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Masters programme in Geophysical Hazards
A full/part-time masters course which started in September 2003. Applications for the 2008 year are now being considered.
The course may be taken full-time in one calendar year, or part-time in two years. The courses will be particularly attractive to those seeking or advancing a career in hazard or risk science - including hazard and risk management, environmental monitoring, emergency planning, and catastrophe-related finance - and to academics and professionals considering a career move into the hazard and risk science field.
The course will provide introductions to geohazards, research methods and field techniques, as well as advanced courses in seismology, volcanology, hydrogeological hazards (including landslides) and meteorology. A key goal is to provide an essential grounding in quantitative modelling that can be widely applied to several fields, from pure research to the commercial sector.
Applications from the European Union and other countries are encouraged. Fifteen places are available on each intake.
Introduction
Programme Topics
Entrance Requirements
Fees and Grants
How to Apply
Facilities
Living in London
About UCL
About the Department of Earth Sciences
About the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre
Provisional Course Structure
Further Enquiries
Introduction
Every year, natural disasters affect one in thirty people on Earth. Whether developing or industrialised, all nations are at risk, and the field of natural hazards is today one of the fastest-growing areas of research in the Earth and Climate Sciences. The MSc programme in Geophysical Hazards will provide essential training for careers in hazard assessment and risk evaluation, including:• Industry, from engineering to insurance«back to top«
• Civil protection agencies
• Government organisations and NGOs related to aid and development
• Academic research
Programme topics
The MSc Programme introduces the spectrum of geophysical hazards and their impact, before focusing on quantitative models for hazard forecasting and assessment. Selected case studies will illustrate how the models are essential for improving decision making during emergencies, for raising the awareness of vulnerable populations, and for evaluating and implementing mitigation strategies, from evacuation to engineering solutions. Among the Programme's topics are:• EarthquakesDetails on the provisional course structure are appended below.
• Floods
• Impacts
• Landslides
• Storms and Hurricanes
• Tsunami
• Volcanic Eruptions
• Space Weather
• Climate Change
• Hazard Forecasting
• Hazard Evaluation and Mitigation
• Hazard Monitoring
The Programme will consist of six months of taught courses, followed by six months of independent research leading to a Master's dissertation. There will be excellent opportunities for optional field investigations in the UK and abroad. Subject to fieldwork constraints, the programme is suitable for students with disabilities. The Programme may be completed full-time in one calendar year, or part-time in two years.
Lectures will be given by UCL staff from the Departments of Earth Sciences and of Space and Climate Physics. Guest lectures will also be delivered by practitioners from Industry.
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Entrance Requirements
Normally a first or upper second-class degree. Where the qualifications are of a lower standard a student may be admitted if evidence of an adequate academic background and experience in an appropriate field can be shown. Degree topics are likely to have been in Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Science, Physical Geography or subjects closely related to any of these.English Language Proficiency
If your first language is not English, please refer to http://www.ucl.ac.uk/admission/pg/english.html for full information on the UCL regulations concerning English Language Proficiency.
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Fees and Grants
GEOPHYSICAL HAZARDS M.Sc. 2006-07
EU/UK Full time £5,460
EU/UK Part time £2,705
OVERSEAS Full time £15,600
OVERSEAS Part time £7,800
UCL offers a selection of grants for supporting postgraduate studies. For further information see:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/admission/scholarships/pg/index.html, or contact:
Entrance Scholarships Office,
Registrar's Division,
UCL,
Gower St,
London, WC1E 6BT, UK
Applications for grants must be received no later than 1st May.
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How to Apply
Application forms and procedures can be obtained from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prosp-students/gradprospectus/maps/earthsci/taught/, by clicking on the button 'How to Apply' and following the instructions, or by writing to:
The Friends' Room,
Registrar's Division,
UCL,
Gower Street,
London WC1E 6BT, UK
Applications are expected normally before 1st August, although later applications may exceptionally be considered. Note that, if you are applying for one of the the UCL grants above, applications for the course must also be received no later than 1st May.
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Facilities
Programme members will have access to an excellent suite of facilities, including:• Purpose-designed computer cluster rooms«back to top«
• Geographical Information Systems
• Libraries at UCL and elsewhere in London, including the British Library, Science Reference Library
• High quality electron and optical microscopes and image analysers
Living in London
For information on University accommodation and student life in London, see:http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students.
About UCL
University College London was founded in 1826 as the original University of London. It was the first English university to welcome all people – regardless of their class, race, religion or sex – dramatically expanding access to higher education. The university’s teaching, research and community continue to be inspired by this radical tradition: the refusal to let convention inhibit progress.UCL has an international reputation for the quality of its teaching and research, attracting students from all parts of the United Kingdom and from another 144 countries. It is one of the few universities in the UK to have a centralised Graduate School, covering 6,151 graduate students in 72 academic departments. The school provides intellectual support and social contact for students across the disciplines, while managing a programme of skills development, research funding and scholarships. Applying to UCL will provide the chance to study in a great cosmopolitan university in the centre of one of the world's most exciting and vibrant cities.
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About the Department of Earth Sciences
Founded in 1841, UCL Earth Sciences is one of the oldest geology departments in the UK (http://www.earthsciences.ucl.ac.uk/department/history.htm). In recent years it has expanded greatly and was rated as excellent in the 1995 HEFCE teaching quality assessment, and designated a level 5 department in the HEFCE 2001 research exercise. The Department has 26 established academic staff and 15 support staff posts. At graduate and research level the Department is now linked with that of Birkbeck College, to form the Research School of Earth Sciences at UCL-Birkbeck, one of the country's largest centres in geological sciences. Key research areas include:• Physical Geology of the Earth and PlanetsFor more information about the Department, see:
• The History of the Earth’s Oceans, Surface Processes, and Biosphere
• The Global Environment and Natural Hazards
• Physics of Earth and Planetary Materials
http://www.earthsciences.ucl.ac.uk.
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About the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre
The Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre (formerly the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre) is the largest academic centre in Europe that specialises in a broad range of natural hazard research, consultancy and field operations. The Centre was established in 1997 as part of UCL's Department of Earth Sciences.For the latest information on the Hazard Centre's activities and publications, see www.benfieldhrc.org.
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Current Course Structure
All courses are mandatoryTopics for components will include:
Foundation
• Geological HazardsThese components will describe the nature of the hazards, their impact on life and the economy, as well as potential mitigating solutions. They will provide essential information for the advanced topics.· Earth and Atmospheric Processes• Meteorological Hazards
· Geological Hazards
· Earthquakes
· Volcanic Eruptions
· Landslides
· Tsunami
· External hazards: meteors and comets
· Hurricanes, cyclones and tempests
· Storms
· Tornadoes
· Floods
· Space Weather
· Climate Change
• Research methodsThis component will introduce key concepts in quantitative data evaluation and presentation.
· Presentation of data
· Principles of quantitative modelling
· Field techniques and hazard mapping
· Remote sensing data
· Geographical Information Systems
Advanced
• Seismological HazardsThese components will evaluate quantitative models for forecasting and assessing hazards, and for evaluating their impact on life and the economy. Through selected case studies, they will also provide a basis for using geophysical models to improve (1) decision making in, for example, medium-term land planning and short-term emergencies, (2) raising the awareness of vulnerable populations, and (3) evaluating mitigation strategies, from evacuation to engineering solutions.
· Earthquake mechanics and energy• Volcanological Hazards
· Earthquake statistics and prediction
· Fracture mechanics
· Seismic waves and rays
· Case studies
· Dynamics of explosive eruptions• Meteorological and Hydrogeological Hazards
· Dynamics of effusive eruptions
· Monitoring techniques
· Forecasting eruptions
· Case studies
· Weather dynamics
· Forecasting storms and hurricanes
· Flood dynamics
· Forecasting floods
· Groundwater dynamics
· Landslide dynamics
· Forecasting slope failure
· Case studies
Independent Research Project, Report and Oral Presentation
This component will develop research skills in designing, implementing and presenting the results from an independent research project.
Course-related text books
Alexander, D (1993) Natural Disasters. Chapman and Hall.
Adams, J (1995) Risk. UCL Press.
Barlow, RJ (1989) Statistics. John Wiley.
Barry, RG, Chorley, RJ (1998) Atmosphere, weather and climate. Routledge.
Bolt, BA (1993) Earthquakes. Freeman.
Francis, P (1993) Volcanoes. A planetary perspective. Oxford.
Gordon, JE (1978) Structures or why things don't fall down. Penguin.
Hoek, E, Bray, JW (1981) Rock slope engineering. IMM & Spon.
Massey, BS (1983) Mechanics of fluids.Van Nostrand Reinhold.
McGuire, WJ, Kilburn, CRJ, Mason, IM (2002) Natural hazards and environmental change. Arnold.
McGuire, WJ, Kilburn, CRJ, Murray, JB (1995) Monitoring active volcanoes, UCL Press.
Middleton, GV, Wilcock, PR (1994) Mechanics in the Earth and environmental sciences. Cambridge.
Scholz, CH (1990) The mechanics of earthquakes and faulting. Cambridge.
Selby, MJ (1993) Hillslope materials and processes. Oxford.
Turcotte, DL (1997). Fractals and chaos in geology and geophysics. Cambridge.
Turner AK, Schuster RL, Eds (1996) Landslides. Investigation and mitigation. TRB Special Report 247. National Research Council. National Academy of Sciences.
Vita-Finzi, C (2003) Monitoring the Earth: physical geology in action. Terra.
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Further Enquiries
For more information on the MSc in Geophysical Hazards, contact us on:Telephone: +44 (0)20 7679 7194
Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 2390
Email: c.kilburn@ucl.ac.uk
Download print version (pdf 126kb)
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