Natural Hazards for Insurers

Climate change, increasing urbanisation and mounting exposure to natural hazards are imposing growing pressure on insurers and reinsurers to seek ways of limiting exposure. This programme offers students a better understanding of natural hazards and the means by which their impacts on the market can be mitigated or avoided.

Strong emphasis is placed on developing an improved understanding of natural hazards – the nature of available data, the conclusions we can draw from them, limitations and relevant cutting-edge research. Content focuses on hazards of most interest to the market, most notably windstorm, flood and earthquake, but also addresses geotechnical issues such as contaminated land and energy resource issues.

Students undertake modules to the value of 60 credits.

The programme consists of two core modules (40 credits) and an individual research project (20 credits).

Core modules

• Geological and Geotechnical Hazards
• Meteorological Hazards

Dissertation/report

All students undertake an independent project, which culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation and an oral presentation.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through lectures, seminars, discussions, directed reading, and problem-solving exercises. Student performance is assessed through a combination of examination and coursework in the form of essays, reports and exercises. The independent project is assessed through a 10,000-word report and an oral presentation.

A minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or three years' appropriate experience in the financial services sector.