MSc Safety and Risk Management

Detailed degree guide

Understanding, Knowledge and Cognitive Skills

Demonstrate understanding of:

• qualitative risk assessment procedures widely used in current safety management and in the writing of safety cases
• project management and risk reduction for safety related scenarios
• why safety management systems fail, how to predict failures, and how decisions are taken based on those predictions
• how safety management can be applied across different industries
• how safety management links to other management systems such as environmental management
• the ability to anticipate failures of systems or in human behaviour, and how decisions are taken based on those predictions
• the scientific principles that underlie many hazardous situations
• the professional responsibilities of a safety manager

Scholarship, Enquiry and Research (Research Informed Learning)

Be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of technical advances in safety engineering
• show familiarity with a broad range of technical literature;
• plan, conduct and report a self-directed research project;
• use problem-solving skills in a variety of contexts;
• apply numerical and analytical skills and engineering knowledge in the analysis of safety related problems

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

The programme is based on eight fully written courses, which are either self-contained, or are based on structured study from a text book (a required text for the module). All students on this programme are studying primarily by distance learning. At masters level students are expected to take a large degree of responsibility for their own studies. Students rely on a practical study guide, detailed course texts (or a required text book), fully worked solutions, email, discussion groups, as well as discussion with staff, other students and more experienced work colleagues in most cases. Courses usually include objectives, theory, applications in the real world, worked examples, exercises, and review questions that usually form part of the formative assessment and feedback for the course. Some courses have a coursework component to address a deeper level of understanding of more complex and lengthy problems or where practical software applications are required.

Approaches to teaching and learning are continually reviewed and developed with the aim of matching them to the abilities and experiences of students, with regard also for the subject area. Industry feedback on course content is also used in the updating and improvement of all courses. Specific details about teaching and learning methods are provided in the appropriate course descriptors.

Assessment Policies

The programme uses a range of assessment types.

Coursework is used to develop problem solving skills, to demonstrate mastery of techniques taught as part of the course that would be too lengthy to undertake as exam questions or where software applications are required. Coursework also helps develop professional report writing skills with emphasis on correct report structure, writing style, resume, and referencing. All courses have some form of formative assessment that provide self, peer or staff feedback as required.

Examinations make up the majority of summative assessment as these are the best way to be certain of testing the capabilities of the individual student against the course aims

The final MSc dissertation allows students to demonstrate good research skills and a deeper level of critical thinking and analysis than can be assessed by exam.

Approaches to assessment are continually reviewed. Specific details about methods of assessment are provided in the appropriate course descriptors.