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Earthquake Engineering with Disaster Management MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This Master’s will provide you with the technical, analysis and design skills to work in earthquake engineering and disaster management. You’ll also gain advanced understanding of a carefully curated set of in-demand specialisms such as structural engineering, advanced resilience, and risk modelling for natural hazards.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£20,500
£10,250
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£39,800
£19,900
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 04 Apr 2025

Applications closed

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class UK Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline (such as engineering or architecture), or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Extensive work experience covering related areas will be considered in addition to academic qualifications.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


If you’re looking for a specialist Master’s in engineering with a focus on disaster management, this is the programme for you.  

Bringing together theory with extensive hands-on experience, the course covers the diverse facets of structural engineering and disaster management – from evaluating vulnerability and resilience against earthquake and extreme conditions to crafting pre-disaster risk mitigation and post-disaster management solutions.

The programme empowers you to analyse, design, and assess structures using seismic codes and unconventional methods. You'll graduate proficient in broader civil and structural engineering foundations, with specialist knowledge in risk modelling, catastrophe management, and disaster response.

You’ll also learn all about the decisions engineers need to make from a social and environmental standpoint. This “Bigger Picture” element will help you understand the context of your work as an engineer, so you can go out and create engineering projects that benefit both people and the planet and contribute to vital global challenges.

There’s a big emphasis on transferable skills too, like leadership, communication, creativity, project management, and critical thinking – which, when coupled with your tech expertise, will make you highly sought after for engineering jobs in consultancies, international agencies, government and non-governmental bodies. 

Who this course is for

This programme is ideal for you if you have a background in engineering or architecture, and you want to pursue a career in structural design and assessment, catastrophe modeling, risk evaluation, and disaster management. 

We welcome applications from recent graduates and those with recent professional experience. This programme provides an exceptional platform to expand your knowledge and contribute meaningfully to this critical field.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities. 

  • A postgraduate degree from a top-ranked university. UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025), providing you with a prestigious qualification that is highly regarded by employers worldwide. 
  • Work with expert academics and researchers in UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, who specialise in different disciplines, including policy, architecture, structures, infrastructure planning, transport, energy, and more.  
  • Become a part of the EPICentre, the UK's premier natural hazard research centre with partners from ARUP, DFID, HR Wallingford, UNESCO, and the World Bank.
  • Build strong collaborative skills, working alongside experts from UCL and carrying out research projects with one of our industrial partners.
  • Take advantage of our research and industry links, including attending seminars and exhibitions by industry leaders like ARUP, TfL, Network Rail, and more.
  • Enjoy a transformative curriculum designed to help you build a successful earthquake engineering career in industry or research.
  • Access the department's start-of-the-art and award-winning facilities across London such as Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL), Controlled Active Ventilation Environment (CAVE), and Structural & Environmental Testing at Here East (StrEnTHE).
  • Study in the world's best city for university students (QS Best Student Cities 2024). UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme
Making an impact
UCL Portico building with welcome sign between columns.

Case study: Tsunami defence

Our work on fluid dynamics has created new ways to model tsunami waves, so we can defend against these disasters.

The foundation of your career

Graduates of this programme have gone on to excel in engineering roles in consultancies, agencies, government and non-governmental bodies. Graduates from our department have gone on to work with employers such as ARUP, WSP, MACE, European Union, United Nations, the World Bank, UNESCO, Ford, KPMG, and more.

Our study is not just based in literature, you can have a lot of time to research and study different kinds of engineering softwares that will be useful in the future.

Headshot of alumna student Jielin Ma talking to camera

Jielin Ma

MSc Earthquake Engineering with Disaster Management

Hear more from our students

Employability

Our programme offers a combination of theory, practice, and innovation that will give you the strong technical and contextual foundation needed to progress into an engineering career in industry or research with a focus on risk evaluation, catastrophe modelling, and disaster management.  

Networking

You’ll have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate and build professional contacts as part of your Master’s.  

  • Engage with peers, industry experts and faculty members at guest lectures and special seminars.
  • Take part in collaborative group projects, field trips, site visits, case studies, and workshops within the department and with industry partners.
  • Access UCL Careers for a variety of resources and events to support your career development, including CV workshops and 1-2-1 guidance.

Accreditation

This degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired a partial CEng accredited undergraduate first degree. See www.jbm.org.uk for further information.

Teaching and learning

This MSc programme is delivered through a mix of seminars, lectures, laboratory work, projects and practicals, which frequently draw upon real-life industry case studies.

Assessment is through examinations (short-answer and multiple-choice questions), presentations, essays, coursework, and your individual research project, which you will submit as a dissertation.

Full-time students can expect 12-16 hours of contact time per teaching week. The exact number of contact hours, composition, and assessment varies throughout the terms, and depends on the module choices of the student.

This is a full-time course, which means students should expect a working schedule of approximately 35-40 hours a week.

The Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits) consisting of seven core modules (105 credits) and one optional module (15 credits).

Modules

The programme structure for full-time students encompasses a total of 180 credits. 

4 compulsory modules (60 credits) tailored to the chosen pathway form the core. You'll then select 4 optional modules (60 credits) to complement your specialisation. In Term 3, you'll complete an individual research project (60 credits).

The programme structure for part-time students encompasses a total of 180 credits over the course of 2 years. 

4 compulsory modules (60 credits) tailored to the chosen pathway form the core. You'll then select 4 optional modules (60 credits) to complement your specialisation. In Term 3, you'll complete an individual research project (60 credits).

The programme structure for modular/flexible students encompasses a total of 180 credits over the course of their studies. 

Compulsory modules









Optional modules



Earthquake Seismology and Earthquake Hazard





Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

MSc students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Earthquake Engineering with Disaster Management. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Earthquake Engineering with Disaster Management.

Fieldwork

The programme organises a non-mandatory, week-long field trip each year, focusing on regions recently impacted by major earthquakes. This immersive experience allows students to witness the aftermath of seismic events and gain insights into cutting-edge structural reinforcement strategies.  

Students are responsible for covering their flights and meals, while the department covers the accommodation and transportation.

Note: While we endeavour to make the field trip available, it will be carried out only when possible. In some situations, there are no areas affected by recent earthquakes and close enough to UK for a field trip, while in some cases, some sites are not safe enough to allow for a student field trip.

If the field trip is not possible, the department organises activities such as visiting research labs and/or industry partners to ensure students will receive an experiential learning opportunity to enrich their understanding of earthquake engineering and disaster management practices.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Where you'll study

UCL PEARL building pictured from outside on sunny day

The Department boasts award-winning next-generation research facilities across UCL’s estate. Over the past few years, we have developed new state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to versatile and ambitious research aimed at creating safer and more inclusive public spaces. CAVE (Controlled Active Ventilation Environment) and PEARL (Person Environment Activity Research Laboratory) are two innovative research spaces that provide a full-scale testing facility where researchers can simulate real-life environments. These facilities are in line with UCL's Sustainability Strategy, supporting our bold ambition to become a net-zero carbon institution by 2030. PEARL is UCL's first net-zero carbon building. The StrEnTHE (Structural & Environmental Testing at Here East) laboratory offers large-scale structural and environmental testing capabilities, including the UK's only integrated environmental-mechanical rig for testing masonry wall specimens and other large structural elements under various loading and environmental conditions.

Find out more

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £20,500 £10,250
Tuition fees (2025/26) £39,800 £19,900

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

There is no fee deposit required for PG Dip and PG Cert applicants.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

The programme may involve some additional costs, which can vary depending on the specific modules and activities chosen. Not all of these will apply to every student, but these could include expenses for course materials, participation in site visits, necessary equipment for certain settings, or other project-related needs.

For example, students are expected to meet the cost of their flight and meals, on the annual week-long field trip each year, while the department covers the accommodation and transportation. The location of this visits change each year and the cost will vary from approximately £300 - £800 based on location. 

Please note attendance to this field trip is optional, so cost incursion is not required of the student.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

This programme qualifies for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme, suitable for nationals residing in Commonwealth developing countries who wish to study a one-year taught UK Master's programme. The scholarship covers tuition fees and air fares to and from the UK.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

UCL East London Scholarship

Deadline: 26 June 2025
Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study earthquake engineering with disaster management at a graduate level
  • why you want to study earthquake engineering with disaster management at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver. 
 

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

cege-pg-admissions@ucl.ac.uk

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