Course summary
Overview This course offers an exciting opportunity to learn about environmental and manmade hazards, vulnerability and risk, planning and logistics, disaster response and crisis management. You’ll develop your skills as a confident, professional emergency planner and responder, able to manage people and situations in the field. Uniquely to Portsmouth, students take part in SIMEX, the UK’s largest annual disaster response simulation exercise – for responders and agencies to practise and learn from disaster response. You'll graduate with the skills needed for a successful career in emergency planning and disaster management and response, either in the governmental or non-governmental sectors, anywhere in the world. You'll also get transferable skills in project planning, reporting, data analysis and communication, putting you in a strong position to pursue a career in other industries. Earth systems and environmental sciences at the University of Portsmouth is ranked 4th of all post-1992 universities for research quality in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. The School of Environment, Geography and Geosciences offers a limited number of scholarships for international postgraduate students. Eligibility This course accepts UK, EU, and international students. Course highlights
- Learn new skills including disaster risk reduction techniques and mapping using Geographical Information Systems (GIS), GPS and remote sensing technologies
- Be supported by expert staff and researchers who are active in the field, with extensive industrial and consultancy experience working for government agencies, businesses, the United Nations and NGOs
- Have the opportunity to complete a work placement with an emergency planning, crisis management or disaster response organisation and complete a personal project based on your work experience
- Take part in study visits and field training with UK emergency services, the military and NGOs
- Humanitarian agencies and NGOs
- Emergency management
- Emergency logistics and contingency planning
- Flood management
- Military-civilian emergency liaisons
- (Re)insurance and risk management
- Utility companies
- Civil defence
- Disaster relief
- Epidemiology
- Built environment lecturer
- Auditor
- Technical adviser
- Emergency planning and resilience officer
- Business resistence executive
- Catastrophe analyst
- Civil contingencies officer
- Emergency planning and resilience officer
- Policy and international engagement advisor
Modules
Full time Modules On this course, you'll study four core modules and one optional module. Core Disasters: Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk - 30 credits Disaster Management: Techniques and Study Visits - 30 credits Emergency Management and Planning - 30 credits Research Project - 60 credits Optional Crisis Management and Governance - 30 credits Humanitarian Action and Response - 30 credits Part-time Year 1 In the first year of this course, you'll study two core modules and one optional module. Core Disasters: Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk - 30 credits Disaster Management: Techniques and Study Visits - 30 credits Optional Crisis Management and Governance - 30 credits Humanitarian Action and Response - 30 credits Changes to course content We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, course content is revised and regularly reviewed. This may result in changes being made in order to reflect developments in research, learning from practice and changes in policy at both national and local levels.
Assessment method
You'll be assessed through:
- 3,000 word illustrated reports
- poster and oral presentations
- literature reviews and research proposals
- individual research project
- peer reviews
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree or equivalent, preferably with some relevant work experience in the emergency services or humanitarian sectors. Applicants with relevant professional experience and/or qualifications will also be considered.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0. |
| PTE Academic | 65 | An overall score of 65 with a minimum of 62 in each skill. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 91 | 91 with a minimum of 20 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 20 in Writing. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 176 with no component score less than 169. | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 176 with no component score less than 169. | |
| Trinity ISE | Trinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components. |
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £4700 | Year 1 |
| England | £4700 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £4700 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £4700 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £4700 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £4700 | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £4700 | Year 1 |
| International | £8950 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship.
Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice.
Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation.
For further fee information please see the corresponding University of Portsmouth course page or visit https://www.port.ac.uk/study/masters-and-postgraduate-taught/fees-and-funding
Provider information
University of Portsmouth
University House
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
PO1 2UP