Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies

Brandon University

Brandon University’s Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies (ADES) program is changing the emergency management field in Canada. The ADES degree is designed to combine social and physical sciences perspectives of hazards and disasters within a liberal arts education framework. ADES is producing new professionals with a broad scope of practice and wide-ranging knowledge. Emergency management is the development and implementation of policies and processes to help reduce risks, prepare communities, respond to hazard impacts and recover from the consequences. Unlike the past options of transitioning to emergency management from a traditional first response or military background, ADES offers students the opportunity to learn about and experience all aspects of managing how our communities deal with disasters. Emergency management is a new profession that has evolved from our society’s early efforts to defend against enemy attacks on our civilian populations. From these ‘civil defence’ roots the practice of emergency management has expanded beyond the responsibilities of first responders to include all aspects of a comprehensive approach. The ADES degree presents students with a wide range of activities including:

Prevention and Mitigation: to eliminate or reduce the impacts and risks of hazards through pro-active measures taken before an emergency or disaster occurs.

Preparedness: to be ready to respond to a disaster and manage its consequences through measures taken prior to an event.

Response: to act during or immediately after a disaster to manage its consequences to minimize suffering and losses associated with disasters.

Recovery: to repair or restore conditions to an acceptable level through measures taken after a disaster. (adapted from Public Safety Canada’s ''An Emergency Management Framework for Canada'')

The ADES program builds on a foundation of understanding the interaction of hazards and societal vulnerability. Courses consider the consequences of these risks and the various methods we have to control or respond effectively. Students receive a multi-disciplinary education grounded in the unique body of knowledge of disasters studies and emergency management.