This MBA specialisation builds expertise in disaster management

NEW DELHI: In the aftermath of a global pandemic and other disasters, there is a growing realisation of the need for expertise in handling such calamities. In 2023, the Institute of Land and Disaster Management (ILDM) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, launched an MBA in disaster management.

“This is India’s first All India Council for Technical Education-approved MBA programme in disaster management,” said Amal Raj M, professor, ILDM. Run by Kerala’s revenue department, ILDM aims to impart skills on mitigating and managing the impact of disasters. It is affiliated to the University of Kerala.

However, it isn’t the only such programme. Disaster management is a relatively new MBA specialisation that is seeing more institutions launching programmes. It has been offered as a weekend programme by Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, since 2005, training working professionals and government officials. It is also offered at the Institute of Management Studies of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore, and at Swami Vivekanand University in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, among others.

The programmes typically cover disaster preparedness, management, risk assessment and reduction, prevention and communication.

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Why an MBA

Explaining why disaster management had to be taught as an MBA, Raj explained that existing programmes on disaster management tend to focus on different things. An MSc is more likely to focus on the science behind the disaster – how and why there will be a cyclone, for example. An MSW is likely to address the social and public health aspects of a disaster.

“However, what the administration or the government needs to know is how to manage the disaster,” said Raj.

ILDM was the first institute to apply for and secure AICTE approval, albeit for half the intake they had originally proposed. It launched with 30 seats of which it could fill 21. From next year, they will reserve 10% of seats for government employees, said Raj.

Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) offers a master’s in disaster management that’s not an MBA.

“The students are taught about the three stages of disaster – pre-disaster, during a disaster and post-disaster. It includes capacity building and integrating science and technology in disaster management,” said Guru Balamurugan, who taught at TISS before joining Central University of Tamil Nadu.

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Teachers and syllabus

Admission to ILDM is through the Common Admission Test (CAT), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Kerala Management Admission Test (KMAT). The curriculum will have “vital topics such as risk assessment, humanitarian logistics, technology applications, public health, societal dimensions, and climate change”, said D. Sajith Babu, director, ILDM at the launch of the programme.

The programme which has only one faculty at present will soon have nine more. Effective communication plays a major role in disaster management; at ILDM, professional communication will be taught by guest teachers from the United States. “They will teach students how the media has to be briefed, how they should write, and how they should report deaths and injuries,” explained Raj.

Multidisciplinary field

No matter what degree is conferred, all disaster management programmes are multidisciplinary, Murugan pointed out. Students will have to know about the science and also how to handle the mental health challenges of survivors.

Loyola College of Social Sciences in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, offers an MSW which is taught purely within the social science framework, emphasising on disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction. “The idea is to endorse the need for social interventions in pre and post-disaster situations,” said Jyoti Krishnan, head, department of disaster management, Loyola College. Most students go on to join non-profits and similar organisations upon graduation.