Course overview

The MSc in Geological and Environmental Hazards is a well established course that has been running for more than a decade. The course covers topics including flooding, volcanic, earthquake, tsunami, landslides, debris flows, coastal erosion, ground dissolution and collapse. It is taught by internationally recognised experts with cross-disciplinary expertise in geological hazards, environmental sciences and applied geology. This course focuses on the physical processes that generate natural hazards through an advanced understanding of geological and environmental processes, field recognition and mapping of hazards, GIS and remote sensing techniques for mapping, quantitative hazard modelling and risk assessment techniques. It is crucial that any investigation of a natural hazard relies upon a firm understanding of the geological or environmental process if any hazard assessment and proposed remediation is to be meaningful.

Accreditation

This course has been accredited by the Geological Society of London. This scheme recognises those MSc programmes that offer advanced professional and scientific training and therefore provide an accelerated route for students to attain Chartered Status, such as Chartered Geologist (CGeol) and Chartered Scientist (CSci) on graduation.

Study options

The course is available as either full-time mode (12 months' duration) where teaching takes place over two days per week (Mondays and Tuesdays), or part-time mode (two years' duration) whereby teaching is timetabled over one day per week (Mondays in year one and then Tuesdays in year two). For more information on study options, please visit our postgraduate webpage or contact the Admissions Tutor.

About us

The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences has recently been rated very highly in the latest nationwide survey of research quality with the vast majority of research in the areas of earth and environmental science deemed to be of international standard, and nearly half the research judged as internationally excellent, including some world-leading research. Teaching in the School is underpinned by active research and consultancy, with many staff members collaborating with industrial and academic partners in the UK and overseas. This creates a unique and dynamic environment in which to learn about natural hazards.

Come and visit us

The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences holds regular postgraduate open days throughout the year. These provide an informal opportunity to see the range of University and department facilities and give you a chance to discuss the course with members of academic staff. For further information or to book a place on an upcoming open day, please visit our School postgraduate webpage. If you are unable to attend an organised open day, but would still like to visit the department, please contact us to arrange an individual visit.

Course content

Course structure

The course comprises of two parts: firstly, the taught component of the course that runs between September and April each year and comprises the lecture, workshop, practical and fieldwork elements of the course; this is then followed by a five-month independent research project (May to September), supported by individual tutorials and research training sessions. The main course themes are summarised as follows:

• Natural hazard processes form the backbone of the course and provide students with advanced knowledge of a broad range of geological and environmental hazards, including floods, landslides, collapsible ground, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hydro-meteorological and anthropogenic hazards. External speakers are used to provide insights and expertise from an industry, regulatory and research perspective.

• Numerical hazard modelling and simulation forms an important part of the course, whereby students are trained in the application of computer models to the simulation of a range of geological and environmental hazards. The course involves the development of skills in computer programming languages and use of these to develop numerical models that are then used to simulate different natural hazard scenarios.

• Catastrophe modelling involves the application of natural hazard modelling to better understand the insurance sector exposure to a range of geological and environmental hazards. The course includes external speakers and sessions on the application of models for this type of catastrophe modelling.

• Volcanology and seismology provides in-depth knowledge of the nature of volcanism and associated hazards and seismology, associated seismo-tectonics and earthquake hazards. The course is underpinned by a residential field course in the Mediterranean region that examines the field expression of volcanic, seismic and other natural hazards.

• Flooding and hydrological hazards are a significant global problem that affect urban environments, one that is likely to increase with climate change. The course provides an in-depth background to these hazards and opportunities to simulate flooding in order to model the flood hazard and calculate the risk.

• Hazard and risk assessment are employed once a hazard has been identified and its likely impact needs to be measured. The course provides advanced training in the application of qualitative and quantitative approaches to hazard and risk assessment and their use in the study of different natural hazards.

• Field reconnaissance and geomorphological mapping techniques are integral to the course and an essential skill for any graduate wishing to work in this area of natural hazard assessment. The course provides fieldwork training in hazard recognition using techniques such as geomorphological mapping and walk over surveys combined with interpretation of remote sensing and aerial photography imagery.

• Spatial analysis and remote sensing are key tools for hazard specialists. The course provides training in the acquisition and interpretation of aerial photography and satellite imagery, and the integration and analysis of spatial datasets using GIS.

• Geo-mechanical behaviour of Earth materials is crucial to the investigation of many geological hazards. The course provides training in the geotechnical testing and description of soils and rocks to the British and international standards used by industry.

• Landslides and slope instability are an important hazard to all types of development and this course includes a dedicated unit that provides an advanced understanding of landslide systems, types of slides in soils and rocks and methods for identification and numerical analysis.

• Impacts and remediation of natural hazards are a growing area of study, including the impact of hazardous events on society and the environment and potential mitigation and remediation methods that can be employed.

• Independent research project provides an opportunity to undertake an original piece of research to academic or industrial standards, typically in collaboration with research staff in the department or external industry partners. In addition to submission of a thesis report, students also present the results of their projects at the annual postgraduate conference held at the end of September.

The course is vocational and designed to provide students with the necessary transferable skills for direct entry into employment. These skills include field mapping, report writing, meeting deadlines, team working, presentation skills, advanced data modelling and communication.

Field courses

Field courses are an important component of all the MSc courses as they reinforce learning from lectures and practicals, and provide students with important observational and mapping skills for your independent research project. In addition, field skills are highly valued by employers and so the trips also provide students with transferable skills for entry into the geotechnical industry.

The field trips consist of a series of residential technique trips (typically two or three days in duration) undertaken in the UK. Field training undertaken includes soil and rock descriptions to current UK and EU standards, rock mass assessment, geomorphological mapping, landslide mapping and terrain evaluation. The course also includes local visits to sites of interest and a week-long overseas study tour to study field expression of active volcanic, landslide and seismic processes.

Your learning experience

You will be part of a large postgraduate community including MSc and PhD students in a vibrant and friendly department. You will be taught by experts, who have extensive industrial and consultancy experience and strong research portfolios, and you will have the opportunity to become involved in research within the department and to work with our industrial partners during your time at Portsmouth.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars and tutorials. Each unit includes hands-on practical sessions designed to give you the skills in laboratory, computer and field techniques; this in-class teaching is also supplemented by extensive use of web-based and library learning resources. The course also includes an extensive fieldwork programme designed to provide field mapping and data collection skills.

A personal tutor is assigned to each student and you will also have access to a specialist Academic Skills Unit (ASK) offering assistance on a wide range of issues, from essay writing to time management and referencing conventions. In addition, if English is not your first language, there are free courses available to help familiarise you with the use of English for academic purposes.

Studying and working abroad

Overseas trips form an integral part of the field course programme and involve field visits to study examples of flooding, volcanic, landslide and seismic hazards. There are also plenty of opportunities for students to undertake their research project abroad. Previous project destinations have included Costa Rica, Tenerife, North America, Caribbean, Canada, Italy and France. On graduation, there are significant employment opportunities abroad.

Career prospects

The course provides vocational skills that lead on to employment in the insurance industry, government agencies and specialist geoscience companies all tasked with identifying and dealing with natural hazards. Graduate destinations have included major re-insurance companies, geological and geotechnical consultancies, local government and government agencies.

Portsmouth has a long tradition of teaching applied geosciences and companies will often contact the School directly when looking for graduates. The School also provides support to students in finding employment through close industrial contacts, career events, recruitment fairs and individual advice. In addition, you will have access to the University’s careers and recruitment service while on the course and for five years after graduation.

If you are interested in further research, the course has strong research and analytical components, providing training for those students interested in pursuing further research at PhD level.

Facilities and features

You will have access to a designated postgraduate workroom, which is fitted with a suite of computers and free colour and black and white laser printing facilities. In addition, you will have access to industrial standard software including geotechnical applications (Oasys Suite), slope stability software (Rocscience Suite, SlopeW), Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and image processing software (ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine, ER Mapper, ENVI).

You will also have access to the University Library, which is open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time. It offers access to thousands of books, journals and other resources to help with study and research, and has a large IT area and group study rooms. No matter where you are, you will have easy access to the University's comprehensive online resources – as if you were on campus. Our online resources include thousands of ebooks (electronic versions of key textbooks) and academic and business journals.

In addition, you will have access to an extensive range of analytical facilities including:

• Rock and soil testing in a newly refurbished geotechnics facility including stress path cell equipment, ring shear tests, large shear box for soil testing, and triaxial test cell, Brazilian and uniaxial test rigs for rock testing.
• X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF) for high-precision qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis of rocks and soils.
• X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) for mineral identification including clays.
• Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) providing up to 300,000x magnification with energy-dispersive X-ray detector for sample analysis.
• Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICPMS) designed for sensitive elemental and isotopic analysis of geological and environmental samples.
• Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) elemental analysis equipment.
• Nutrient Autoanalyser for comprehensive nutrient analysis in waters and soils.
• Nuclear instrumentation including solid state gamma ray spectrometer, liquid scintillation counter, sodium iodide detectors and associated instrumentation.
• Field equipment including GPS mapping systems, geophysical instruments and in-situ soil and rock mass testing equipment.

All facilities are fully supported by dedicated technical support staff and are freely available to all postgraduate students.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for MSc Geological and Environmental Hazards are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES)
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 5550
Email: sci-pgrad@port.ac.uk