Academic Expert Program

The basic courses of the first module are offered within an in-person one-week block at the University of Vienna by the Department of Geography and Regional Research. We introduce you to the fundamental models, concepts and terminology of risk and disaster management, linking theory to practice through applied exercises. You develop fluency in the risk cycle and core terminology – risk, vulnerability, resilience and risk governance – while engaging with global change, systemic/cascading dynamics and forensic disaster analysis. The curriculum introduces digital and emerging media for risk prevention and response, including risk communication and social media analytics, alongside spatial–temporal data sources and representations (GIS, remote sensing, mapping) that underpin prevention and planning. 

After completing this module, you can trace the historical evolution of disaster management, identify and exploit relevant datasets and apply foundational frameworks to analyze vulnerability and resilience in real-world settings.

Courses:

• Fundamentals of Risk Prevention and Disaster Management
• Vulnerability and Resilience: Social, Psychological and Economic Aspects
• Trends in Disaster Risk Management and Civil Protection
• Disaster Management – Foundations and Good Practice
• Leadership and Complexity in Disaster Management

Taught by our partner University of Twente in Enschede, the Netherlands, this module starts with a one‑week, in‑person block.

It delivers a systemic, multi-hazard risk assessment capability for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and civil protection. You integrate hazard process understanding with spatial analytics, remote sensing, GIS, environmental monitoring and demographic/socio-economic data to build decision-grade risk profiles under uncertainty. The curriculum spans probabilistic risk analysis, spatial modeling, scenario design, and vulnerability/exposure assessment, emphasizing method–context fit, assumption testing and how to adapt methods to informational limitations and uncertainty. Case studies across Europe connect analytics to operational planning, preparedness and resilience investments, aligning with contemporary civil protection frameworks. 

After completing this module, you will able to diagnose evolving risk across space and time, interpret cascading and compound dynamics and translate evidence into actionable strategies for institutions responsible for risk governance in Europe and beyond.

Courses:

• Multi-Hazard Assessment
• Exposure, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
• Project: Applying Risk Assessment for Risk Reduction

This module is delivered by our partner, St´Anna School of Advances Studies (Pisa, Italy), and commences with a one-week, on-site intensive block. Academics and practitioners will provide a comprehensive overview of the actors, activities, and mechanisms developed to manage disaster risk effectively, including the role of civil protection authorities, humanitarian organizations, and international coordination mechanisms. Particular attention will be paid to cooperation frameworks, such as the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and operational coordination platforms used in large-scale emergencies. The legal framework developed under international and EU law concerning disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery will also be examined, with a specific focus on the rules defining the legal status of international first responders and the facilitation of cross-border assistance, including customs, entry, and operational privileges. Students will be introduced to practical challenges such as host-nation support, the protection of affected populations and the correct application of humanitarian principles. Finally, a two-day simulation exercise will be held, organised by members of teams that have been repeatedly deployed in cross-border assistance missions. The one-week residential module will be complemented by several preparatory and wrap-up seminars delivered online, allowing participants to engage with background materials and reflect on lessons learned.

Courses:

• The International Legal Framework for Disaster Response and Recovery Activities
• The International Legal Framework for Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Activities
• Integrated Global and Regional Disaster Management: Key Actors and the UCPM
• Urban Search and Rescue and Host Nation Support
• Regulation and Management of Specific Risks and New Threats in Europe

Delivered in partnership with the University of Dublin (Dublin, Ireland), this module provides a rigorous, systems‑based immersion in Business Continuity Management. The Business Continuity module equips participants to design, implement, and embed effective Business Continuity Management (BCM) systems aligned with international best practice and contemporary resilience and risk standards. Interdisciplinary by design, it integrates business and management, risk management, emergency and crisis management, organisational governance, and strategic planning. Key features include a strong practice orientation with assessments applied to real organisational contexts; critical engagement with international guidance and standards for global relevance; a full lifecycle approach that treats BCM as an integrated management system embedded in governance and organisational culture; and explicit linkage between strategic leadership decisions and operational response structures. Within the EUMA context, the module complements disaster management and civil protection by strengthening organisational resilience across public, private, and institutional settings. Overall, participants gain analytical tools, strategic insight, and applied competencies to enhance organisational resilience in increasingly complex, risk-prone environments.

Courses:

• Foundations and Practical Application of Business Continuity Management
• Implementing Business Continuity Management
• Security Issues and Hybrid Threats in the Geopolitical Context
• Crisis and Disaster Communication Strategies
• Applied Leadership and Communication in Practice

Both programs share a common foundation. Modules 1 to 4 are completed in both programmes. In the master's program, you can deepen your knowledge further by completing additional modules and writing a master's thesis.

This continuing education program is an integral part of the continuing education master’s program, and it is composed of Modules 1–4 from the master’s curriculum. This structure allows you to begin with the program’s foundational and applied components before progressing to the remaining modules of the master’s program, if desired.

All in-person sessions that are part of the modules 1 through 4 are included in the academic expert program. 

The excursion is part of module 5 and therefore not part of the academic expert program.

These four modules are especially instruction-intensive, reflecting requirements set out in the Universities Act, including lecturers’ mandated weekly teaching hours.

The academic expert program always starts in October each year, alongside with the master´s program.

Yes. Any modules you have already completed as part of the academic expert program will be fully recognised in terms of both content and finances if you switch to the master's program.