The CNHR created, initially staffed, and now helps to support a Graduate Certificate in Natural Hazards Resilience in partnership with the Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC-Chapel Hill. The 10-credit hour certificate program is focused on the nexus between the threats and impacts of natural hazards, climate change, and disasters on human settlements and how individuals, organizations, communities, and larger systems of governance prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, recover from, and adapt to these events. The curriculum provides students with an academic and practice-based exposure to the science underlying our understanding of natural hazards phenomena and a critical analysis of the policies, programs, and plans in place that are intended to help societies manage the effects of natural hazards and climate change, to include an emphasis on those actions that increase resilience. 

The certificate program is open to graduate students at UNC, Duke, and NCSU as well as non-degree seeking students. Student enrollment has come from a variety of departments and schools at UNC-CH, including City and Regional Planning; Public Policy; Public Administration; Geography; Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences; as well as the School of Law and the Gillings School of Public Health. Students from Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment have also enrolled in certificate courses. 

The number of students that graduate with the certificate has grown from a total of two in 2019 to thirteen in 2024, as shown on the graph below.  

The Natural Hazards Resilience certificate program at UNC-CH is included in the College List at the FEMA National Training Education Division’s Higher Education Program. The College List is updated annually on the website: (https://training.fema.gov/hiedu/collegelist) so individuals seeking to enroll in an Emergency Management or related degree program nationwide can browse and choose a program that best suits their specific requirements.  

Research Participants & Partners

PI: Dr. Miyuki Hino (UNC Chapel Hill)