Humanitarian, Emergency and Disaster Management

If you're a problem solver by nature with the ability to work under pressure in challenging situations and a desire to perform life-saving work, consider forging a career in humanitarian, emergency and disaster management with CDU. 

Our emergency management courses are designed to address the growing need for skilled humanitarian and development assistance workers due to man-made disasters like war and famine, disasters caused by natural hazards like flooding and earthquakes, and widespread health emergencies like pandemics and epidemics.

Apply your academic learnings to practical scenarios during intensive units and community-based placements. Available here in Australia or overseas with industry partners, you’ll get the real-world experience to set up your future career in humanitarian relief, development assistance or human services organisations.

There has never been more demand for skilled humanitarian and development assistance workers. The industry is growing rapidly due to the growing incidence of disasters across the globe, both man-made and caused by natural hazards.

Foreign aid work is often seen as the employment outcome of choice for disaster management courses, though opportunities extend far beyond this. Importantly, you don’t need to be a frontline aid worker to make a real impact. Many professionals working in this industry work regular desk jobs in their own city.

Interested in making a difference on a local scale? The Human Services major in the Bachelor of Humanitarian Aid and Development focuses on working with individuals, families and groups at the local level. Graduates find roles in migration support, homelessness services, local community services and more.

The multi-disciplinary approach of our disaster management courses gives you the critical analysis and conceptual application skills to succeed in a broad range of fields, from government and hospitals to not-for-profit organisations and more.