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Risk and Disaster Reduction PG Cert

London, Bloomsbury

The Risk and Disaster Reduction Postgraduate Certificate offers students the opportunity to gain an understanding of the characteristics of risk and disasters and their past, present and future impacts on society.

UK students International students
Study mode
Flexible
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£6,900
Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£12,200
Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
Not applicable
1 calendar year
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 04 Apr 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

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

Normally a minimum of a lower second-class UK Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard is required. Applicants with a different degree, or with no degree but with relevant professional experience, will be considered. Relevant discipline is any science including social sciences, or any humanities subject.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

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

Students develop the ability to assess risk and disaster potential and propose risk and disaster management and mitigation strategies. They gain the knowledge and skills required to make more effective decisions based on the creative and critical analysis of a broad spectrum of information.

Who this course is for

This programme is suitable for students wishing to study at a higher level on a flexible basis.

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

What this course will give you

The UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR) leads and coordinates multidisciplinary research, knowledge exchange and advanced teaching in risk and disaster reduction across UCL.

We have established links with NGOs, industry and government departments based in and around London.

As a student, you will be encouraged to join our active seminar series, high-profile public discussions, meetings and networking events.

The department offers dedicated careers support, including networking events that are often attended by insurance companies, catastrophe modelling firms, NGOs, local government, academic institutions and recruiters in the field. Students often find opportunities through contacts made during these events.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Whether you wish to start a new career in risk and disaster reduction or you already have experience in this sector, we are here to support you. A Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) in Risk and Disaster Reduction will provide practical and analytical skills, as well as subject specific knowledge.

Employability

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.

Networking

Our staff have extensive professional networks and are able to connect students with colleagues in the sector. The department offers a programme of events, which usually have a networking element, and students are encouraged to both attend and organise their own. The dedicated departmental student society also offers networking opportunities for its members.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, independent study and practical problem-solving exercises, with an emphasis on hands-on learning and tutorial-style dialogue between students and lecturers. Further learning methods could include real-time disaster scenario events, fieldwork-based learning and computer labs.

Assessment is through oral and written examinations, group exercises, and assessed practicals and coursework. Practical applications of critical and creative problem-solving will be encouraged and assessed throughout.

On average it is expected that a student spends 150 hours studying for each 15-credit module. This includes teaching time, private study and coursework. Modules are usually taught in weekly two-hour sessions over 10 weeks each term.

Students can select which module or modules they would like to complete in any given year, over a maximum of five years, typical contact hours are around 2 hours per week for each module undertaken that term. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

Modules

Students can study flexibly over a maximum of five years, with students generally attending lectures and seminars on-site at UCL. Study is undertaken on a module-by-module basis, with students accumulating credit by selecting which module(s) to complete in any given year. Please contact the department for more information if you wish to choose this option.

Optional modules















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.

Students undertake modules to the value of 60 credits. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Risk and Disaster Reduction.

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.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £6,900
Tuition fees (2025/26) £12,200

Programme only 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

Travel costs within London are likely to be covered within travel cards that students can obtain for travelling to UCL. A single day travel card is between £15–£26. The exact cost of each field trip outside London depends on the location and the price of travel, accommodation and subsistence at the time. An example of student-contributed costs for a field trip outside London is approximately £25 per day for subsistence and £130 for accommodation per night. Students who do not own appropriate equipment such as walking boots might be able to hire them from our fieldwork partners for around £10 per day (subject to change). These costs are based on UCL expenses policy; however, student contribution costs may differ between field trips.

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

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

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 Risk and Disaster Reduction at graduate level
  • why you want to study Risk and Disaster Reduction at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic background meets the demands of this programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with this postgraduate certificate

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

Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction
Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction

irdr-education@ucl.ac.uk

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