Doctoral Programs

Graduate students in the Disaster Science & Management (DISA) program join a larger community of disaster scientists, climate change scientists, hazards specialists, and practitioners all working on disasters. 

Many faculty members in the DISA program are also core faculty members of the Disaster Research Center, the first research institute in the world devoted to the social scientific study of disasters. The DRC celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2024 and has grown into an interdisciplinary hub for research excellence, bringing anthropology, sociology, geography, policy, engineering, and more together. The DRC regularly organizes large collaborative research projects, invites guest speakers, and hosts visiting scholars from around the globe, creating a rich opportunity for DISA students to engage with world-leading disaster scientists.  

UD is also home to the E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection, a collection of books, rare disaster reports, reference materials, archival holdings including historical original disaster research data, and disaster-related objects. The Center also maintains a book, monograph, and report series, and staff support researchers across campus, the nation, and the world. Some DISA alums based their dissertations on the unique archival materials available in the Collection. 

UD hosts the award-winning student chapter of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM@UD), whose members collaborate with University officials to run preparedness drills, conduct outreach with local communities, and organize field trips and social events. The Mangone Climate Change Science and Policy Hub, and the Climate Fellows graduate student organization are resources for DISA students seeking to work at the intersection of disasters and climate change. 

Students with a PhD in Disaster Science & Management (DISA) are prepared to lead cutting-edge research in academia, think tanks, government, and non-government practice. DISA graduates integrate knowledge and methods across disciplines to advance disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. The disaster science field is inherently interdisciplinary and continues to evolve. DISA graduates have the research and critical thinking skills to acquire and evaluate future knowledge and push the boundaries of the field.

Disaster Science & Management program graduates have many different career paths in this emerging field. Some become academics and researchers. Others find placement in local, national, and international disaster and emergency management organizations. All of our students take a unique interdisciplinary blend of science and practice to their careers after graduation. 

Sample Employment of Recent Ph.D. Graduates

• Academic Faculty: SUNY Albany, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Jacksonville State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Central Missouri, US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Umm Al-Qura University, King Saud University, Mid Sweden University, Lund University, Sweden
• Research Analysts: RAND Corporation, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
• Emergency Management Specialists: Federal Emergency Management Agency, State Emergency Management Agencies (VA, DE), US Geological Survey, Australian Red Cross, COT Institute for Crisis and Safety, Netherlands
• Business Continuity Specialists: AmeriHealth Caritas, Constellation

The Doctor of Philosophy in Disaster Science & Management requires 47 credits of graduate- level coursework beyond the Master’s degree including 9 credits of dissertation. Students are expected to demonstrate interdisciplinary strength across both social disaster sciences and engineering or natural disaster sciences, as well as advanced methodological skills. 

DISA PHD CURRICULUM

Students choose a thematic area that aligns with our faculty expertise, such as one of the following:

• Organizations, management, and leadership focus on management and leadership in all phases of a disaster. Includes knowledge of institutional structures and tools to support decision-making.
• The built and natural environment and society focus on the interfaces among the three infrastructures (built, natural, and social), with an emphasis on the opportunities to control, influence, accommodate, and understand changes and needs during and after catastrophic events.
• Vulnerability and resilience focus on how systems are impacted by and respond to catastrophic events. They also include how systems can be modified or adapted to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience.
• Policy and planning focus on response to disasters, including continuity of operations.
• Simulation and modeling focus on decision support tools and the modeling of impacts to support disaster planning, mitigation, response, and recovery.
• Health systems leadership: public health disaster planning and response focus on the role of health professionals and systems in planning for and responding to disasters.

DISA students' interests often involve innovation and driving in new directions, and we encourage this expansion. A core overlap with our faculty ensures we can provide mentorship and support for student projects. While our students blend social and physical sciences and engineering in their research, our program is united by an emphasis on people: individuals, communities, organizations, or policies.

The University of Delaware has the distinction of having the first doctoral and master's degrees in the combined fields of energy and environmental policy (ENEP) in the United States. ENEP is a STEM program and ​has earned international recognition as one of the three best graduate programs in the field. 

The Ph.D. degree in Energy and Environmental Policy is a research degree intended to advance interdisciplinary theory and analysis on society-environment-resource relationships and to improve the quality of research informing policy decisions in this field. 

Learning goals:

1. Students will apply policy and governance theories and research to produce scholarship that addresses local, national, and global energy and environmental policy challenges. 
2. Students will locate, assess, and collectively interpret the current interdisciplinary scholarship that represents the wide range of disciplines in energy and environmental policy studies.  
3. ​​Students will produce rigorous, original, and interdisciplinary research that demonstrates knowledge, understanding, and application of theories and methods used in the study of energy and environmental policy.
4. Students will demonstrate familiarity with a diverse range of qualitative and quantitative methods in energy and environmental policy research and exhibit expertise in the application of one or more methods in their independent research. 
5. Students will develop requisite skills necessary for high-quality publication of energy and environmental policy research and to  communicate  their work to academic and policy audiences. 

The ENEP degrees in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration are administered with the support of five colleges at the University: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Arts and Science, Business and Economics, Engineering , and Earth, Ocean and Environment. 

The PhD degree in Energy and Environmental Policy is a research degree intended to advance interdisciplinary theory and analysis on society-environment-resource relationships and to improve the quality of research informing policy decisions in this field. Prior completion of a master’s degree in a related field is required for admission to the doctoral program.

Students may choose among six specialty areas offered through the PhD program: Energy Sustainability, Water Sustainability, Environmental Justice, Political Ecology, Global Environments, and Sustainable Development.

All PhD students complete a 21-credit core course curriculum. This includes six credits of advanced theory, six credits of methodological coursework, a six-credit social science requirement, and three credits in science, engineering, and public policy. In addition, students in the PhD typically take 15 credit hours in their area of concentration or specialization, including the 3-credit Doctoral Dissertation Proposal, and enroll for nine credits of doctoral dissertation. 

ENEP PHD CURRICULUM

Candidates who successfully complete the doctoral ENEP degree are prepared for rewarding academic or professional careers in sustainable energy and water development, environmental protection, climate change policy and green economics.

Careers include energy and environmental planning, policy analysis, management and administration, and research in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Graduates of the program will be qualified to assume positions in universities, governments, international agencies, research and policy institutions, consulting firms, energy utilities, and corporate departments with responsibilities in energy and environmental matters.

The doctoral program in public policy and administration is an interdisciplinary, research degree that prepares students to engage in rigorous scholarship that addresses the critical policy and administrative challenges of our times. We achieve this mission through providing a core substantive curriculum in the areas of public policy and public administration and management alongside methodological research training, and research and engagement opportunities with faculty and the research and public service centers in the Biden School.​

Graduates of the Public Policy and Administration PhD Program will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge and mastery of public policy and public administration theories and scholarship.
• Demonstrate an ability to synthesize theoretical perspectives and substantive content within and between the fields of public policy and public administration.
• Demonstrate understanding of the application of public policy and administration theories and research methods in empirical research.
• Demonstrate an ability to construct research questions and determine appropriate research design, data, and method for answering them in the fields of public policy and administration.

The Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration requires 47 credits of graduate-level coursework beyond the Master’s degree including 9 credits of dissertation.

Students are expected to have taken a graduate level course in quantitative analysis/statistics, research methods, and public policy. If the student has not taken these courses, they may be required to complete foundational courses as preparation for doctoral-level study. 

CURRICULUM

Producing Rigorous and Interdisciplinary Research

Provide scientifically and theoretically rigorous research training in policy and administration to prepare students for successful research careers.

This guiding principle reflects our desire to provide both interdisciplinary training in public policy and public administration, and rigorous methodological research training to prepare our graduates to conduct original research in the fields of public policy and public administration.

Committed to Public Service
Prepare students to produce research knowledge that can address today’s most critical and relevant public policy and administration challenges facing our local, national, and global communities.

Equip students with the necessary translational skills and understanding to engage with communities and public policy and administration stakeholders in providing research knowledge and expertise to help answer significant policy and administration questions that have broad social impacts.

Achieving Excellence through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Promoting diversity in the composition of the faculty and students, the curriculum of the program, the co-curricular experiences provided, and the research and professional opportunities of faculty and students.

Ensuring equity in program resources, practices, policies, and outcomes for students and faculty.

Creating an inclusive, welcoming environment where all students and faculty can develop, learn, and thrive academically, socially, and professionally.​