Disaster Studies (MA)
Overview
The program offers students broad interdisciplinary training and experience in the field of emergency management with classes on both the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses and online. Graduates from the program will enjoy a wide range of career opportunities as emergency management specialists, homeland security officers, hospital emergency preparedness administrators, public health planners, communication officers, and emergency response technicians. The program also prepares students for Ph.D. programs in emergency management, public health, and related fields. Funding opportunities in the form of assistantships are available for both domestic and international students.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the graduate program with a concentration in anthropology, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:
- Undergraduate degree from any major
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours. If applicant does not meet minimum undergraduate GPA criterion, GRE general test are required for conditional admission. GRE test scores are valid for 5 years
If an applicant does not meet the minimum undergraduate GPA criterion, the GRE test is required for conditional admission.
Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.
Program Requirements
Choose one of the following options:
Thesis Option:
Required Core Courses (18 Credits)
Core Electives (6 Credits)
Choose six hours from the following:
Prescribed Electives (6 Credits)
Must be chosen from Two different areas (3 hours each):
Area 1: Demographics and Culture
Area 2: Government and Public Administration
| PAFF 6303 | Policy Implementation and Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PAFF 6305 | Political Leadership: Decision-Making and Management in Public Organizations | 3 |
| PAFF 6306 | Public Personnel Administration | 3 |
| PAFF 6312 | State and Local Government | 3 |
Area 3: Natural Science
Area 4: Organizational Communication
Capstone Requirement (6 Credits)
Thesis
Non-Thesis Option:
(A petition must be made to the Graduate Coordinator to pursue this option)
Required Core Courses (18 Credits)
Core Electives (6 Credits)
Choose six hours from the following:
Prescribed Electives (9 Credits)
Choose 3 hours from ANY of the following areas AND 6 hours from ANY ONE area:
Area 1: Demographics and Culture
Area 2: Government and Public Administration
| PAFF 6303 | Policy Implementation and Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PAFF 6305 | Political Leadership: Decision-Making and Management in Public Organizations | 3 |
| PAFF 6306 | Public Personnel Administration | 3 |
| PAFF 6312 | State and Local Government | 3 |
Area 3: Natural Science
Area 4: Organizational Communication
Capstone Requirement (3 Credits)
Total Credit Hours: 36