International Disaster Management and Civil Protection

The Master's Program comprises 120 ECTS, lasts four semesters and includes a Master's thesis. 

The Academic Expert Program comprises 60 ECTS, lasts three semesters and focuses on practice-oriented content without a Master's thesis.

However, the courses of Modules 1-4 are similar. The Academic expert program does not include a final exam. The qualification is obtained during the course of study.

For the MSc option, you need at least a Bachelor’s-level academic degree, while for the Academic Expert program, a higher education entrance qualification combined with relevant professional experience is sufficient.

You will attend courses at several European partner universities, work with international case studies and deepen your skills through exchanges with experts from different countries and organisations.

Each of our parnter universities focus on a different area of the disaster management cycle.

“International Disaster Management and Civil Protection” is an interdisciplinary continuing education program with strong research and operational credentials. It is taught by an international team of experts and practitioners who combine academic research with real-world experience in disaster management and civil protection. This internationally engaged team of lecturers grounds the program in the diverse realities of different country contexts.

Expertise spans geospatial science, environmental hazards, engineering, law and policy, public health, logistics, business continuity, communication and data science. Practitioners from public authorities, international organizations, NGOs, and industry complement the academic faculty to deliver state-of-the-art, applied instruction across the full disaster risk management cycle.

As all courses are held in English, you need language skills at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference, in order to follow lectures effectively and understand the materials.

The curriculum integrates multiple learning formats to combine academic foundations including theoretical lectures, seminars and group discussions, hands-on practice, and on-site insights. 

The following formats illustrate how this comes to life:

• Research-informed lectures and seminars cover current frameworks and standards (e.g., multi-hazard risk, UCPM, BCM/ISO)
• Case studies, tabletop exercises and simulations strengthen decision-making under uncertainty
• On‑field components including excursions, live practitioner inputs and site-based learning
• Analytical skills training in GIS/remote sensing, data analysis, monitoring and evaluation

This mix ensures conceptual depth methodological rigor, and operational relevance.

Yes. You will study part-time in block formats. Designed for working professionals, the program combines in-person blocks at partner universities with additional flexible online modules from Thursday to Saturday.

When and where do the courses take place?

Winter Semester 2026/27

Summer Semester 2027

(Subject to change)

After your admission as a student, you’ll find detailed information on each course in Moodle.

Attendance and assessment requirements are specified in the program regulations. If you already know that you will be unable to attend a specific session, please contact our Program Management team as early as possible.

You can apply for a leave of absence for your continuing education and training program by sending the attached form and any necessary enclosure to the Program Management or directly to zulassung.pgc(at)univie.ac.at. You can apply for a leave of absence for one or two semesters at the same time. 

You can interrupt the program for the following reasons:

*A leave of absence during the semester is only possible if the marked reasons (*) applies after the beginning of the semester.

• Military service, civilian service or military training service
• Illness, that has been proven to hinder study progress*
• Pregnancy*
• Childcare obligations or other comparable care obligations*
• Voluntary year of social service or environmental protection
• Temporary impairment due to a disability*
• Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service or peace and social service programs abroad (sections 22 to 27a of the Austrian voluntary service act (Freiwilligengesetz))
• A significant interference with your studies due to professional activities or training and qualification measures related to this professional activity, lasting for at least four weeks
• A significant interference with your studies due to the settlement of issues with authorities abroad, lasting for at least four weeks

Please note the consequences of a leave of absence and what you are not allowed to do during a semester on leave:

• Attending lectures
• Submitting academic papers for review
• Taking examinations of courses offered with the period of leave of absence

Please contact our Program Management as soon as possible, if you want to interrupt the program.

As soon as you are enrolled, you will be registered within our elearning platform moodle. On the platform you can find the majority of materials used within all courses, including e.g. lecturer presentation, exercises, accompanying materials, depending on the specifics of each course offered.

The types of assessment differ by course and course type. The may include written exams, oral exams, individual and group works, preparational essays, substantive minutes, ongoing involvement, an episode within a podcast, an extensive protocol of a field trip, etc. The respective assessment requirement and the grading criteria are made available at the beginning of each course.

None of the courses are recorded. In-person classes (also when conducted in a digital format) form a crucial element at the University of Vienna which ensure high quality training with the best outcomes. However, used materials are completely made available on the learning platform moodle.

Yes, once registered, you will receive an information sheet from all partner Institutions. This will include a general info on the partner institution, travel options on how to reach the city and the teaching site, and a selection of accommodation options. The specific travel and accommodation arrangements, however, must then be made be the individual students.

Yes, there will be contact persons. However, these are responsible for local information only. It is recommended, to send all enquiries to the EUMA program manager first – she will take care that all requests are distributed accordingly.

Yes, but this is not moderated by the EUMA team. Experiences from other programs show, that the student group sets up in the very first day of the new course an own chat group using WhatsApp, Viber, Signal or whichever format is chosen. This chat group is than used for internal exchange, but is completely independent from EUMA management team.

Yes, there is an official graduation ceremony in the premises of the University of Vienna in December of the last year of the course. This ceremony is offered on-site only – and might be a great opportunity to have a final farewell meeting within the whole cohort.

After the positive grading of the written Masterthesis, this thesis has to be defended in an oral presentation by the candidate. The examination committee consists of the supervisor, a second examiner and the committee chair. The 20 minutes presentation of the thesis is followed by 30 minutes of open questions from the examination committee. Following the internal consultation, you will receive the grading. 

This exam can be in-presence in Vienna, hybrid or purely online.

Natural disasters are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity, making qualified specialists and leaders in this field more important than ever. The Postgraduate Center of the University of Vienna offers two continuing education programs that open up different academic perspectives and learning environments. Both programs enable targeted specialization – depending on whether your focus is more on national or regional structures or on international contexts.

The overview below outlines each program’s profile and highlights their specific priorities:

Both programs combine academic foundations with practical expertise and benefit from instructors from academia and professional practice, as well as from an active professional network.