Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates, as applicable.

Career Opportunities

As an emerging field, the need for qualified personnel within disaster management is high. Students who graduate with this degree will find opportunities in the development sector with government and non-government organisations, with consultancy firms, or could go on to pursuing research, training and teaching careers.

Contact Details

Postal Address: Post Box 8313, Deonar, Mumbai 400 088.

Please address all your letters to the Deputy Registrar, Academic Section, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Telephone: 91-22-2556 3289-96, Extn. 258, 259 and 261.

The telephone board functions from 9.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

Fax: 91-22-2556 2912

E-mail: pgadmissions@tiss.edu ; acadsec@tiss.edu