Master's in Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience

It is a 30-credit master’s degree that prepares students for careers in catastrophe modeling and resilience assessment. It builds on engineering and brings in data science, actuarial science and the social sciences, and it lets you specialize in an area such as infrastructure resilience, forecasting of epidemics, or probabilistic modeling.

30 credits: 15 credits of required core courses, a 3-credit project-based course, 9 credits of approved electives and a 3-credit free elective.

The program typically takes 1.5 to 2 years.

No. Neither is required. For your project-based course you can choose the capstone, supervised research or a thesis, and no more than a combined total of 6 credits in supervised research and thesis can count toward the degree.

Fifteen credits: Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience, Applications of Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience, Mathematics of Actuarial Science, Introduction to Data Science, and either Mathematical Methods in Engineering I or Numerical Methods for Scientists and Engineers.

You select three approved electives, worth 9 credits, from a list that covers statistics, programming, structural reliability, GIS, deep learning, climate modeling, environmental policy, and advanced probability and stochastic processes. You also take one 3-credit free elective at the 300 or 400 level. Some electives have prerequisites you will need to meet.

A bachelor’s degree, or the equivalent from a foreign institution, by the time you enroll, in an area such as engineering, math, earth and environmental sciences, epidemiology, meteorology, economics, or computer and data sciences. A GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale is preferred, with consideration for a trend of strengthening grades in your final semesters. Previous professional experience in the field is also considered. Applications are reviewed as a whole by the graduate program director in consultation with faculty.

Basic knowledge of probability and statistics, calculus, linear algebra and programming prepares you to start the program. If you need to build those skills first, you can take leveling courses, and some core courses are open to every student while they do.

GRE scores are neither accepted nor reviewed for any Rossin College graduate program.

Minimum overall scores are 81 on the TOEFL iBT, 6.5 on the IELTS, 125 on Duolingo, 176 on Cambridge English, and 68 on the Pearson Test of English. Each test also has minimum speaking, writing, reading and listening scores, listed in the application requirements section above.

December 15 for a spring start, May 15 for a summer start, and July 15 for a fall start.

On campus, hybrid or fully online. Consult the program contact for the current term-by-term format.

Base tuition is $75,635 for the 30-credit degree, reflecting the accelerated summer-start cycle. Qualified applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships as high as 20% of tuition, with no separate application required. International students are considered on the same basis as domestic applicants.

It is interdisciplinary, drawing on 8 departments across the Rossin College rather than sitting in one: Bioengineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics.

Class of 2025 master’s graduates across the Rossin College averaged $100,000 in starting salary.

The program prepares you for roles at insurance and reinsurance companies, catastrophe modeling firms, specialized financial management firms and consulting firms that assess resilience. It also prepares you for public sector positions in emergency management agencies, local administrations and federal agencies.

Apply through Lehigh’s graduate application. A complete application includes transcripts, a personal statement, a resume, letters of recommendation, English-proficiency scores where applicable, and a $50 application fee. Deadlines are December 15 for a spring start, May 15 for a summer start, and July 15 for a fall start.

Electives are chosen with your advisor. Courses students can choose from include Advanced R Programming, Biostatistics in Health, Structural Reliability of Components and Systems, GIS for Civil and Environmental Engineering, Coastal and Offshore Infrastructure Engineering, Random Vibrations, Advanced Finite Element Methods, and Climate and Earth System Modeling, among others. The Lehigh course catalog carries the full list.