Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Public Health in Disasters, 60 credits

Second-cycle courses and study programmes shall be based fundamentally on the knowledge acquired by students during first-cycle courses and study programmes, or its equivalent.

Second-cycle courses and study programmes shall involve the acquisition of specialist knowledge, competence and skills in relation to first-cycle courses and study programmes, and in addition to the requirements for first-cycle courses and study programmes shall:

• further develop the ability of students to integrate and make autonomous use of their knowledge,
• develop the students' ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and
• develop the students' potential for professional activities that demand considerable autonomy, or for research and development work.

Outcomes of the Degree of Master (60 credits) according to the Higher Education Ordinance
Knowledge and understanding
For a Degree of Master of Science (60 credits) degree the student shall:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both an overview of the field and specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as insight into current research and development work, and
• demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study. 

Competence and skills
For a Degree of Master of Science (60 credits) degree the student shall

• demonstrate the ability to integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information
• demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues autonomously as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames
• demonstrate the ability in speech and writing to report clearly and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences, and
• demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or employment in some other qualified capacity.

Judgement and approach
For a Degree of Master of Science (60 credits) degree the student shall

• demonstrate the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work
• demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
• demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.

On completion of the programme, the student should be able to show their capacity to:

• integrate knowledge and to analyse, evaluate and manage the different public health aspects of disaster events at a local and global levels, even when limited information is available.
• describe, analyse and evaluate the environmental, social, cultural, economic, legal and organisational aspects influencing vulnerabilities and capacities to face disasters.
• work theoretically and practically in the processes of public health disaster response (disaster risk reduction, response, and recovery) and relate their interconnections.
• handle the Public Health consequences of disasters.
• obtain, analyse, and communicate information on risks, relief needs and lessons learned from earlier disasters in order to formulate strategies for future mitigation to where lessons learnt are used and discussed.
• analyse and evaluate research work in the disaster field while demonstrating insight into the potential and limitations of science in this field, its role in society and people's responsibility for how it is used.
• design and perform research on different public health aspects related to disasters.

The study programme is a joint university educational programme together with Oviedo (Spain) and Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and it is granted by the Erasmus Mundus program of the EU's Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

The aim of the master programme is to, through knowledge, experience and research build capacities that will reduce disaster risks and contribute to better and more targeted public health based response following disasters.

The programme is a one year programme of 60 credits, which has two tracks. KI is involved in one of these: Public health response to disaster. The courses are of three different kinds: common introduction courses, track specific courses and a thesis project that also includes an internship.

An objective-related seven-point scale is used for grading on courses. The pass grades are A, B, C, D and E. The fail grades are Fx and F. Alternative grading scales may apply to elective courses or cross-programme courses. The grading scale is detailed in the course syllabus.

The teaching language is English.

* Universidad de Oviedo (UNIOVI), Karolinska Institutet (KI), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL)