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Risk, Disaster and Resilience MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This programme meets the growing need for experts with multidisciplinary skills in analysing and solving complex risk and disaster resilience issues. Our students are equipped with evidence and tools to navigate uncertainty and enhance resilience, combining critical thinking, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and technical skills.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
£8,000
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£29,800
£14,900
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 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 an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. 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



Risk and disaster reduction are important priorities for institutions and organisations around the world. Public, private and third-sector organisations must navigate an increasingly uncertain environment to bolster resilience and protect future generations. Join this programme to learn about crises driven by natural hazards, technological and systems failures, and other causes which might include public health emergencies and violent conflict. 

Throughout this programme, you will learn about and explore the identification, management and reduction of risk, disasters, and their associated impacts. You will develop a broad range of perspectives including socio-economic, scientific, political, technical, environmental, ethical and cultural considerations. You will gain expertise in analysing complex challenges, enabling you to become a future leader who drives policy change and innovation.

Student-led research is central to this programme because to increase resilience to disasters, specialist knowledge gained through detailed studies is essential. Academic research can drive changes in practice and policy by enabling evidence-based theory to underpin risk management. Combining a multidisciplinary approach to risk and disaster reduction with a detailed research project in your topic of choice places you in a position to become a leader in this sector. You will gain expertise in research techniques and knowledge about current practices and problems in different sectors and disciplines.

Who this course is for

This programme is for the next generation of innovative, creative and objectively critical professionals in risk, disaster and resilience. This can include researchers,  practitioners and decision-makers. Our students could have a social science, physical science or humanities background, or relevant professional experience. The programme is suitable for those with qualitative or quantitative skillsets.

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

What this course will give you

Disaster risk is complex and multifaceted. During the Risk, Disaster and Resilience MSc, you will learn to understand what risk is, what its key social and environmental sources are, and how to manage it. You will learn about what makes a disaster, not just those involving natural events but also complex emergencies like conflict, humanitarian crises, and infrastructure and systems failures. Finally, you will learn about how we can build resilience in societies, governments and organisations to better manage disasters and prevent them from happening again.

Few competitor programmes offer a curriculum that ranges from the social causes of vulnerability to quantitative techniques for modelling catastrophes or sustaining business continuity in the face of crisis. This programme is intentionally broad, surveying many of the ways that people, nature and technological systems can shape crises and disasters.

Your learning environment is also a world-leading centre for research on risk, disaster and humanitarianism. 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 regularly collaborate with universities, international organisations, governments, NGOs and businesses, both in the UK and internationally. As a student with RDR, you will have the opportunity to learn from leading academics and industry specialists, including networking with potential future employers.

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

The foundation of your career

This programme provides excellent training towards careers in fields including:

  • Research
  • Public policy
  • Business continuity
  • (Re)insurance
  • Catastrophe modelling
  • Finance
  • Risk management
  • International development
  • Emergency planning and management
  • Emergency services
  • Consultancy
  • Humanitarian response

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. With a Risk, Disaster and Resilience MSc, you will have excellent academic credibility coupled with practical and analytical skills.

For more information, see our careers page.

Employability

The department provides dedicated careers support for students, including networking events often attended by insurance companies, catastrophe modelling firms, NGOs, academic institutions and recruiters in the field of risk and disaster reduction. 

Compulsory modules will equip you with employability skills including:

  • Advanced research skills, relevant to any career which involves gathering, using and communicating evidence
  • Teamwork skills, developed through group work
  • Social analysis skills and critical thinking
  • How to analyse and communicate quantitative data
  • Introductory coding skills
  • Survey design and hypothesis testing
  • How to develop and use emergency plans
  • Geographical Information Systems (GIS) analysis
  • Data processing and scientific communication

Further skills which you could develop through optional modules (subject to availability) might include:

  • How to assess and mitigate risk during fieldwork deployments relevant to crisis management and humanitarian response
  • How to ensure business continuity management and supply chain resilience
  • Catastrophe risk modelling
  • Digital techniques for public health

Networking

Staff in the department have extensive professional networks and can connect students with colleagues in the sector. The department offers a programme of events, which usually have a networking element, and students are encouraged both to attend and to organise their own. The dedicated departmental student society also offers networking opportunities for its members, which take advantage of London’s status as a global hub.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, independent study and practical problem-solving exercises. There is 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 could be by independent and group oral presentations, written examinations, coursework essays, and an independent project. Practical applications of critical and creative problem-solving will be encouraged and assessed throughout.

All students undertake an independent research project of 10,000-12,000 words that culminates in a dissertation and poster presentation. Projects could be field, theory or modelling-based and might be conducted in collaboration with external industry or NGO partners. The dissertation has a value of 60 credits.

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, with possible additional weekly sessions.

For full-time students, typical contact hours are around 12 hours per week. 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.

In terms one and two full-time students can typically expect between 10 and 12 contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, crits and tutorials. In term three and the summer period students will be completing their own research project, keeping regular contact with their supervisors.

A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, six compulsory modules and two optional modules, but no independent project), full-time nine months, part-time two years, is also offered.

A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, six compulsory modules and two optional modules, but no independent project), full-time nine months, part-time two years, is also offered.

Modules

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

It is expected that a full-time student will study all these modules over one academic year.

Part-time students must study between one and three compulsory modules in Year 1, and the remaining one or two in Year 2. Optional modules can be taken in either year. There is a recommended order in which to take modules and other requirements. Please contact the department if you would like to study this option and require more information.

This programme can be studied 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. For more information, including the recommended order in which to take modules, please contact the department.

Compulsory modules









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 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Risk, Disaster and Resilience. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Risk, Disaster and Resilience. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Risk, Disaster and Resilience.

Fieldwork

A selection of UK-based field trips and activities are available that are partly funded by the department. Previous field trip locations and themes have included the Thames Barrier and disaster management, a disaster scenario exercise with an NGO partner, and Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) for practical, field-based training in deployment skills. Field trips are subject to availability and may be subject to change.

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 Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000 £8,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £29,800 £14,900

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.

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, Disaster and Resilience at graduate level
  • why you want to study Risk, Disaster and Resilience 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

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

irdr-education@ucl.ac.uk

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