Shelter after Disaster - 2012 entry
PGCert
Overview
Immediately after a natural disaster a critical need is for safe shelter. In the first days and weeks in the relief phase shelter is often in the form of tents and makeshift shacks built from whatever materials are available. As relief shifts to recovery critical decisions are made that set the nature and scope of longer term shelter: location, quality, cost, role of government authorities and aid agencies, and of people themselves.
While 'shelter after disaster' has been a recognised field of work for at least thirty years, the systems and approaches for successful shelter delivery are far from clear. With a bewildering range of actors and contested debate over the best approaches, achieving equitable, sustainable and effective shelter after disaster can be complex and too often goes wrong. To these ends the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice's (CENDEP) approach to shelter after disaster is to learn from practice about what works best. For CENDEP this means adhering to developmental good practice, wherein affected communities must be engaged in decision making at every stage.
Why Brookes?
This programme is based on the expertise developed at Oxford Brookes University in the CENDEP (Centre for Development and Emergency Practice) which has been running successful pedagogic and research programmes in the field of humanitarian action for the last 20 years.
Brookes' School of Architecture is recognised as one of the country's leading schools and is consistently ranked by The Architect's Journal as one of the five best schools in the UK.
In detail
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Course content
The programme is the Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) in Shelter after Disaster. The programme is organised on a modular credit system. Modules combine a ratio of taught to self-led study. For example a module of 20 credits approximates to 200 hours of student effort, up to 40 hours of which will be devoted to lectures, seminars or individual tutorials. The remainder of the time is devoted to student-led study. 60 credits are required to complete the PG Cert. Of these the core module accounts for 20 credits, while the extra 40 credits are achieved through a combination of 10 and 20 credit modules. An introduction on the first day of the programme will enable you to make a more informed choice of modules to take. The timetable is structured to minimise the likelihood that two related modules will run at the same time but clashes are not always avoidable.
The Modules on the course are:
- Shelter after Disaster (20 Credits) - core module
- Practice of Theory: Tools and Methods (20 Credits)
- Disasters, Risk, Vulnerability and Climate Change (20 Credits)
- Learning Practice Masterclass (10 Credits)
- Working with Conflict: Practical Skills and Strategies (10 Credits)
In addition to modules the programme organises many optional events, including PhD research seminars within the Department, student-led seminar series and occasional lectures. As well as the formal teaching content, the high quality of the student experience is an essential aspect of the programme. Students usually keep in touch after the course has ended via alumni links, where job opportunities are often shared. The PG Cert in Shelter after Disaster is offered as a standalone award wherein you take joint modules also available to students attending the Masters degree in Development and Emergency Practice (DEP). The programme has an average of 35-40 students, usually from over 20 countries, with a wide diversity of backgrounds. You will also benefit from interacting with a wider cohort of development and emergency practitioners.
NB As courses are reviewed regularly, the module list you choose from may vary from that shown here.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching methods on the taught part of the programme are largely class-based. Learning is driven by a mixture of lecturing, one to one and group tutorials, whole group discussion, workshop format, small group work, personal reading, individual written assignments and project design. Wherever possible the programme invites visiting practitioners from humanitarian agencies to contribute to the programme by leading sessions and commenting on student work.
The programme entails hands-on workshops with live problems, sometimes field-based, working with communities, practitioners and development agencies. The emphasis is on action methods and reflection on one’s own role as an activist and practitioner. The objective is to enable students to build both knowledge and skills more suited to the urgency and complexity of people’s changing demands and environmental conditions.
The assessment pattern reflects the programme’s learning outcomes and is intended to demonstrate that graduates possess the skills and knowledge required in practice. Coursework involves a variety of different methods of assessment, including:
- Essay and report writing
- Individual and group presentations in class
- Personal attendance and participation in class
- Case study reports.
Quality
Students from the school figure regularly in national and international prizes and awards and go on to work for many of the best-known practices in the country.
We have an international reputation in research, in areas ranging from sustainable design to modular buildings and from design for wellbeing to vernacular architecture. Staff in the school regularly secure research funding from the UK's research councils and the European Union as well as industry, with an annual research grant income averaging £1,000,000 in recent years.
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
Free language courses are available to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying any course on our Headington (including Marston Road), Harcourt Hill or Wheatley Campuses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Key facts
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Faculty
Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment
Department
Course length
Full-time: One semester (four months)
Teaching location
Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane
Start date
January 2012
UKPASS code
P45395
Apply / Entry reqs
CONTACT US
+44 (0) 1865 483230
architecture-enquiry@brookes.ac.uk
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Entry requirements
If you wish to apply you should fulfil one of the following conditions:
- hold an approved undergraduate honours degree in a relevant discipline at first or upper second class level
- hold a relevant recognised diploma or professional qualification in a relevant discipline (eg human rights, development practice, humanitarianism, architecture, planning, environmental psychology, public health, geography, public administration)
- have substantial and proven field experience within a relevant area, eg with an NGO.
English language requirements
- At least 6.5 in IELTS, with a minimum of 6.0 across all four components of the test
- At least 87 in TOEFL (iBT) with a minimum of 21 in listening; 22 in reading; 23 in speaking; 21 in writing.
Please also see the university's standard English language requirements.
English language requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Border Agency's minimum language requirements as well as the university's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Preparation courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for this course and also familiarise you with university life. You may also be able to apply for one student visa to cover both courses.
- Take our Pre-Master's course to help you to meet both the English language and academic entry requirements for your master's course
- Take our University English course to help you to meet the English language requirements of your master's course
How to apply
You apply for this course through UKPASS.
Conditions of acceptance
When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All postgraduate single modules are equivalent to 10 ECTS credits, double modules to 20 ECTS credits, and treble modules to 30 ECTS credits. A full master's course will carry 90 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Fees / funding
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TUITION FEES
UK/EU
Full-time: £2,810
International
Full-time: £3,730
Part-time fees are for year 1 only, unless otherwise stated. Fees increase annually by approximately 4%.
Find out how to pay your fees.
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk
Scholarships and funding
For UK and EU students http://www.brookes.ac.uk/studying/finance/support/pg_home
For International students http://www.brookes.ac.uk/studying/finance/support/pg_international
Additional Brookes Built Environment Scholarships http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/be/scholarships/index.html
For general sources of financial support, see:
Oxford
CONTACT US
+44 (0) 1865 483230
architecture-enquiry@brookes.ac.uk
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Why Oxford is a great place to study Shelter after Disaster
As a student in Oxford you'll be at the heart of the UK's most successful economic region and in a centre for leading industries which provides you with a host of learning opportunities.
Oxford is home to a wide range of NGOs, including Oxfam.
In addition to our own excellent libraries and resource centres, our postgraduate students have access to the world-renowned Bodleian Library, the Bodleian Law Library and the Radcliffe Science Library.
Support
CONTACT US
+44 (0) 1865 483230
architecture-enquiry@brookes.ac.uk
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How Brookes supports postgraduate students
Supporting your learning
From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.
Personal support services
We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.
