Masters Degrees (Risk)

One of our flagship programmes with a leading world-class reputation for over 10 years and the first one in the UK to be accredited by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).

The financial system has undergone major restructuring in preparation for the new regulatory frameworks, affecting existing roles and creating different skillset requirements within risk management divisions of financial institutions. 

This programme is tailored to the needs of the rapidly changing financial markets, providing graduates with an insight into the new innovations in the area of risk management. Through its long-term academic partnerships and accreditations by leading professional bodies, the MSc Financial Risk Management offers a cutting edge learning experience, aligning research excellence and current market intelligence.

The graduates benefit from exemptions to certain professional certifications from leading professional bodies worldwide. Click the ‘Careers & professional accreditation’ tab on the right for more information.                                                                                       

The MSc Financial Risk Management is accredited by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). The degree syllabus is enhanced with the most up to date professional practices in the area of risk management, integrating applied academic knowledge to industry needs and providing a competitive advantage to the graduates. Integral to the academic course is the parallel study of the GARP FRM Part I certificate. Upon successful completion of their degree, students will be registered to take the FRM Part I examination.

Highlights

• Enhance your career prospects in one of the most sought after areas of finance
• Study one of the most recognised risk management master’s courses in the UK
• Develop your professional skills by studying for GARP FRM Part I as part of the course and benefit from the programme’s accreditation by GARP
• Focus on highly specialised topics such as market risk, financial instruments and credit risk
• Benefit from additional professional exam exemptions from PRMIA

Course structure

October – December: Part 1 Autumn Term

January: Part 1 Exams

January-April: Part 2 Spring Term

May – June: Part 2 Exams

June – August (12 month programme only): Part 3

August/Sep (12 month programme only): Part 3 Coursework deadlines

Course content

Part 1 compulsory modules

• Financial Markets
• Quantitative Methods for Finance
• Securities, Futures and Options
• Fixed Income and Equity Investments

Part 2 compulsory modules

• Market Risk
• Financial Instruments
• Credit Risk

Part 2 optional modules

Students on the 9-month (12-month) programme can select 40 (20) credits from the following modules:

• Advanced Financial Analysis
• Portfolio Management
• Financial Econometrics
• Research Project
• Fixed Income Cash and Derivative Markets
• Commodity Derivatives
• Topics in Financial Regulation
• Liquidity Risk and Algorithmic Trading
• Behavioural Finance
• Programming for Finance 

Part 3 optional modules

Students on the 12-months programme should take 20 credits from the following:

• Energy Finance
• Advanced Finance Theory with Empirical Applications
• Stock Index Futures

Learning options

Full-time: 9 months Full-time: 12 months

Students will be resident and undertake full-time study in the UK. Under both, the 9 and 12-month programmes students take compulsory and/or elective modules in Part 2.

The 12 month option involves taking an elective 20 credit module between July and August, which would also mean a 20 credit reduction in the number of taught modules taken in the spring term.

Careers

After completion of this programme, students are well-prepared to follow a career in the challenging fields of risk management, or risk analysis with banks, regulators, portfolio managers, corporate treasuries, risk management software houses, specialist financial boutiques and hedge funds. Regulators, governments, advisors and commentators are unanimously endorsing the call for more and better qualified risk managers and analysts to join the financial industry.

Professional accreditation

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP)

MSc Financial Risk Management is accredited by GARP and the degree syllabus is enhanced with the most up to date professional practices in the area of risk management, integrating applied academic knowledge to industry needs and providing a competitive advantage to the graduates. Integral to the academic course is the parallel study of the GARP FRM Part I certificate. Upon successful completion of their degree, students will be registered to take the FRM Part I examination.

Professional Risk Managers’ Association (PRMIA)

ICMA Centre MSc Financial Risk Management students are eligible for exemption from Exams I and II of PRM Certification. In addition MSc FRM students are provided with assistance to take PRM Exams III and IV.

CISI Diploma

The ICMA Centre is a Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) Centre of Excellence. Centres of Excellence are a select group of UK universities, recognised by the CISI as offering leadership in academic education on financial markets. Students who are on a financially-related masters course recognised by the CISI are eligible for exemptions and membership. 

ICMA Centre students who register and successfully complete two CISI Diploma in Capital Markets modules (Securities and Bonds & Fixed Interest Markets) are eligible for an exemption from the third module (Financial Markets).

Read less

Industry-recognised and double-accredited (Chartered Insurance Institute and Institute of Risk Management), our programme focuses on corporate and business risk management, ensuring you have the expertise and skills to excel as a risk specialist.

Study is available full-time or by distance learning. For more information about the different start dates and study methods for this course, please view the relevant web-pages:
SEPTEMBER 2017 (Part Time) - http://www.gculondon.ac.uk/study/coursedetails/index.php/P02280-1PTL-1718/Risk_Management_(Part-time)?utm_source=GCUL&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

JANUARY 2017 (Part Time) - http://www.gculondon.ac.uk/study/coursedetails/index.php/P02681-1PTLB-1617/Risk_Management_(Jan_-_PT)?utm_source=GCUL&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

JANUARY 2017 (Full Time) - http://www.gculondon.ac.uk/study/coursedetails/index.php/P02574-1FTLB-1617/Risk_Management_(Jan)?utm_source=GCUL&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

JANUARY 2018 (Full Time) - http://www.gculondon.ac.uk/study/coursedetails/index.php/P02574-1FTLB-1718/Risk_Management?utm_source=GCUL&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

JANUARY 2018 (Part Time) - http://www.gculondon.ac.uk/study/coursedetails/index.php/P02680-1PTLB-1718/Risk_Management_(Part-time)?utm_source=GCUL&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

Programme Description

In an increasingly complex and rapidly changing global business environment, the management of risk requires a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience.

The MSc Risk Management programme provides an in depth understanding of risk and their application in practice both for financial and non-financial organisations. Students will learn both theoretical and practical understanding of risk including risk measurement and modelling using computer software (e.g. Palisade Decision Tools). In addition, we subscribe to several industry linked databases (e.g. Thomson Reuters EIKON) that students can use in their study and research.

Accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and the Institute of Risk Management (IRM), this programme is designed to provide you with the skills to excel in a role as a risk manager, risk and insurance manager, risk analyst or clinical risk manager within a variety of organisations and sectors.

You will develop the ability to establish risk policy and structures for business units, design and review processes for risk management, develop risk response processes including contingency and business continuity programmes.

Our programme is based on current research and publications in the field, and taught by staff who understand the key concerns of managers in both the private and public sectors.

Why Choose This Programme?

Unlike other Risk courses available across the UK, our Risk Management degree is unique as it takes a holistic and enterprise-wide view on risk covering both management and financial aspects of uncertainty and vulnerability.

GCU is one of the world's leading centres for the provision of risk management education, consultancy and research, with more than twenty years' experience in the field. Since 1982, our programmes have attracted students from around the world. Working closely with colleagues in industry and commerce, as well as the main professional and trade bodies, the university developed the first undergraduate degree in Risk Management in Europe.

Additionally, we arrange study tours for the students in several key locations in London (e.g., Lloyd’s of London, Bloomberg, etc.). Furthermore, the students will get the opportunity to attend several industry conferences and seminars held in London.

Placement

As GCU London is situated in the centre of the world’s leading financial hub there exists ample scope to secure placement opportunities with financial, non-financial and service oriented organisations. Successful students will be introduced with the organisations who regularly hire young graduates for risk related jobs.

Working with Industry

Students will get the scope to attend the lectures and masterclasses delivered by the London based industry professionals. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about the innovative thinking and build a network with leading industry professionals.

Programme Leader

Dr Madhu Acharyya teaches several risk management modules including enterprise risk and modelling, global risk management, managing strategic and operational risk, and insurance and risk management at the post graduate level.

Employment Details

The focus of the degree is on equipping the professional ‘risk manager’. This role neither sets strategy nor runs operations - the professional risk manager (whether in private manufacturing or service industries, local government, healthcare, or non-profit sector) facilitates the risk management process, educates, informs and motivates others to manage risk, and provides expert advice and input on the tools of modern risk management. Job titles vary (risk manager, risk and insurance manager, risk analyst, risk co-ordinator, clinical risk manager) and the emphasis varies from organisation to organisation, sector to sector.

Read less

This MA degree programme is designed for students who wish to explore the social dimensions of risk and resilience. The Department of Geography is especially well-suited to examine these in relation to security- and health-related risk, but students are encouraged to develop their thinking in relation to any aspect of risk, including, for example, climate risk and disaster risk reduction. For students interested in security-related risk, the MA programme offers in-depth and advanced understanding on geo-political security challenges and politics, including the ways in which they are governed increasingly through the prism of risk. The course responds to the growing realisation that many risks are being created through social processes bound to questions of security, including the ways that risk techniques are emerging and being employed as a means of securing uncertain futures. Since the 9/11 attacks in New York City and the 7/7 bombings in London, governments have become more concerned with terrorist threats to security. Surveillance has become more commonplace, preventing some risks while also creating new ones never before seen in society.

For students interested in health-related risk, the MA programme offers advanced training in research methods on the determinants of health and well-being, and their implications for health policy and service provision. Led in part by experts in population health from a social science and public health perspective, the MA programme responds to the observation that we often overlook the critical role played by communities in creating and managing risks, and that we need to develop new approaches to building community resilience. Students learn about the 'social determinants' associated with public health risks including unemployment and poverty. The socioeconomic impacts of financial crises, for example, have large implications for public health risk creating new challenges for research and governance. Students will be trained in both quantitative and qualitative methods to learn how to produce evidence relating to the wider determinants of health that is likely to benefit population health. Graduates from this programme will be well-suited to the needs of social and community work, to health professionals, and the pursuit of research degrees.

Course Structure

Students take the following core modules, and a selection of elective modules, which, when combined, add up to 180 credits:
Core Modules:
-Understanding Risk (30 credits)
-Risk Frontiers (15 credits)
-Fundamentals of Risk Research (15 credits)
-Dissertation by Research (or) Vocational Dissertation (60 credits)

Elective Modules available in previous years include:
-Hydrological Hazards (30 credits)
-Spatial and Temporal Dimensions of Hazard (30 credits)
-Social Dimensions of Risk and Resilience (30 credits)
-International Relations and Security in the Middle East (15 credits)
-Strategic Asia: Policy and Analysis (15 credits)
-European Security (15 credits)
-Social Policy and Society (30 credits)

Learning and Teaching

Understanding and managing risk is ultimately about choice. All elements of society, from individuals to governments, must make decisions – conscious or not – about the ways in which they perceive, interpret, balance, and mitigate risk. Risk permeates our day-to-day lives in ways that are now recognised to be much more complex than the hazard-vulnerability paradigm, which dominated risk research until the 1990s, recognised. A deeper understanding of the nature of risk, its emergence, and its interface and position within societies, has emphasised the need to take a much more complex view in which a general understanding of the ways in which risk is generated, experienced and managed needs to be combined with a specific understanding of particular science or policy areas.

The primary aim of this Masters programme is to equip students with a general understanding of risk; whilst simultaneously providing specific training in elements of risk-related research. This will be achieved through an interdisciplinary framework for understanding risk from a variety of perspectives. Students will learn theoretical and practical approaches to identifying and framing risk, as well as the underlying physical and social mechanisms that generate it. They will also examine the relationship of risk to knowledge and policy, and will be made aware of the array of advanced tools and techniques to assess the physical and social dimensions of risk under conditions of uncertainty. They will also be trained in the substance and methods associated with a range of science and policy areas, and be expected to demonstrate that they can combine their general training in risk with their specific understanding of the substance and method associated with the chosen area, through either a research-based or a vocational dissertation.

All students will undertake a suite of core modules (120 credits) which provide students with a range of skills and knowledge which result in a unique focus in risk combined with training in interdisciplinary research methods. These modules are: Understanding Risk, Fundamentals of Risk Research, Risk Frontiers and the Dissertation.

Students then also select a suite of elective modules (another 60 credits). Students can choose to receive specialised scientific training in:
-The social dimensions of risk and resilience
-Determinants of health and well-being, and their implications for health policy and service provision, and/or:
-A combination of approaches to risk.

Electives can be selected from:
-Social Dimensions of Risk and Resilience
-Strategic Asia
-European Security
-International Relations in the Middle East
-Social Policy and Society

Read less

Why take this course?

Risk Managers and those responsible for the continuity of business during periods of crisis can be found in all organisations across the globe. This can be a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping and incredibly exciting role for those who like to take on challenges to ensure their organisations can withstand all sorts of environmental, technological and unpredictable situations. Resilience is key for organisations in today’s turbulent times and risk managers are fundamental to achieving this.

This course will help you to acquire the knowledge, skills and tools to become a proficient and capable risk manager. The increase in British and International Standards in Risk and Crisis Management, Organisational Resilience and Continuity highlight the importance of this area which has grown into more than just a specialist subject in the education of managers, risk specialists and others.

What will I experience?

On this course you can:

Attend lectures including those from guest speakers from industry who provide insight into real-life scenarios and a practical take on managing risk.
Develop your skills to make a difference to your organisation through honing your analytical, decision-making and communication skills to manage risk more effectively.

Recognition of Prior Learning (APL) (RPL)

If you have undertaken courses in risk and crisis elsewhere, either professional or academic, you may be eligible for RPL. This is particularly relevant for applicants from the armed forces and emergency services.

Also, if you have attended appropriate professional development short courses at the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College (EPC) you may be eligible for RPL on the programme. To check eligibility, please refer to http://www.port.ac.uk/epc. RPL requires evidence of good practice in the topics of study and of applying this appropriately at your workplace. If you wish to take advantage of this offer, a personal tutor will aid you in submission of your evidence after enrolment on the course.

What opportunities might it lead to?

Good risk managers are valued for their strategic thinking and planning expertise – they are essential for minimising costs and damage to organisations and for protecting reputations. Our graduates can be found in roles such as independent risk consultants, risk officers, healthcare risk managers, crisis team managers for petrochemical companies, risk managers within the military, auditors and security managers. The career opportunities in all sorts of different organisations around the world are endless.

The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) offers exemptions on its IRM International Diploma which provides an entry route to full IRM membership and all the benefits and valuable networking opportunities this provides.

Module Details

Modules are delivered in two blocks of three days which run from Tuesdays to Thursdays allowing Monday and Friday to be available for further research or for time in the office. The flexibility this provides is one of the benefits of this course.

Here are the units you will study:

Strategic Risk and Risk Behaviour: This explores the theoretical frameworks and interdisciplinary nature of risk and effective risk management in organisations. The importance of human factors and people skills in risk perception and management are also considered, examining the roles of the individuals, teams and leaders in the context of developing and implementing risk management policies and strategies.

Organisational and Environmental Risk: This unit will investigate theories of environmental and organisational risk management and the approaches that an organisation may employ to achieve these successfully. The role of environmental and organisational risk management within the context of legislation will also be explored.

Crisis Management and Governance: This unit studies the development of effective, transparent continuity and crisis planning. The challenges facing organisations in ensuring robust governance, continuity and crisis management plans, highlighting the differences between this and generic risk management will be explored. Training and exercise preparedness will also be reviewed, enabling students to design appropriate scenarios for their organisations.

Project and Research Methods: This focuses on project risk management processes, systems and technology. Central to the module is a consideration of the key challenges in the application of project risk identification and response frameworks. This will be linked to the research dissertation as a project to be managed, preparing students for the research element of the programme.

Dissertation: This unit comprises the final part of the course. You will undertake a 15,000-word management research project (dissertation) that combines a review of previous research undertaken in your chosen topic, with your own data collection and analysis. The research dissertation provides a unique opportunity for you to demonstrate the subject knowledge you have acquired, as well as your analytical abilities and problem-solving skills that are highly regarded by potential employers. During this phase, your research will be supervised by an experienced academic with expertise in your chosen topic area.

Programme Assessment

Classes are challenging but informal and friendly, and you are encouraged to participate in discussion and debate. Our aim is to enhance your risk management skills by analysing complex problems, exploring the uncertainties involved, evaluating possible solutions and planning risk management implementation.

All assessment is via coursework, the majority of which will be in the form of written assignments. You will also complete a self-directed research dissertation supported by supervisors.

Student Destinations

This course is an ideal route into a wide range of risk management roles. Organisations face risk every day and so demand the strategic decision making skills of qualified risk managers. Considering the global reach of organisations today, the reliance on technology, increased risk of conflict and extreme weather, there is no shortage of career opportunities in this field. From managing crises in a healthcare environment, to petrochemical, environmental, business and everything in between, this course will give you the opportunity to consider real life examples and the opportunity to put your newly acquired skills into practice.

Alternatively, you may wish to pursue opportunities for research in the related areas of risk, programme and business management.

Read less

In an increasingly complex and rapidly changing global business environment, the management of risk requires a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience.

Accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and the Institute of Risk Management (IRM), this programme is designed to provide you with the skills to excel in such roles as a risk manager, risk and insurance manager, risk analyst or business continuity manager within a variety of organisations and sectors.

You will develop the ability to establish risk policy and structures for business units, design and review processes for risk management, develop risk response processes including contingency and business continuity programmes.

The Glasgow School for Business and Society is one of the world's leading centres for the provision of risk management education, consultancy and research, with more than thirty years' experience in the field. Since 1982, our programmes have attracted students from around the world. Our programme is based on current research and publications in the field, and taught by staff who understand the key concerns of managers in both the private and public sectors.

This programme is offered full-time, part-time and by distance learning at our Glasgow and London campuses.

This course is available for study on different start-dates and methods of study - please view the respective web-pages for the different start dates and part time opportunities.

SEPTEMBER 2017 (Part Time) - http://www.gcu.ac.uk/gsbs/study/courses/details/index.php/P02671-1PTA-1718/Risk_Management_(Part-time)?utm_source=YYYY&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

JANUARY 2017 (Full Time) - http://www.gcu.ac.uk/gsbs/study/courses/details/index.php/P02573-1FTAB-1617/Risk_Management_(Jan_start)?utm_source=YYYY&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

JANUARY 2018 (Full Time) - http://www.gcu.ac.uk/gsbs/study/courses/details/index.php/P02573-1FTAB-1718/Risk_Management?utm_source=YYYY&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

Our Research in Risk

Current and applied research is essential underpinning for a high quality postgraduate programme. Our academic staff are involved in a broad range of risk-related and business-focused research and publication.

Recent research projects carried out by staff include a government funded study into risk assessment relating to private finance initiatives in the construction industry, a survey on employment risks in conjunction with Marsh UK Ltd , a report on the risks associated with e-commerce, for the Association of British Insurers, and a series of reports and briefings for the Association of Local Authority Risk Managers.

Some of the areas in which staff research and publish include:
-Corporate governance
-Insurance Risk regulation
-Occupational health and safety
-Employment risks
-Risk assessment and management of Private Finance Initiative projects
-Public sector risk management
-Healthcare risk management
-Financial risk management

Study and Assessment

Study Information
We provide a wide variety of support, through tutors and materials, to our students studying by distance learning or on-campus.

Books & Materials
All modules use a range of paper-based and online materials.

Feedback
Students will receive feedback on all assessments as well as responses to specific queries raised during their study of any particular Module. Receipt of any communication will generally be acknowledged within 7 working days and written feedback will be supplied.

Contact
This will be mainly by post, our online 'Virtual Learning Environment' GCU Learn, or by email. The bulk of the contact for each Module will be with the Module Tutor concerned.

Assessment
Assessment will be continuous - a combination of formative and summative assessment. Assessment is by a variety of means - case studies, portfolios, essays and reports. You will be advised of the dates and times on which coursework must be submitted.

Submitting Work for Assessment
Campus-based students will submit a hard copy of any assessment, as well as an electronic copy via GCU Learn. Distance Learning students will submit by email and through GCU Learn.

Professional Affiliations

Holders of the MSc Risk Management are entitled to a standard award of 60 non unit specific credits at Advanced Diploma level from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

Graduates holding the MSc Risk Management from GCU are also entitled to be granted substantial exemptions from the examination requirements of the Institute of Risk Management (IRM).

Career Opportunities

The focus of the degree is on equipping the professional ‘risk manager’. This role neither sets strategy nor runs operations - the professional risk manager (whether in private manufacturing or service industries, local government, healthcare, or non-profit sector) facilitates the risk management process, educates, informs and motivates others to manage risk, and provides expert advice and input on the tools of modern risk management. Job titles vary (risk manager, risk and insurance manager, risk analyst, risk co-ordinator, clinical risk manager) and the emphasis varies from organisation to organisation, sector to sector.

Read less

In an increasingly complex and rapidly changing global business environment, the management of risk requires a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience.

Accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and the Institute of Risk Management (IRM), this programme is designed to provide you with the skills to excel in such roles as a risk manager, risk and insurance manager, risk analyst or business continuity manager within a variety of organisations and sectors.

You will develop the ability to establish risk policy and structures for business units, design and review processes for risk management, develop risk response processes including contingency and business continuity programmes.

The Glasgow School for Business and Society is one of the world's leading centres for the provision of risk management education, consultancy and research, with more than thirty years' experience in the field. Since 1982, our programmes have attracted students from around the world.

Our programme is based on current research and publications in the field, and taught by staff who understand the key concerns of managers in both the private and public sectors.

This programme is offered full-time, part-time and by distance learning at our Glasgow and London campuses. For more information, please view the respective web-pages.

January 2017 (Part Time Distance Learning) - http://www.gcu.ac.uk/gsbs/study/courses/details/index.php/P02649-1DLAB-1617/Risk_Management_(Distance_Learning)_(Jan_start)?utm_source=YYYY&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

January 2018 (Part Time Distance Learning) - http://www.gcu.ac.uk/gsbs/study/courses/details/index.php/P02649-1DLAB-1718/Risk_Management_(Distance_Learning)?utm_source=YYYY&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=courselisting

Our Research in Risk

Current and applied research is essential underpinning for a high quality postgraduate programme. Our academic staff are involved in a broad range of risk-related and business-focused research and publication.

Recent research projects carried out by staff include a government funded study into risk assessment relating to private finance initiatives in the construction industry, a survey on employment risks in conjunction with Marsh UK Ltd , a report on the risks associated with e-commerce, for the Association of British Insurers, and a series of reports and briefings for the Association of Local Authority Risk Managers.

Some of the areas in which staff research and publish include:
-Corporate governance
-Insurance Risk regulation
-Occupational health and safety
-Employment risks
-Risk assessment and management of Private Finance Initiative projects
-Public sector risk management
-Healthcare risk management
-Financial risk management

Professional Affiliations

Holders of the MSc Risk Management are entitled to a standard award of 60 non unit specific credits at Advanced Diploma level from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

Graduates holding the MSc Risk Management from GCU are also entitled to be granted substantial exemptions from the examination requirements of the Institute of Risk Management (IRM).

Study and Assessment

Study Information
We provide a wide variety of support, through tutors and materials, to our students studying by distance learning or on-campus.

Books & Materials
All modules use a range of paper-based and online materials.

Feedback
Students will receive feedback on all assessments as well as responses to specific queries raised during their study of any particular Module. Receipt of any communication will generally be acknowledged within 7 working days and written feedback will be supplied.

Contact
This will be mainly by post, our online 'Virtual Learning Environment' GCU Learn, or by email. The bulk of the contact for each Module will be with the Module Tutor concerned.

Assessment
Assessment will be continuous - a combination of formative and summative assessment. Assessment is by a variety of means - case studies, portfolios, essays and reports. You will be advised of the dates and times on which coursework must be submitted.

Submitting Work for Assessment
Campus-based students will submit a hard copy of any assessment, as well as an electronic copy via GCU Learn. Distance Learning students will submit by email and through GCU Learn.

Career Opportunities

The focus of the degree is on equipping the professional ‘risk manager’. This role neither sets strategy nor runs operations - the professional risk manager (whether in private manufacturing or service industries, local government, healthcare, or non-profit sector) facilitates the risk management process, educates, informs and motivates others to manage risk, and provides expert advice and input on the tools of modern risk management. Job titles vary (risk manager, risk and insurance manager, risk analyst, risk co-ordinator, clinical risk manager) and the emphasis varies from organisation to organisation, sector to sector.

Read less

Despite the phenomenal technological progress of the 20th century, most people still live with the acute and chronic consequences of age-old hazards such as floods and earthquakes. This MSc is for students who want to receive specialised scientific training in physical hazards that pose large risks to communities living throughout the world. Students on this programme will receive theoretical and practical training for understanding and quantifying hazards. They will learn about how hazards persist over long periods of time instead of merely as single events, but are composed of many smaller sub-events or how their effects are widespread.

Course Structure

Students take the following core modules, and a selection of elective modules, which, when combined, add up to 180 credits:
Core Modules:
-Understanding Risk (30 credits)
-Risk Frontiers (15 credits)
-Fundamentals of Risk Research (15 credits)
-Dissertation by Research (or) Vocational Dissertation (60 credits)

Elective Modules available in previous years include:
-Hydro-Meteorological Hazards (30 credits)
-Spatial and Temporal Dimensions of Hazard (30 credits)
-Social Dimensions of Risk and Resilience (30 credits)
-International Relations and Security in the Middle East (15 credits)
-Strategic Asia: Policy and Analysis (15 credits)
-European Security (15 credits)
-Social Policy and Society (30 credits)

Learning and Teaching

Understanding and managing risk is ultimately about choice. All elements of society, from individuals to governments, must make decisions – conscious or not – about the ways in which they perceive, interpret, balance, and mitigate risk. Risk permeates our day-to-day lives in ways that are now recognised to be much more complex than the hazard-vulnerability paradigm, which dominated risk research until the 1990s, recognised. A deeper understanding of the nature of risk, its emergence, and its interface and position within societies, has emphasised the need to take a much more complex view in which a general understanding of the ways in which risk is generated, experienced and managed needs to be combined with a specific understanding of particular science or policy areas.

The primary aim of this Masters programme is to equip students with a general understanding of risk; whilst simultaneously providing specific training in elements of risk-related research. This will be achieved through an interdisciplinary framework for understanding risk from a variety of perspectives. Students will learn theoretical and practical approaches to identifying and framing risk, as well as the underlying physical and social mechanisms that generate it. They will also examine the relationship of risk to knowledge and policy, and will be made aware of the array of advanced tools and techniques to assess the physical and social dimensions of risk under conditions of uncertainty. They will also be trained in the substance and methods associated with a range of science and policy areas, and be expected to demonstrate that they can combine their general training in risk with their specific understanding of the substance and method associated with the chosen area, through either a research-based or a vocational dissertation.

All students will undertake a suite of core modules (120 credits) which provide students with a range of skills and knowledge which result in a unique focus in risk combined with training in interdisciplinary research methods. These modules are:
-Understanding Risk
-Fundamentals of Risk Research
-Risk Frontiers
-Dissertation

Students then also select a suite of elective modules (another 60 credits). Students can choose to receive specialised scientific training in:
-The social dimensions of risk and resilience, and/or
-A combination of approaches to risk.

Electives can be selected from:
-Hydrological Hazards
-Spatial Temporal Dimensions of Hazards
-Social Dimensions of Risk and Resilience

Read less

Columbia University’s Master of Science in Enterprise Risk Management prepares risk professionals to design and implement ERM programs that enhance all decision-making processes, ranging from strategic decisions to traditional mitigation decisions. It also provides a robust toolkit of advanced risk management capabilities and competencies that can be applied to enhance value at both the enterprise level and at the traditional silo risk management level. Multiple courses on business communication and interaction provide the skills required to gain the stakeholder buy-in critical for successful adoption of ERM techniques. The core coursework provides insights on how to utilize these ERM and risk management tools and techniques across a variety of formalized risk management frameworks commonly in use.

Gain Multifaceted and Practical ERM Knowledge

The program has five distinct features critical for ERM:
A focus on all aspects of ERM. Our curriculum spans all aspects of ERM, including ERM framework, risk governance, risk identification, risk quantification, risk decision-making, and risk messaging.
A focus on all risk sources. We address all sources of risk including strategic (e.g. strategy execution risk, competitor risk, etc.); operational (HR, cyber-security, etc.); financial (market risk, credit risk, etc.); and insurance risk (e.g. pricing risk).
A customizable course of study. Recognizing that ERM is a broad field with various roles, we offer flexible course options for you to select a deeper dive into the content most suited to your needs.
A balance of skills. You will supplement technical ERM skills with business communication skills required to effectively navigate the ERM landscape and gain buy-in from key internal and external stakeholders.
A practical approach. Develop practical ERM tools and techniques that have been tested and proven in the marketplace by our faculty, who are globally recognized ERM leaders.
For more information on the curriculum you can see the website: http://sps.columbia.edu/enterprise-risk-management/master-of-science-in-enterprise-risk-management/curriculum

Funding and Financial Resources

We want to make sure that the cost of your continuing education and professional studies do not stand in the way of your goals.
Most students at the School of Professional Studies use a combination of savings, scholarships, loans, outside grants, sponsors, or employer tuition benefits to cover the cost of attendance. However you choose to finance your education, consider it an investment in your future, and know that we, in conjunction with the Office of Student Financial Planning, are here to help and advise you along the way.

For more information on funding available please visit the website: http://sps.columbia.edu/enterprise-risk-management/master-of-science-in-enterprise-risk-management/tuition-and-financing/financial-resources

Read less

The MSc Health, Safety and Risk Management degree course has been designed to be industry relevant and is fully accredited by The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Working with experienced practitioners in designing this programme, our degree provides the skills and knowledge for the practical application of Strategic Health, Safety and Risk Management. The course will also be of interest to managers who wish to attain a formal management qualification in this area and others who wish to develop careers in this field. The course is fully accredited by The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). We work closely with our proactive Industrial Liaison Panel to ensure our course is relevant and up to date.

Safety doesn’t happen by accident!

The benefits of our course are:
•Our Partnerships with Industry
•The excellent facilities at RGU
•The strong emphasis we place on preparing our students for employment
•The tools we provide our students with to ensure their professional development and growth
•The career management facilities at RGU
•Our supportive learning environment
•IOSH Accreditation

See the website https://www.rgu.ac.uk/business-management-and-accounting/study-options/postgraduate/health-and-safety-and-risk-management

Course detail

Subjects reflect areas of professional practice and are designed to provide students with an understanding of the management of Health, Safety and Risk. They also take a strategic view of this, and of related areas such as Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics and the Environment. In addition to the legal perspectives students will be encouraged to consider the management, human and psychological factors essential to the successful implementation of Health, Safety and Risk strategy.

A key feature of the Diploma stage of the course is the incorporation of a work based project. In the course of this project, students are given the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge and understanding of health, safety and risk to a current work related problem or issue.

Stage 1

•Personal and Research Skills for Professionals
•Health, Safety and Risk: People Management
•Health, Safety and Risk in an Organisational Context
•Hazard Identification and Risk Management

Exit award: PgCert Health Safety and Risk Management

Stage 2

•Health, Safety and Risk Behavioural Management
•Health, Safety and Risk Management: Accident Investigation and Analysis
•Strategic Health, Safety and Risk Management
•Health, Safety and Risk: Professional Development and Practice

Exit award: PgDip Health Safety and Risk Management

Stage 3

•Dissertation

Award: MSc Health Safety and Risk Management

Format

The course is studied online. This flexible approach will provide the opportunity for those working in the field, and who wish to attain a formal management qualification in this area, to study and also maintain their career path.

Online Learning: Online delivery is through the University's Virtual Learning Environment CampusMoodle, where you will have access to the same teaching material as on-campus students. There will be the opportunity for you to interact with tutors and fellow students from around the world. The Part Time Executive and Online Learning courses are delivered simultaneously so all students work on the same modules.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD): It is also possible to enrol for individual modules on a CPD basis and this course provides the opportunity to develop reflective skills and continue to enhance your knowledge and expertise throughout your career.

Placements and accreditations

This course is fully accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). The accreditation is on the basis that successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) Health, Safety and Risk Management, satisfies the requirements for admission to Graduate membership. Thereafter students may progress to Chartered membership by providing evidence of their practice skills through a process of Initial Professional Development (IPD).

Careers

Those graduating with a masters in Health, Safety and Risk Management, already working in this area, will be able to demonstrate competency in the strategic management of Health, Safety and Risk and develop their career towards senior management roles.

Other graduates wishing to move into this field and develop their career will be able to improve their employment opportunities by demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the health, safety and risk management and the related issues along with a track record of successful Masters level study in the field.

How to apply

To find out how to apply, use the following link: http://www.rgu.ac.uk/applyonline

Funding

For information on funding, including loans, scholarships and Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) please click the following link: http://www.rgu.ac.uk/future-students/finance-and-scholarships/financial-support/uk-students/postgraduate-students/postgraduate-students/

Read less

The MSc programme has been developed by practitioners for practitioners, and is available via face-to-face, distance learning and blended learning. It is intended for anyone working in process safety, technical safety, safety engineering or nuclear safety within major hazard industries, such as oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, nuclear, transportation and mining.

Our MSc in Risk and Safety Management (IChemE Process Safety Pathway) is approved by IChemE as meeting the knowledge and understanding requirements for IChemE's Professional Process Safety Engineer qualification.
For students wishing to follow the IChemE Pathway, the PgDip modules must include Physical Effects Modelling, and Incident Investigation Analysis.

Risktec delivers 4 types of postgraduate academic awards via distance learning, in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU):
• Masters Degree (MSc) in Risk & Safety Management
• Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) in Risk & Safety Management
• Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) in Risk & Safety Management
• Certificate of Professional Development (CPD) for single subject modules

Masters programme in Risk and Safety Management

Our next Masters programme in Risk and Safety Management starts on 1st February 2018 and consists of the following 12 modules, plus a 15,000 word dissertation:

• Principles of Risk Management
• Research Methods in Risk & Safety Management
• Hazard Identification
• Risk Analysis
• Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) Management Systems
• Risk Reduction & ALARP
• Culture, Behaviour and Competency
• Bowtie Risk Management
• Physical Effects Modelling or HAZOP Study
• Emergency Response & Crisis Management
• Human Factors in Design & Operations
• Incident Investigation & Analysis or Safety/HSE Cases

Each module takes 8 weeks to complete and is delivered online by highly experienced, practising risk and safety management consultants working in the safety-critical, major hazard industries.
Students may enrol on shorter programmes (PgCert or PgDip) and then upgrade to the Masters.
Certain individual modules may also be studied, leading to CPD awards.

Why select a Distance Learning Programme with Risktec?

- Risktec is respected as a leading risk and safety management consulting and education company, with some of the world’s most impressive companies as clients.
- Gaining a formal postgraduate qualification from a recognised institution helps improve your career prospects and could also increase your remuneration.
- A postgraduate qualification helps an inexperienced graduate to prove to a prospective employer their commitment to the field of risk and safety.
- A postgraduate qualification can be a ‘fast-track’ into the growing risk and safety market for people working in related fields.
- An experienced person already working as a risk and safety practitioner will gain a broader and deeper knowledge of the subject, while also achieving formal recognition of their hard earned experience.
- Participants can study at a time that best suits them, working at their own pace and from home.
- Participants gain access to Risktec’s experienced consultant-teachers, as well as the opportunity to network and interact with other students during group tasks.
- Distance learning avoids the costs of travel and accommodation associated with classroom learning.

Distance learning is delivered via our online learning environment, ‘Risktec Online’. The modules’ materials comprise slides and explanatory notes, plus references to further reading and useful websites. Students engage in online activities including tests, discussions and group tasks. This approach encourages participation and interaction amongst students.
Support from the module teacher is available throughout the programme. Our distance learning programmes are 100% online, therefore students can study and submit assessments from anywhere in the world.

For more details please contact [email protected] or visit http://www.risktec.tuv.com/training-and-education/scheduled-courses.aspx

Read less

The master's in Risk Analysis has a unique focus on the societal, health, safety and environmental (not financial) aspects of risk. Gain knowledge and understanding of: social science theories, concepts, techniques and organisational approaches to risk assessment, management, governance and communication. Career prospects for graduates are excellent in this rapidly developing field.

Key benefits

• Unrivalled location that allows students access to experts in the field of risk analysis.

• Potential for three week internship with leading public and private sector organisations.

• Close links with, and speakers from, government and industry gives students insights and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the subject area.

Visit the website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-courses/risk-analysis-ma-msc.aspx

Course detail

- Description -

In recent years, the ideas, concepts and tools of risk analysis have come to dominate the way in which we conceive and respond to an ever expanding range of societal threats, be it to the environment, health, security, prosperity or even lifestyle. However, how we assess, manage, govern and communicate risk are regular sources of political conflict; posing dilemmas for policymakers, public and private sector organisations and individuals alike. Increasingly, it has become recognised that such issues – manifest in crises from food safety to banking- cannot be answered by simple technical ‘know-how’ alone, but rather demand understanding of the political, organisational and social contexts in which risk decisions are made.

The MSc/MA Risk Analysis draws together a unique combination of risk scholarship from across the social sciences, such as psychology, political science and sociology, to provide an advanced academic foundation in risk studies. In so doing, the programme equips students to critically analyse risk problems in a wide range of public policy, organisational and societal settings; evaluate the dynamics of risk governance and management options; and develop reflexive communication strategies.

- Course format and assessment -

Specialist taught modules assessed by coursework. Students can undertake research within a public or private sector by choosing the Risk Internship module as an option. The three-month dissertation is compulsory and can be taken overseas or in the UK.

Career prospects

The programme enables students to undertake further doctoral research or enter into careers as risk specialists in this rapidly developing field. Graduates are able to work in industry, consultancies, governmental and non-governmental agencies. Employment destinations of past students include the European Commission, HM Government, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, Environment Agency, US Department of Homeland Security, Medical Research Council, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, KPMG, SwissRe, Ernst and Young, Marsh Risk Consulting, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Total, L’Oreal, Network Rail, Sainsburys and ING.

How to apply: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/taught-courses.aspx

About Postgraduate Study at King’s College London:

To study for a postgraduate degree at King’s College London is to study at the city’s most central university and at one of the top 20 universities worldwide (2015/16 QS World Rankings). Graduates will benefit from close connections with the UK’s professional, political, legal, commercial, scientific and cultural life, while the excellent reputation of our MA and MRes programmes ensures our postgraduate alumni are highly sought after by some of the world’s most prestigious employers. We provide graduates with skills that are highly valued in business, government, academia and the professions.

Scholarships & Funding:

All current PGT offer-holders and new PGT applicants are welcome to apply for the scholarships. For more information and to learn how to apply visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources

Free language tuition with the Modern Language Centre:

If you are studying for any postgraduate taught degree at King’s you can take a module from a choice of over 25 languages without any additional cost. Visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc

Read less

The PgDip programme has been developed by practitioners for practitioners, and is available via face-to-face, distance learning and blended learning. It is intended for anyone working in process safety, technical safety, safety engineering or nuclear safety within major hazard industries, such as oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, nuclear, transportation and mining.

The PgDip is part of our MSc in Risk and Safety Management (IChemE Process Safety Pathway), which is approved by IChemE as meeting the knowledge and understanding requirements for IChemE's Professional Process Safety Engineer qualification.
For students wishing to follow the IChemE Pathway, the PgDip modules must include Physical Effects Modelling and Incident Investigation Analysis.

Risktec delivers 4 types of postgraduate academic awards via distance learning, in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU):
• Masters Degree (MSc) in Risk & Safety Management
• Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) in Risk & Safety Management
• Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) in Risk & Safety Management
• Certificate of Professional Development (CPD) for single subject modules

Our next

Postgraduate Diploma programme in Risk and Safety Management

will starts on 1st February 2018. and consists of the following 12 modules:
• Principles of Risk Management
• Research Methods in Risk & Safety Management
• Hazard Identification
• Risk Analysis
• Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) Management Systems
• Risk Reduction & ALARP
• Culture, Behaviour and Competency
• Bowtie Risk Management
• Physical Effects Modelling or HAZOP Study
• Emergency Response & Crisis Management
• Human Factors in Design & Operations
• Incident Investigation & Analysis or Safety/HSE Cases

Each module takes 8 weeks to complete and is delivered on-line by highly experienced, practising risk and safety management consultants working in the safety-critical, major hazard industries.
Students may enrol on the one year programmes leading to a PgCert, the two year programme leading to a PgDip or the three year programme leading to an MSc or certain individual modules may also be studied leading to the award of a CPD.

Why select a Distance Learning Programme with Risktec?

- Risktec is respected as a leading risk and safety management consulting and education company, with some of the world’s most impressive companies as clients.
- Gaining a formal postgraduate qualification from a recognised institution helps improve your career prospects and could also increase your remuneration.
- A postgraduate qualification helps an inexperienced graduate to prove to a prospective employer their commitment to the field of risk and safety.
- A postgraduate qualification can be a ‘fast-track’ into the growing risk and safety market for people working in related fields.
- An experienced person already working as a risk and safety practitioner will gain a broader and deeper knowledge of the subject, while also achieving formal recognition of their hard earned experience.
- Participants can study at a time that best suits them, working at their own pace and from home.
- Participants gain access to Risktec’s experienced consultant-teachers, as well as the opportunity to network and interact with other students during group tasks.
- Distance learning avoids the costs of travel and accommodation associated with classroom learning.

Distance learning is delivered via our online learning environment, ‘Risktec Online’. The module material comprises slides and explanatory notes, plus references to further reading and useful websites. Students engage in online activities including tests, discussions and group tasks. This approach encourages participation and interaction amongst students.

Support from the module teacher is available throughout the programme. Our distance learning programmes are 100% online, therefore students can study and submit assessments from anywhere in the world.

For more details please contact [email protected] or visit http://www.risktec.co.uk/training-and-education/scheduled-courses.aspx

Read less

Risk and disaster reduction, particularly within the contexts of dealing with uncertainty and increasing resilience, are high on local, national and international agendas. The Risk, Disaster and Resilience MSc aims to meet the growing need for experts trained to analyse and provide solutions to these complex issues.

Degree information

Students will learn about and explore the characterisation, quantification, management and reduction of risk and disasters, and their associated impacts, from a diverse range of scientific, technical, socio-economic, political, environmental, ethical and cultural perspectives. They will benefit from a wide range of taught modules which form the focus of the programme.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of six core modules (90 credits), two optional modules (to the combined value of 30 credits) and an independent research project (60 credits).

A postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, 6 core modules and 2 optional modules), full-time nine months, part-time two years, is also offered.

A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, 6 core modules and 2 optional modules), full-time nine months, part-time two years, is also offered.

Core modules
All 6 core modules must be taken.
‌•Integrating Science into Risk and Disaster Reduction
‌•Natural and Anthropogenic Hazards and Vulnerability
‌•Emergency and Crisis Planning
‌•Emergency and Crisis Management
‌•Risk and Disaster Reduction Research Tools
‌•Research Proposal and Appraisal
‌
Optional modules
‌Choose two options (to the combined value of 30 credits) from a list which may include the following:
‌•Natural Hazards, Social Vulnerability and Disaster Risk Management
‌•Post Disaster Recovery
‌•Adapting Cities to Climate Change
‌•Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities
‌•Earthquake Seismology and Earthquake Hazards
‌•Decision and Risk (Statistics)
‌•Risk and Contingency Planning (Security and Crime Science)
‌•Risk Power and Uncertainty (Anthropology)
‌•Conflict, Humanitarianism and Health
‌
Dissertation/report
‌•All students undertake an independent research project of 10,000-12,000 words which culminates in a research project and poster presentation.

Teaching and learning
‌•The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, directed reading and practical problem-solving exercises and a real-time disaster scenario event, with an emphasis on hands-on learning and tutorial-style dialogue between students and lecturers. Assessment is by independent and group oral presentations, written examination, coursework essays, and the independent project. Practical applications of critical and creative problem solving will be encouraged and assessed throughout.

Fieldwork
‌•A series of one-day UK based field trips are available.

Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Risk, Disaster and Resilience MSc

Careers

This programme provides excellent training towards careers in research, research communication, public policy, (re)insurance, catastrophe modelling, finance, risk management, international development, humanitarian assistance, engineering, and many other fields. It supports the career development of professionals already working in risk and disaster reduction, as well as those who intend to go into this field. The IRDR runs a careers and opportunities forum for students; this has been attended by insurance companies, catastrophe modelling firms, NGOs, academic institutions, and head hunters in the field of risk and disaster reduction. Several students have found opportunities through contacts made and positions advertised during this event.

Employability
Employers of previous graduates include:

‌•a London-based international economic consultancy working in micro-finance
‌•insurance companies market,
‌•the World Food Programme
‌•a London council
‌•London-based NGO Rescue Global
‌•and continued academic study through a PhD studentship.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR), where teaching for this programme is based, leads and co-ordinates multidisciplinary research, knowledge exchange and advanced teaching in risk and disaster reduction across UCL.

UCL is uniquely well placed to lead research and teaching in this field; in addition to at least 70 academics across 12 departments and seven faculties involved in world-class research, the IRDR has established links with non-governmental organisations, industry and government departments based in and around London.

Teaching and project supervision will be provided by active researchers, practitioners and policy-makers, all of whom are leaders in their respective fields.

Read less

Programme Background

Public awareness of hazards and risks has enhanced the importance of safety assessment and management in today’s increasingly litigious society. Worldwide the burden of responsibility for health and safety is shifting towards those who own, manage and work in industrial and commercial organisations. Legal reform is tending to replace detailed industry specific legislation with a modern approach in which, where possible, goals and general principles are set and the onus is on organisations to show how they manage to achieve these goals.

The management of safety and risk needs to be integrated into the overall management of the organisation. It should be appropriate and cost-effective without dampening the innovative entrepreneurial spirit of employees with inflexible bureaucratic rules and procedures. An organisation’s exposure to potential hazards needs to be managed so as to reduce the chance of loss and mitigate any effects. Risk and safety issues need to be evaluated in a structured and calculated manner but in the light of an overall organisational strategy.

The MSc/PG Diploma programme in Safety and Risk Management aims to provide students with advanced knowledge of risk assessment techniques, the public and individual perception of risk, and how decisions are made in competitive business markets. The focus is on practical applications of safety methodologies, ergonomics and human factors, and safety and risk management techniques.

All of these skills will be drawn together to undertake complex qualitative and quantitative risk assessments. The core of the programme is the management of safety, but it is set within a broader remit where safety issues are part of a general risk management system with a balance of financial, quality and environmental concerns. The overall aim of the programme is to develop students’ skills and personal qualities to be able to undertake safety studies and manage safety and risk to the best national and international standards.

Professional Recognition

This MSc degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) undergraduate first degree. See http://www.jbm.org.ukfor further information.

The MSc and PgDip degrees have also been accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Graduates are eligible to join IOSH as Graduate members and then undertake an initial professional development process that leads to Chartered membership. http://www.iosh.co.uk for further information.

Programme Content

The MSc/Postgraduate Diploma in Safety, Risk and Management is only available by attendance-free distance learning. The programme comprises eight courses. All courses have written examinations and some have compulsory coursework elements. MSc students are also required to complete an individual project (dissertation).

For the project component of the programme distance learners are likely to develop something based in their country of residence with advice and supervision from staff in the School. This may well include work with a local company or may involve independent study. Individual arrangements will be set up with each student.

For more detailed information on this programme please contact the Programme Leader before applying (see above).

Courses

• Risk Assessment and Safety Management
This courses aims to give students an appreciation of risk from individual and societal perspectives as well as understanding the basic principles of risk assessment and modelling and how safety management works in practice.

• Human Factors Methods
This course will equip students from academic and/or industrial backgrounds with knowledge on, and the means to deploy, a wide range of specialist human factors techniques. The emphasis is on method selection, application, combination and integration within existing business practices. Students will develop a critical awareness of what methods exist, how to apply them in practice and their principle benefits and limitations.

• Human Factors in the Design and Evaluation of Control Rooms
The course will equip students from academic and/or industrial backgrounds with in-depth knowledge on, insights into, and the means to deploy a wide range of specialist techniques relevant to the ergonomic design and evaluation of control rooms. The emphasis is on key areas of control room operations and on actionable ways to deploy theory on human capabilities and limitations in order to improve performance, safety, efficiency and overall operator well being.

• Fire Safety, Explosions and Process Safety
Introduces students to the basic principles of fire safety science and engineering, and develops skills in associated modelling leading to an understanding of principal fire/explosion related issues in process safety.

• Environmental Impact Assessment
Provides the candidate with the knowledge and understanding of the principles and processes of the Environmental Impact Assessment. By the end of the course, the student should be familiar with the European EIA legislation and its translation into the Scottish planning system, and be able to demonstrate an understanding of the EIA process, the tools and the agents involved in an EIA and the possible problems with using EIA as a decision making tool. . It is also intended that the student will be able to appreciate the purpose of the EIA process from a number of perspectives; that of a developer, an EIA practitioner and a policy maker.

• Project Management Theory and Practice
Provides students with an understanding of the concepts and practices of construction project management used to provide value added services to clients within the constraints of time, cost, quality sustainability and health and safety management.

• Learning from Disasters
Gives students an in depth understanding of some of the classic disasters and their consequences by using a range of practical accident investigation techniques. Students will learn to analyse complex histories in order to find the underlying root cause.

• Value and Risk Management.
Aims to introduce the concepts of value and risk management, apply them to strategic and tactical problems and illustrate their tools and techniques through case study.

Read less

Risk and disaster reduction, particularly within the contexts of dealing with uncertainty and increasing resilience, are high on local, national and international agendas. The Risk and Disaster Reduction MRes is a research-intensive programme, which aims to meet the rapidly growing need for experts trained to analyse and provide solutions to complex issues relating to risk and disasters.

Degree information

Students will learn about and explore the characterisation, quantification, management and reduction of risk and disasters, and their associated impacts, from a diverse range of scientific, technical, socio-economic, political, environmental, ethical and cultural perspectives. They will acquire advanced levels of knowledge of empirical, theoretical and practical aspects of risk and disaster reduction, and will gain research experience and the ability to effectively communicate research findings through the independent research project.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of two skills modules (30 credits), three optional modules (45 credits) and an independent research project (105 credits). A Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits) is offered. See separate entry for further details.

Skills modules
-Risk and Disaster Reduction Research Tools
-Research Appraisal and Proposal

Optional modules - students choose three of the following modules:
-Integrating Science into Risk and Disaster Reduction
-Natural and Anthropegenic Hazards and Vulnerability
-Emergency and Crisis Planning
-Emergency and Crisis Management

Dissertation/report
All students undertake a substantial research project of 15,000 to 20,000 words, which culminates in an independent research report and oral presentation.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, directed reading, practical problem-solving exercises and a real-time disaster scenario event, with an emphasis on hands-on learning and tutorial-style dialogue between students and lecturers. Assessment is through coursework, examination, essays, project reports, oral and poster presentations, and the research dissertation.

Fieldwork
There are a number of UK-based day fieldtrips as part of the programme. These look at the multiple facets of disaster risk including the physical hazard, vulnerability of structures and communities, and mitigation measures and management.

There is also a NGO-led disaster scenario exercise.

Careers

This programme provides excellent training towards careers in research, research communication, public policy, (re)insurance, catastrophe modelling, finance, risk management, international development, humanitarian assistance, engineering, and many other fields. It supports the career development of professionals already working in risk and disaster reduction, as well as those who intend to go into this field.

The IRDR careers and opportunities forum for students has been attended by insurance companies, catastrophe modelling firms, NGOs, academic institutions, local government and head hunters in the field of risk and disaster reduction. Students have found opportunities through contacts made and positions advertised during this event.

Employability
Examples of previous graduate students' employment within the field of risk and disaster reduction include working for an international economic consultancy based in London in the area of micro-finance, working as a consultant in disaster risk for a key player in the London insurance market and working for Rescue Global, a NGO based in London. A number of MSc students have also participated in internship programmes with Rescue Global.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR) leads and co-ordinates multidisciplinary research, knowledge exchange and advanced teaching in risk and disaster reduction across UCL. UCL is uniquely well placed to lead research and teaching in this field; in addition to at least 70 academics across 12 departments and seven faculties involved in world-class research, the IRDR has established links with NGOs, industry and government departments based in and around London.

Teaching and project supervision will be provided by active researchers, practitioners and policy-makers, all of whom are leaders in their respective fields.

Read less