Graduate stories: Master of Community Development (Emergency Management)

View Course information: Bachelor of Community Development (Emergency Management)

Anna Dicker
Head Nurse
Teme Hospital, Port Harcourt Nigeria

The course was particularly helpful in understanding the risks to humanitarian aid workers (risks of violence, psychological risks and health risks) as that is what I am doing my major study on. Risk management, community development, globalisation and economic rationalisation are some of the things the course focuses on and these concepts make up the background to humanitarian aid work. The material is totally relevant to what I am doing. Everything I read in literature is parallel to my experiences.

French Citizen, Philippe Gatineau
European Union External Service, Pakistan
Pictured working for the UNHCR, Guatemala

By examining my professional experience in the light of the course teaching material I was able to critically analyse past and present working methodologies I had always taken for granted. It was highly relevant in my professional practice at the time (human rights and social policies analyst) and is still in my present position (post-drought rehabilitation emergency project manager).The units of the Community Development (Emergency Management) deal with many varied and broad topics, which can easily be applied in a variety of contexts. I found the on-line course pace, the lecturers and administrative staff highly flexible and adaptive to my specific needs.

Evans Omari
United Nations, West Africa

I was one of the program managers at the UN's Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reintegration department. The Community Development (Emergency Management) program I completed through Southern Cross University was crucial in securing this position. The program was just perfect for what I was doing – helping to build communities affected by civil war and most importantly finding effective ways and means of intergrating ex-combatants into society.

Cory Steinhauer
Community Development Manager – CALD
Cancer Council, NSW, Australia

I have an active interest in working in hazardous environments, in particular war zones or former conflict areas, such as the Sudan. It was important for me to be able to continue my career and study simultaneously. Additionally I knew I would be in Afghanistan during a large component of the program and I really needed a university that was willing and able to support my extraordinary needs. Completing my Masters of Community Development gave me the confidence to extend my career into areas I may have deemed unachievable a few years ago.

Updated: 07 November 2012