Many universities offer courses on emergency management and disasters, but the direct relationship between the recent major earthquakes and the creation of curricula seems different this time. See:  Universities team up to tackle disasters

As Canterbury continues its rebuild efforts following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, the region’s two universities are pooling their resources to give students a wide range of skills to help manage the after-effects of natural disasters.

Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury have signed a memorandum of understanding that signals their plan to jointly offer qualifications in disaster risk and resilience. “Both universities have experienced and learned so much from the Canterbury earthquakes,” Dr Cochrane says.

“The collaboratively taught and jointly awarded Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience (MDRR) and related postgraduate programmes will make the most of the complementary knowledge and expertise of each university, allowing for future joint research and collaboration.”

Lincoln University Associate Professor Hamish Rennie says that Canterbury-based students are in a unique position to discover how cities and towns can become more resilient to disaster by studying recent events that have occurred here.