Disaster & Risk Management

Undergraduate Certificate Program

The St. Louis metropolitan region is home to numerous research laboratories and military installations and thus it is an obligation of a land-grant university to keep its workforce and communities knowledgeable about security issues. The University of Missouri has launched The University of Missouri Homeland Security Preparedness Initiative and formed a system-wide task force to develop an academic or research program on homeland security. The Disaster and Risk Management certificate program augments a focus on the core concepts of homeland security with an accompanying emphasis on resilience in the public and private institutions operating in our communities. In other words, the certificate program emphasizes an all-hazards approach to homeland security that includes a focus on prevention as well as response and recovery to disasters and catastrophes.

The certificate program is designed to strengthen student careers by offering a fundamental social science understanding of the nature of disasters and organizational issues inherent in the management and planning for catastrophes, and the protection of health care infrastructure, and the political, legal, psychological, and social aspects of catastrophes.

The undergraduate certificate program on Disaster and Risk Management offers a multi-disciplinary course of study focusing on the key challenge of developing resilience against disaster--preventing, preparing for, and responding to disasters and catastrophes. It brings together a range of disciplines to provide students with theoretical and practical insights into managing risks posed by natural, accidental, and intentional threats confronting urban communities.

The certificate program emphasizes social psychological, organizational, legal, and political relationships brought to bear on the socio-technical systems designed to prevent, prepare for, or respond to disasters and catastrophes. It provides educational and practical opportunities for students planning careers in public safety, counterterrorism, community and research planning, public policy making, emergency management, leadership in the public sector, and the mass media.

The program aims to guide students in learning to manage efforts of public and private institutions to build resilience in their own socio-technical systems and in the community. Each discipline participating in the certificate program brings a distinct perspective to bear on the key issues involved in developing resilience in homeland security. Sociology offers a framework on the relationship of socio-technical systems and community organization that will prove conducive to students gaining both theoretical and practical insights into threats posed by disaster and catastrophe.

Curriculum

Undergraduate students earn a certificate on Disaster and Risk Management by completing 18 hours with a GPA of 2.0 or better from the following courses:

BUS ADM 3798 Transportation Security, Safety, and Disaster Preparedness (3hrs)

COMM 3150 Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Communication (3 hrs)

ECON 4160 Geospatial Analysis in the Social Sciences (GIS) (3 hrs)

MEDIA 4040 Disaster and Media Management (3 hrs)

POLSCI 3200 Constitutional Law (3 hrs)

PSYCH/WGS 2232 Psychology of Victims (3 hrs)
or SOCIOL 3250 Sociology of Victimization (3 hrs)

SOCIOL 4414 Social Perspectives on Catastrophes and Homeland Security Policies (3hrs)

SOCIOL 4450 Disaster and the Law (3 hrs)

Special topic courses relevant to disaster and risk management may be included in the certificate program when approved in advance by the Coordinator of the Disaster and Risk Management Certificate.

3-Year Course Schedule

Course Number	Course Name	FS08	WS09	SS09	FS09	WS10	SS10	FS10
BUS AD 3798	Transportation Security, Safety, and Disaster Preparedness		*
COMM 3150	Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Communication		*
ECON 4160	Geospatial Analysis in the Social Sciences		e			e
MEDIA 4040	Disaster and Media Management				*
POLSCI 3200	Constitutional Law	d			d		d
PSYCH/ WGS 2232	Psychology of Victims	d			d			d
SOCIOL 3250	Sociology of Victimization	d		e			d
SOCIOL 4380	Disaster and the Law	e			e		e
SOCIOL 4414	Catastrophes and Homeland Security Policies					e

d = day, e = evening, * = to be determined
Note: This course schedule is subject to change due to availability of instructors and other limiting factors.

For information, contact:

Disaster & Risk Management Program
Department of Sociology, 707 Tower
(314) 516-6366

Participating Departments and Colleges:

College of Arts & Sciences׀Continuing Education
Sociology (Coordinating department)
Communication
Economics
Political Science
Psychology Department (Center for Trauma Recovery)

College of Business Administration
Center for Transportation Studies

College of Fine Arts & Communication
Theater, Dance, and Media Studies