Course Structure
Each academic year is divided into two semesters: the first semester runs from October to January, the second semester runs from March to June. Each year there are three exam sessions, in February, July and September.
The Master of Science in Disaster and Health Crisis Management is a blended program. This means that part of the teaching activities take place on campus, in Vercelli (Italy) and part of the activities take place online.
On campus activities are grouped in one residential session per semester, lasting 2 to 3 weeks, for a total of four residential sessions. During residential sessions students are required to be in Vercelli or Novara for the entire duration of the activities. Online sessions can be attended from everywhere, provided that a stable internet connection is available.
First Year
Second Year
*Slight changes in the contents can be applied until the end of the pre-enrolment phase
Internship
In the fourth semester, all students must complete a non-paid internship of 450 hours (18 CFU) in an institution, company, research center, NGO or governmental body active in the field of health crisis management. A list of available internship projects will be published on the Master’s Degree website. In addition, students can choose to organise their internship in a different institution or company, provided that an agreement between the host organization and the University is signed and that the internship project is discussed with the teaching staff and the internship office.
Final exam and graduation
The qualification is obtained after having acquired 120 CFUs, including the final exam and the internship. The final test consists in a verification of the candidate's ability to present and discuss the contents of an original thesis in front of a Commission.
The thesis can focus on wide range of different topics related to the disaster and health crisis management and must be in English. The topic is chosen in agreement with a supervisor, who will support the student during the process of thesis writing. It is also possible to carry out the thesis project with an external partner, for example with the company, NGO, or governmental institution where the student was hosted for the internship.