COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master’s program in Catastrophe, Risk, and Resilience Modeling provides students with comprehensive training in both foundational concepts and practical applications. The program begins with CAT 401, which introduces catastrophe modeling and resilience terminology, methods, and tools, covering hazard, fragility, vulnerability, and portfolio analysis, along with societal impacts, ethical considerations, software use, research methods, guest lectures, and a term project. Building on this foundation, CAT 402 focuses on advanced applications of catastrophe modeling for natural disasters and health-related threats, with activities including readings on recent publications, practical exercises in deterministic and stochastic model construction, and visualization of disaster impacts using geographic information systems. The mathematics of actuarial science is covered in CAT 403, providing tools such as present value, annuity and bond calculations, Markov chains, Poisson processes, and introductory models for derivatives and fixed-income markets, giving students essential knowledge for insurance applications. CAT 411 serves as a capstone course where students work individually or in teams to develop catastrophe models or perform resilience assessments for real-world scenarios, often in collaboration with industry, government, or academic partners, producing reports and presentations. CAT 412 allows students to conduct supervised research on selected topics in catastrophe modeling and resilience, which may include methodological advancements or extensions of known techniques, and can be repeated for credit. CAT 490 provides the opportunity to complete a thesis project, integrating knowledge and skills from prior coursework. The program combines theoretical study, quantitative methods, software application, and practical projects to prepare graduates for careers in private sector companies, public agencies, emergency management organizations, and academic research. Through this structured curriculum, students develop the ability to assess, model, and improve resilience in a variety of fields, including infrastructure, public health, and disaster management, gaining both specialized knowledge and transferable skills for professional practice and further study. The program is designed to be flexible, allowing completion in one year or longer depending on student commitments.