Program in brief
Fosters disaster risk management experts in developing countries
- Program Director: Professor Koji Katayama
- Associate Director: Professor Naohiko Hibino
- Degree Offered: Master of Disaster Management
- Language of Instruction: English
- How to Apply
- Time Schedule:
- Program duration…1 year
- Enrollment…October
- Graduation…September
Natural disasters result in crippling economic losses and human tragedy, hampering development, particularly in developing countries, where many people reside in buildings and areas that are vulnerable to natural disasters. In order to reduce the effects of natural disasters, human losses in particular, proactive disaster risk management should be promoted, preferably in a multi-disciplinary fashion. To that end, it is essential to cultivate, through professional education and training, disaster management experts with the expertise to develop and apply appropriate disaster management policies and techniques that harmonize with local conditions.
In order to enhance the capacity of professionals in developing countries to cope with natural disasters, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) offers a master’s degree program in Disaster Management Policy. This Program is offered jointly by the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering (IISEE) of the Building Research Institute (BRI); the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) of the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI); and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This program is administered as a JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program, supported by Official Development Assistance from the Government of Japan.
Target Group
Technical officials, engineers, or researchers in the fields of earthquakes, tsunamis, water-related disasters, and disaster risk management policy in developing countries
Program Design
This program is designed to enable disaster risk management professionals from developing countries to acquire knowledge of seismology, earthquake engineering, tsunami disaster mitigation, and water-related disasters, as well as a foundation of disaster risk management knowledge; to learn the theories which constitute the foundation of disaster management policies; to study Japanese policies and systems; and to acquire the skills needed to apply problem-solving approaches to the development of concrete technologies and policies appropriate to local conditions.
Seismology, Earthquake Engineering and Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Curriculum
(as of October 2023)
| Category | Course Name | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| I Required Courses | Individual Study | |
| II Recommended Courses | Disaster Management Policies A: from Regional and Infrastructure Aspect | Hibino |
| Disaster Management Policies B: from Urban and Community Aspect | Katayama | |
| Earthquake Hazard Assessment A | Nakagawa | |
| Earthquake Risk Assessment | Azuhata | |
| Tsunami Hazard Assessment | Shibazaki | |
| Tsunami Countermeasures | Fujii | |
| Earthquake Hazard Assessment B | Hara | |
| III Elective Courses | Earthquake Phenomenology | Kita |
| Characteristics of Earthquake Disasters | Hara | |
| Earthquake Circumstance | Shibazaki | |
| Information Technology Related with Earthquakes and Disasters | Hayashida | |
| Structural Analysis | Otsuka | |
| Ground Vibration and Structural Dynamics | Nakagawa | |
| Seismic Structure | Otsuka | |
| Seismic Evaluation and Seismic Design Code | Azuhata | |
| Theory of Tsunami | Fujii | |
| Case Study (Practice for Earthquake Disaster-Recovery Management Policy I) | Nakagawa | |
| Case Study (Practice for Earthquake Disaster-Recovery Management Policy II) | Hayashida | |
| Case Study (Practice for Earthquake Disaster-Recovery Management Policy III) | Matoba | |
| Case Study (Practice for Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Policy) | Hara | |
| Selected Topics in Policy Studies I -IV |
Water-related Disaster Management Curriculum
(as of October 2023)
| Category | Course Title | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| I Required Courses | Individual Study | |
| II Recommended Courses | Disaster Management Policies A: from Regional and Infrastructure Aspect | Hibino |
| Disaster Management Policies B: from Urban and Community Aspect | Katayama | |
| Hydrology | Miyamoto, Koike | |
| Hydraulics | Harada, Egashira | |
| Basic Concepts of Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) | Takeuchi | |
| Urban Flood Management and Flood Hazard Mapping | Tanaka | |
| Flood Hydraulics and River Channel Design | Fukuoka | |
| Mechanics of Sediment Transportation and Channel Changes | Egashira | |
| Control Measures for Landslide & Debris Flow | Osanai | |
| Socio-economic and Environmental Aspects of Sustainability-oriented Flood Management | Ohara, Sumi | |
| III Elective Courses | Computer Programming | Ushiyama, Harada |
| Practice on Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) | Sayama, Rasmy | |
| Practice on GIS and Remote Sensing Technique |
Rasmy, Kawasaki |
|
| Site Visit of Water-related Disaster Management Practice in Japan | Koike | |
| Practice on Open Channel Hydraulics | Yorozuya | |
| Selected Topics in Policy Studies I -IV |
Career Destinations
Graduates from this program are expected to hold key positions in disaster risk management. They typically work as engineers, seismologists, meteorologists, researchers, lecturers or professors.
Origin and Affiliation of Students
＊Since 2005、we have had students and graduates from 68 countries/regions.
Below are the countries and affiliations of GRIPS students during the period 2019-2023.
| Country | Typical Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Algeria | National Center for Research Applied in Earthquake Engineering |
| Bangladesh | Ministry of Housing and Public Works; Bangladesh Water Development Board; Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI) |
| Bhutan | Ministry of Agriculture and Forests; Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs; Ministry of Works and Human Settlement; Ministry of Economic Affairs; National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) |
| Brazil | Military Fire Brigade of Minas Gerais; CPRM-Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais |
| Chile | Ministry of Public Works; Asociacion Chilena de Ingenieria de Puertos y Costas |
| Comoros | National Center for Documentation and Scientific Research (CNDRS) |
| Costa Rica | Volcanes sin Fronteras; Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad |
| Egypt | National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) |
| El Salvador | Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; Ministry of Culture; JICA Technical Cooperation Team for GENSAI Project; COAMSS/OPAMSS; INGENYARSE S.A. de C.V. |
| Fiji | Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources |
| Ghana | Ghana Geological Survey Authority |
| Honduras | Secretary of Infrastructure and Transportation |
| India | Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), MoES |
| Indonesia | Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics (BMKG); Ministry of Public Works and Housing; National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) |
| Malawi | Dept. of Disaster Management Affairs; Mmbelwa District Council; Nkhotakota District Council |
| Malaysia | Public Works Department(JKR) |
| Mauritius | Land Drainage Authority |
| Mongolia | Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Mongolian Academy of Science |
| Morocco | Ministry of infrastructure and water |
| Myanmar | Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation; Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems |
| Nepal | Ministry of Energy; Department of Water Resources and Irrigation; Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport |
| Pakistan | Pakistan Meteorological Department; Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority; Gilgit Baltistan Public Works Department; Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, Islamabad |
| Peru | Japan-Peru Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and Disaster Mitigation (CISMID) |
| Philippines | Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology; Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA); Department of Public Works and Highways; Department of Science and Technology, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology; Batangas State University; Department of the Interior and Local Government; Municipal Government of Manbusao, Capiz |
| Solomon | Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification |
| Sri Lanka | Irrigation Department; Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation; Disaster Management Centre |
| Timor-Leste | Instituto Do Petroleo e Geologia (IPG); Institute of Geoscience Timor-Leste (IGTL); Ministry of Public Works; National Directorate of Meteorology and Geophysics |
| Tonga | Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources; Ministry of Infrastructure |
| Tunisia | Ministry of Equipment and Housing |
| Turkey | Istanbul Technical University |
| Turkmenistan | Ministry of construction and architecture of Turkmenistan |
The list of master thesis title
Click here for the list of master thesis title.
Activities after Completion
GRIPS alumni contributing to the SDGs
