Masters in urban studies, disaster Ffocus?

[Wolfman]

-Rambling nonsensical thread ending in a few question-like statements follows-

I would be somewhat surprised if anyone remembered much about me, so I'll start from the beginning. I am in the USMC (reserve) as a heavy equipment mechanic, and am wrapping up the first year of a BA in History. I am seriously considering getting into a Masters program in Urban Studies afterwards, which as far as I can tell is a more theoretical version of Urban Planning. Now, for some reason, I have developed a bit of an interest in the way a population reacts to things like war, natural disasters, and that kind of thing. The school I am going to does not offer any specialized program in this, and I am not aware of one that does. So, I am thinking about taking some classes while in my undergrad that are related to this, and specializing my Masters level classes as well (Military Science, Fire Science Control, Criminal Justice, and other classes for a first responder), and getting training in CERT (google it). And, I don't know what kind of job I could get.

1. Is a BA in History a good start (there are no Urban Planning programs at UNO, and only a Masters for Urban Studies)?
2. Is Urban Studies related to Urban Planning in the way I think it is?
3. Are there any books/articles/whatever about this field of study so I can get a grasp on this before I start to dive into it?
4. Are there any schools that offer a specialty program in this?
5. Is my idea of specializing my undergrad classes a good idea? If so, what other classes should I take?
6. What kind of job could I get with such a specialization?

Thank you for your time.

[Wolfman]

Should I read the lack of responses to mean that no one has any advice?

[tjordanova]

Hi Wolfman, I have a similar interest in urban planning that prepares cities so that impacts of natural disasters are minimal, and also to develop plans for rehabilitation after disasters (based on my experience with Hurricane Katrina, and all of the news about tsunamis in South Asia and the earthquake in Haiti).

As far as a BA in History, I think that is fine, planning grad schools accept people with all kinds of backgrounds. The classes you mentioned seem more technical, while urban planning is more policy oriented. So taking courses in government and policy analysis and management might be helpful. Also, learning GIS would be a very useful technical skill, as many disaster mitigation plans deal with land use, environmental zones and spatial development patterns.

I think if you want to be a practicing planner, you should go to an accredited urban planning program for your masters (here is a list: http://www.planningaccreditationboar...ndex.php?id=30) .

Schools that I think specialize in disaster planning (these are schools that I personally researched and applied to, but I'm sure there are others as well):
University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign: http://www.urban.illinois.edu/faculty/olshansky/
University of Souther California (mostly terrorism rather than natural disasters): http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/rese...rs/create.html
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill: http://hazardscenter.unc.edu/
Professor Profile: http://www.planning.unc.edu/index.ph...d=88&Itemid=16
Here is also an article from UNC: http://hazardscenter.unc.edu/diem/do...erke_Smith.pdf

For more articles and readings, I would check out this MIT website (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Urban-Stud...Home/index.htm) and click on the "Readings" and "Lecture Notes" on the left hand side.
Here is another article I found from a quick google search, only skimmed it though, so I'm not sure how helpful it will be: http://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/disenvi/koetter.pdf.

As far as jobs, you could work for FEMA (http://www.fema.gov/) or for the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humani...er_assistance/). I'm sure there are many other opportunities as well...

I hope that helps!

[JNA]

Have you looked at this list:
Natural Hazards and Disasters Information Resources
Academic Institutions
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/reso.../academic.html

[Wolfman]

The classes you mentioned seem more technical, while urban planning is more policy oriented.

Of course, but this seems to be the only way I can get my feet wet without going to a specialized program.

I think if you want to be a practicing planner, you should go to an accredited urban planning program for your masters

Well, like I said in the OP, the school that I'm planning on going to does not offer a Planning degree, but does offer a Urban Studies program (which I put in the name). Although I did not realize that UNL has a planning degree... Interesting.

I hope that helps!

It does. Thanks!

Have you looked at this list:
Natural Hazards and Disasters Information Resources
Academic Institutions

I have not, but I soon will. Thanks!

[kalimotxo]

You talk about the school that you are "planning on going to" and its deficiencies in your preferred area of study. Why plan on going there just to get a degree that will probably do very little to advance your career in such a specialized field? Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like a waste of time and money to me. Anyway... I can offer a little bit of advice as I originally intended to pursue a disaster management specialization when I started looking at planning programs a few years ago:

Texas A&M immediately comes to mind. They offer a number of courses specifically tailored to Hazard Mitigation Planning. They also offer a graduate certificate in Emergency Management. One of my favorite professors did his PhD there and he is incredibly well-versed in the field and speaks highly of the program at A&M. Take a look at the program handbook to get a feel for the classes they offer.

The only other one that comes to mind is Georgia Tech, though I don't remember much about their program. All in all, though, a very well respected school that is worth looking into.

[Wolfman]

You talk about the school that you are "planning on going to" and its deficiencies in your preferred area of study. Why plan on going there just to get a degree that will probably do very little to advance your career in such a specialized field?

Well, what you're missing is that I have a contractual obligation to the area I'm in until 2014 (Octoberish I think). And I'm not actually paying for the school, so it's more a waste of your money. Marine Reserve, and all. So, what I'm actually thinking now is to get up to a Masters in Urban Studies at the area college, and then go to either Texas A&M or George Washington U for a Doctoral (since it'll be after my contract is up). JNAs link had those colleges, and they seem to be the only ones offering much higher then a Bachelors, so I'll decide between the two of them tomorrow.