Disaster Studies (MA)
Overview
The Disaster Studies MA Program offers students broad interdisciplinary training in the fields of Sociology of Disaster and 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, sociology, 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 Disaster Studies MA program, 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, the GRE general test score is 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 Hours
Core Electives - 6 Hours
Choose from the following - 6 Hours
Prescribed Electives - 6 Hours
Choose two areas - 6 Hours
Area 1: Public Health
Area 2: Government and Public Administration
| PAFF 6303 | Policy Implementation and Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PAFF 6304 | Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
| PAFF 6305 | Political Leadership: Decision-Making and Management in Public Organizations | 3 |
| PAFF 6310 | Public Service Ethics | 3 |
| PAFF 6312 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| PAFF 6314 | Formulation of Public Policy | 3 |
| PAFF 6317 | Grant Writing and Fund Development | 3 |
| PAFF 6319 | Public Finance Administration | 3 |
| PAFF 6372 | Special Topics in Public Administration | 3 |
Area 3: Organizational Communication
Thesis Requirement - 6 Hours
Non-Thesis Option:
A petition must be made to the Graduate Coordinator to pursue the non-thesis option.
Required Core Courses - 18 Hours
Core Electives - 6 Hours
Choose from the following - 6 Hours
Prescribed Electives - 9 Hours
Choose 6 hours from one area and 3 additional hours from any area below:
Area 1: Public Health
Area 2: Government and Public Administration
| PAFF 6303 | Policy Implementation and Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PAFF 6304 | Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
| PAFF 6305 | Political Leadership: Decision-Making and Management in Public Organizations | 3 |
| PAFF 6310 | Public Service Ethics | 3 |
| PAFF 6312 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| PAFF 6314 | Formulation of Public Policy | 3 |
| PAFF 6317 | Grant Writing and Fund Development | 3 |
| PAFF 6319 | Public Finance Administration | 3 |
| PAFF 6372 | Special Topics in Public Administration | 3 |
Area 3: Organizational Communication
Capstone Requirement - 3 Hours
Total Credit Hours: 36