Crisis Management and Disaster Relief
Undergraduate
MAQ-PICX2013 2025Previously MAQ-PICX213
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Determine the threats to, and vulnerabilities of, critical national infrastructure. Evaluate coordination efficacy between levels of government and public and private organisations in relation to natural disasters, chemical incidents and epidemics.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 20 July 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $2,160
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Crisis Management and Disaster Relief
About this subject
On successful completion of this subject, you will be able to:
- Explain the concept of resilience as it applies to national security, preparedness planning, crisis response and emergency management
- Identify key threats to and vulnerabilities of critical national infrastructure
- Apply risk analysis models to a range of crisis response options available to government or business organisations
- Prioritise resilience planning tasks in accordance with business continuity principles appropriate to private and public sector organisations
- Critically evaluate coordination mechanisms between levels of government, across public and private organisations and among private sector organisations
- Employ emergency management principles to assess the applicability of coordination methods for different crisis scenarios.
- A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.
This subject explores the concept of national resilience. It identifies the role of government in preparing for, managing and recovering from a broad range of crises.
The subject begins with an overview of risk reduction strategies and introduces the concept of contingency planning. It then examines the various kinds of crisis response capabilities that government develop, including interagency and state-federal coordination procedures, interoperability of equipment and ADF domestic counterterrorism capabilities.
The subject then discusses emergency coordination and management in a variety of contexts, including natural disasters, a large-scale mass transit accident, a nuclear, chemical or biological incident, a viral epidemic, a terrorist attack and critical infrastructure failure. Finally, the subject examines planning for national resilience capacity, the ability to recover from unexpected and debilitating crises.
These potent threats to national security are outside the threat-centric concept of homeland security and require a more risk-based approach to planning and preparation.
- Risk assessment exercise (20%)
- Summarize the causes and findings on 4 disasters (20%)
- annotated bibliography (25%)
- Reflective Writing (10%)
- Essay (25%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
This research-intensive university in north-western Sydney offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. With over 44,000 current students, Macquarie has a strong reputation for welcoming international students and embracing flexible and convenient study options, including its partnership with Open Universities Australia.
Learn more about Macquarie University.
Explore Macquarie courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 10
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 10
Entry requirements
Prior study
You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:
one of
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
MAQ-PICX213 (Not currently available)
Others
Pre-requisite
50cp at 1000 level or above
NCCW (pre-2020 units)
PICT213, PICX213
Additional requirements
- Other requirements -
Students who have an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion under Macquarie University's Academic Progression Policy are not permitted to enrol in OUA units offered by Macquarie University. Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Undergraduate
MAQ-BSS-DEGUndergraduate
MAQ-ART-DEGSingle subject FAQs
What’s a single subject?
Single subjects are the individual components that make up a degree. With Open Universities Australia, you’re able to study many of them as stand-alone subjects, including postgraduate single subjects, without having to commit to a degree.
Each of your subjects will be held over the course of a study term, and they’ll usually require 10 to 12 hours of study each week. Subjects are identified by a title and a code, for example, Developmental Psychology, PSY20007.
How can I use single subjects to get into a full degree?
First, find the degree that you would like to study on our website.
If that degree allows entry via undergraduate subjects, there will be information about this under the Entry Requirements section. You will find a list of 2-4 open enrolment subjects you need to successfully complete to qualify for admission into that qualification.
Once you pass those subjects, you will satisfy the academic requirements for the degree, and you can apply for entry.
Our student advisors are here to help you take that next step, so don’t hesitate to reach out when you’re ready! We’ve also made it easier to figure out the right way to get started on our pathways page.
Can anyone help me choose a subject?
Our student advisors are more than happy to help you plan your online study. Get in touch with an advisor by:
How do I pay for my subjects?
You can pay up front with your credit card, or you may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government depending on your citizenship status and where you’ll live during your studies.
For more information about how to pay for your studies visit our fees page or contact a student advisor.
How do I enrol?
When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Enrol now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to us and we’ll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions.
When is the cut-off date for enrolling?
Close of enrolment times vary between universities and subjects. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting key dates.