Masters of Science

DSM-501 Disaster Science and Management Theories

Type of disasters; Relationship between disaster and human development; Disaster management cycle; Causes and effects of various types of disasters; Engineering, technical and environmental aspects of disasters; Impact of disasters; Responding to disasters; Human rights in disasters; role of coordination in disaster management; Disaster management structure in Pakistan; strategic planning for emergency managers; disaster management and intergovernmental relations; Hospital emergency preparedness

DSM-502 Organizational Systems

Definitions of management; Evolution of management thought, classical, quantitative and behavioural schools; Interactions between organizations and their environments. The planning process; Strategic and tactical planning, developing planning premises, nature of managerial decision making, quantitative aids, management by objectives. Organizational structures; Behaviour of the individual, work group, and organization; Coordination and spans of control, the informal organization; authority delegation and decentralization, groups and committees, managing organizational change and conflict. Motivation, performance and satisfaction; Building a high-performance team; Leadership, interpersonal and organizational communication, staffing and personal function. The control process; Budgetary and non-budgetary methods of control; Team performance measurement and improvement strategies. Use of management information systems.

DSM-503 Accounting and Financial Management

Foundations of finance with applications in corporate finance and investment management. Major financial decisions made by corporate managers and investors with focus on process valuation. Criteria for investment decisions, valuation of financial assets and liabilities, relationships between risks and return, market efficiency, and the valuation of derivative securities. Major corporate financial instruments including debt, equity and convertible securities. Analysis and projection of financial statements, cost elements in pricing, cost control and design of accounting systems.

DSM-504 Strategic Planning and Decision Making

Need for effective strategic management; Corporate mission; Key result areas and situational analysis including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; Identifying planning assumptions, critical issues, setting objectives, formulating strategy; Managing technology as a strategic resource of the firm; Understanding of the process, roles and rewards of technological innovation; Integrating the strategic relationship of technology with strategic planning, marketing, finance, and manufacturing; Government, societal and international issues; Issues pertaining to cultural diversity and ethical concerns. Subjective, judgmental and expert decisions; Conflict resolution in strategic decisions involving technological alternatives; Hierarchical decision modelling; Individual and aggregate decisions; Decision discrepancies and evaluation of group disagreements.

DSM-505 Operations Research

Deterministic modelling: Linear programming; The simplex method; Multiple objective linear optimization; Duality and sensitivity analysis; Post optimality analysis from the viewpoint of technology management; Transportation, transhipment, and assignment problems; Problem formulation; Goal programming; Network analysis; Dynamic programming; Integer programming and nonlinear programming. Probabilistic modelling: Markov chains; Queuing theory and applications; Inventory theory; Forecasting; Design analysis and simulation; Pareto optimality and trade off curves.

DSM-521 Project Evaluation and Feasibility Analysis

Function of project evaluation; Project audit; Techniques for capital investment for decision-making; Time value of money and the concept of equivalence; Present worth, annual and rate of return analysis; Multiple alternatives; Replacement criteria; Tax considerations; Breakeven sensitivity analysis; Project evaluations under uncertainty; Risk sharing; Capital budgeting; Cost of capital depreciation; Multicriteria decisions. Project feasibility analysis; Organisational impacts; Societal impacts; Environmental impacts.

DSM-522 Geo Information in Disaster Management

Geo-information technology; Geo-Information Science for Natural Disaster Management; Map-based searching; Understanding earth-related phenomenon through maps; Global navigation systems; Fundamental of GIS; Mobile GIS and location-based services; Terrestrial laser scanning; Photogrammetry; Earth observation from space; Modelling and exchanging geo-information; Quality of geo-information; Applying geo-information technology; Census taking; Risk Assessment Tools; Case studies

DSM-523 Disaster Risk Reduction

Key concepts in disaster management; Differential impacts of disasters; Risk and risk management; Disaster risk reduction strategies; Disaster preparedness; Data collection methodologies; Research methods; Research ethics; Critical use of databases; Community-based disaster risk reduction; Risk identification and assessment; Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction; Water resource management; Sustainable land management; risk financing; risk financing instruments and risk transfer; Governments and disaster risk; Cost-benefit analysis of disaster risk management

DSM-524 Disaster Response and Recovery

Introduction to cluster-approach; Training for disaster preparedness and response; response before and after a disaster; Response mechanisms; Volunteer management and coordination; Approaches to disaster recovery; Theoretical frameworks of disaster recovery; Disaster recovery planning; Debris management; Environmental recovery; Historic and cultural resources; Housing; Business recovery; Infrastructure and lifelines; Public-sector recovery; Legal framework for refugees and IDPs; Conflicts and complex emergencies; Communications in emergencies; Management of disaster situations; Needs assessment and monitoring; Financing and donors; Personal safety; International security

DSM-525 Urban Transportation Planning

Coordination of City Planning and Transportation Planning. Trip generation, trip distribution, modal split, trip assignment models. Preparing landuse cum transport plans. Economic evaluation. Urban travel Characteristics and trends in travel demand. Basic urban transportation studies i/c origin destination surveys, Inventory use studies, Parking studies and transit surveys. Pedestrian facilities. Light rail and Mass Rapid Transit.

DSM-526 Demographic Analysis Techniques

Introduction; Essential concepts and terminologies; Field survey design for demographic assignments; Studies in data collection with reference to objectives; Methods; Organization/tabulation methods; Presentation, interpretation, communication and contextual parameters; Statistical methods in demographic analysis; Descriptive profiling methods; Case studies in application of demographic analysis techniques in normal situation; Emergencies/disasters; Scenarios of economic growth and development.

DSM-527 Vulnerability and Risk Assessment

Vulnerability analysis; Vulnerability analysis techniques; Warning systems; Introduction to risk assessment; risk perception; Risk and consequences; Risk appraisal; Risk governance; Risk communication; Ecological risk assessment; Task analysis techniques; Preliminary hazard analysis; Failure mode and effects analysis; Human reliability analysis; Risk analysis techniques; Qualitative and quantitative risk assessment

DSM-528 Research Design

Academic approach and study techniques; Oral presentation; Plagiarism; Literature search; referencing; Problem formulation and design of research objectives; Research design and methodologies; Research question and hypothesis formulation; Problems of causality; Data collection; Data-gathering and analysis techniques; Interpretation and presentation of research results; Study limitations and bias; Ethical considerations and clearance; Writing skills

DSM-529 Fundamentals of Fire Dynamics

Fire and its ingredients; Chemistry and physics of fires; Smouldering; Fuels and materials; Combustion process; Fire combustion products and toxicity; Forms of heat transfer; Heat flux as an indication of damage; Radiation form fires; Piloted and auto-ignition; Ignition time; Diffusion and premixed flames; Flame spread; Flame spread rate; Burning rate; Fire development; Fire growth rate; Fully developed fires; Fire plumes; Compartment fires; Fire spread; Smoke movement; Smoke spread; Smoke hazard management

DSM-530 Policies, Planning and Strategies for Disaster Management

Understanding disasters and their management; Interface between national, provincial/regional and local governance framework and disaster management; Needs, objectives and characteristics in policy making for disaster management; Understanding the role, responsibilities and priorities of international organizations in disaster management; Operational, financial, sociological and strategic attributes in disaster management; Case studies in policy making and planning

DSM-531 Flood Hazard Assessment and Remediation

Introduction to flood; Climate variability and flood frequency; Uncertainties in weather forecast; Geology and geography of floods; Interpolation of precipitation for flood modelling; Flash floods; Riverine and coastal floods; Flood hazard vulnerability; Influence of urban development of flood hazard; Flood impacts on society; Ecological role and impacts of flood; Reducing flood loss potential; Early warning for flood hazard; Integrated water resources management; Flood insurance

DSM-532 Water Supply and Sanitation in Emergencies

Environmental health risks in emergencies; Field assessment techniques; Project planning and implementation; Monitoring, evaluation and reporting; Emergency settlement, site selection and planning; Hygiene promotion; Water supply, Excreta disposal; Managing solid waste; Vector control; Wastewater management

DSM-600 Independent Study Project

Independent Study Project (ISP) provides an alternative to the credit-bearing taught courses. It allows a student to complete a supervised study in a specific area of interest. It is aimed at increasing the knowledge in a field of study. The student is required to initiate, design and execute the work under the supervision of a faculty member.

DSM-601 Dissertation

The dissertation provides an alternative to the credit-bearing taught courses. It must demonstrate a substantial research component and contribution to knowledge with a focus in the specific area of interest. The student should be able to design and execute the work for the dissertation under the supervision of a faculty member. The dissertation should reflect the knowledge and expertise developed by the student in the chosen research area.

Note: A student may opt for Independent Study Project of 6 credit hours or Dissertation of 9 credit hours or in accordance with Regulation Clause 6.2.1(vi) and 6.5.