Disaster and Health Crisis Management - A.Y. 2025/2026

• The Master’s Degree is delivered in English and has a pronounced international dimension: students are encouraged to spend time abroad through international mobility schemes (e.g. Erasmus), internships and thesis projects in collaborating institutions. Several professors and lecturers teaching in the Master’s Degree come from  Universities and Research centers across the globe, thus increasing the international dimension of the Master’s Course and the networking possibilities;
• The Master’s Degree is a blended course, with a combination of on campus and online activities. This particularly benefits international students, students already working and students with children;
• The Master's Degree provides not only solid theoretical foundations but also practical and applicable skills. This is granted through a network of collaborations with institutions, organizations, and associations operating in the field of emergency response and disaster management. Collaborations include internships, seminars, workshops, and apprenticeship in the field, engaging not only academic faculty but also professionals working in relevant sectors;
• The proposed curriculum has been designed following a long and articulated series of scientific studies and consultancies with institutions working in the field, to ensure that the disciplines and activities offered are aligned with the real needs of the governmental and non-governmental organizations, academic and non-academic institutions, United Nations offices and agencies that will employ the students after graduating.
• Despite the emergence of global challenges such as natural and technological disasters, conflicts, migratory crises, climate change, and pandemics, there is still a lack of Master's degree programs that train highly professionalized individuals with advanced skills for managing disasters, crises, and health emergencies.

The Master's Degree program aims to introduce a new professional figure, the Health Crisis Manager, equipped with advanced skills to manage disasters and crises and their implications on human health.

Graduates from this Master’s Degree will have the opportunity to hold key positions in public or private organizations involved in crisis and emergency management or in their prevention and mitigation. Some possible career prospects include:

• Officers in public administrations and international organizations in the field of cooperation and aid to developing countries.
• Consultants for assemblies and political institutions, public or private associations.
• Design and implementation of activities for NGOs and other non-profit organizations, such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
• Experts in Civil Protection.
• Researchers at Universities and Research Centers dealing with issues such as Civil Protection, Disaster Medicine, Climate Change, Cooperation, and Development.
• Officials in supranational and international organizations such as the European Union, World Health Organization, IFRC, ICRC, IOM, UNHCR, OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP.
• Consultants, also in private companies, regarding risk management, crisis management, Business Continuity Management

Numerous opportunities exist also for students wishing to continue their studies in the field of disaster medicine and humanitarian assistance, who may choose to further deepen their training through the Advanced Master Degree in Disaster Medicine or to enter the world of research through the PhD in Global Health, Humanitarian Aid, and Disaster Medicine, both offered by the University of Eastern Piedmont. Alternatively, they may choose to continue their postgraduate studies at Universities and Research Centers they got to know during their studies, thanks to the dense network of international collaborations underpinning the degree program.

Courses and programmes

On the Uniupo - Syllabus website, by selecting the academic year of interest from the drop-down menu, you can consult syllabuses of the courses.​​​​​​

On the dedicated page of this website you can find more information on compiling the study plan.

Syllabus

• Full time

Online lessons

Throughout the months of October, November, and December, all classes will be held online in asynchronous mode via the platform https://learn.edunext.eu. Students can follow the lessons at their own pace, and all materials will remain permanently available. In addition, some online tutored e-tivities and online meetings will be organized. The residential phase will take place in January in Vercelli. 

Please note that access to the platform requires the activation of your university email account. To access it, follow the isntructions below:

• Go to https://learn.edunext.eu with your web browser. On the right top corner, click on Log in button. 
• Type 'pie' and select University of Piemonte Orientale, then click Continue.
• The next time, University of Piemonte Orientale will already be selected, so you’ll just need to click Continue.
• On the login page (“Accesso rete e servizi”), enter your university e-mail as the username (<matricola_number>@studenti.uniupo.it) and your password, then click Login.
• Once logged in, choose "Disaster and Health Crisis Management" among the proposed courses. 
• Click on the course you want to enter. The first time you must enrol to courses by clicking on "Enrol me". Then you can explore the resources and activities available in your course. For technical support, you can open a ticket by writing to dir+edunext@uniupo.it

Regulation

• Regulation

This program is open to anyone holding a Bachelor's degree in scientific, legal-economic, social, and healthcare areas and having a specific interest in the field of disaster and health crisis management. Candidates graduated outside Italy must demonstrate to have acquired the necessary basic knowledge during their bachelor’s studies by submitting an official transcript for the qualifying degree they have completed or they are currently enrolled in.

Language proficiency

A B2 (upper intermediate) level in English is required to attend the Master of Science in Disaster and Health Crisis Management.

Students who cannot prove their linguistic level through an international certification (e.g. IELTS, TOEFL, or other widely recognized certifications) must undergo an online assessment.​​​

The teacher-tutor has the task of advising, directing and accompanying you in the compilation of option cards/web plans, as well as during the entire academic path.

• Prof. Luca RAGAZZONI
• Prof. Carmen AINA
• Prof. Laura CATALDI
• Prof. Stefania CERUTTI
• Prof. Cristina MEINI
• Prof. Rodrigo Antonio MIGUEZ NUNEZ

Mentoring Programme

For the orientation in itinere and the support to students enrolled in the degree course, the teaching staff is supported by tutors specialized in the various educational fields, selected with a specific call among the most prepared and deserving student population.

Teaching commission

The Teaching Commission collaborates with the Board of Studies and its President on the activities related to teaching, in particular: the preparation of the schedule of classes, the training of graduate commissions, the coordination of teachers-tutors, the formulation and evaluation of tests of incoming skills, guidance on entry and in progress, in training projects abroad and international mobility and in all the initiatives that the Degree Programme implements in the educational field.

The commission is in the process of being appointed.

The Master's program promotes and supports international mobility for students, faculty, and administrative staff involved in the administration of the program. In addition to centrally offered experiences such as the Erasmus+ program, students will be encouraged to spend periods of study and research abroad for thesis preparation and to undertake curricular internships.

In terms of faculty, the program leverages the international contacts of university faculty and researchers, as well as existing international cooperation agreements at the university and departmental levels, to facilitate the exchange of faculty members. This will allow courses or seminar components within them to be taught by international faculty members and experts. In particular, the presence of existing international training programs in the same field (European Master's in Disaster Medicine, Ph.D. in Global Health, Humanitarian Aid, and Disaster Medicine, peer-to-peer training courses), and the strong international characterization of CRIMEDIM - Center for Research and Training in Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Assistance, and Global Health at the university, ensure the presence of a well-established network of contacts with international institutions and faculty members from European and non-European universities.

If you are looking for information about lecturers and office hours: UPObook

• If you want to contact the Student secretariat: UPOrisponde
• If you want to speak directly with the Secretariat (in case of particularly complex issues) UPOriceve
• If you need services to support students with disabilities/DSA: UPOrisponde
• If you are looking for information on job orientation, internships/internships and job placement: jobplacement@uniupo.it

A complete list of useful contacts can be found here.

The PIM (Freshmen Information Point) service is active during the matriculation period.

The "S.O.S.T.A." desk Servizio Orientamento e Servizio Tutorato di Ateneo is a peer-to-peer service for the reception and support of students, set up with the collaboration of university students.

Student representatives are part of the governing bodies of the Department and the University and are an important component of it, helping to direct all its activities.
The student representatives' offices in Vercelli are located in room B3 at the Ex-Ospedaletto, viale Garibaldi 98.

• Students Representatives

The quality assurance of teaching is linked to the University Quality Policies and is implemented and monitored by evaluating the management of the educational offer, with a view to continuous improvement. At the CoS level, quality assurance is delegated to the Quality Group and the Review Group.

• Composition of the Quality Group and the Review Group

The documents relating to the quality of the CoS can be found in the appropriate section.

• Course programme
• Syllabi (select the specific year in the menu)
• Regulations