MSc Environmental Hazards and Risk at Durham University

Join us on this dedicated MSc to explore the impact of natural events and analyse the risk they pose to environments and societies around the world. Our MSc in Environmental Hazards and Risks explores the causes and devastating impacts of natural events, including earthquakes, floods, drought, heatwaves, landslides and climate change and the threat they pose to environments and populations around the world. Taking a natural sciences approach, you will develop an in-depth knowledge of these global environmental hazards, and consider the extent of their physical and social impact on society, the consequences for social vulnerability and for resilience.

Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences  |  Department: Geography  |  Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time  |  Study mode: full-time (part-time option)  |  Intake: September 2027  |  Location: Durham, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

Offered over a year full-time or two years part-time, you will study modules that cover the understanding, managing and preventing of risk, understanding the spatial and temporal dimensions of hazards, as well as learning about the theories and concepts related to risk communication. There is also a module dedicated to current research in the fast-growing field of risk. Compulsory modules include Understanding Risk, Risk Frontiers, Environmental Data Science, Anticipating Future Environments, Climate and Environmental Change Past and Present, Knowledge for Action and Leadership.

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