Study risk analysis and management flexibly, 100% online.

Join us online to develop your skills in risk analysis and risk management across industry sectors.

In this Masters-level online short course, you’ll learn to minimise risks in industrial settings through a better understanding of risk assessment tools, legal frameworks, and safety management systems.

With guidance from experienced engineers, academics, and industry professionals, you’ll learn to:

  • perform risk analysis in industrial settings
  • apply a range of safety assessment tools, including quantitative risk analysis (QRA)
  • develop and implement safety management systems
  • contribute to safety design processes
  • analyse industry accidents
  • assess legislative requirements for safety cases, and
  • implement risk mitigation strategies.

Who can join this risk analysis and management course?

This online course is designed for professionals and graduates in safety and reliability engineering, process safety, oil and gas engineering, and related fields.

Build credits towards a Masters degree

This online course is part of:

You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards any of these MSc qualifications.

What you’ll study

In this online course, you’ll study the components of good assessment and risk management.

You’ll cover topics including:

  • quantified risk assessments (QRA)
  • safety integrity levels (SIL)
  • HAZOP (Hazard and Operability)
  • HAZID (Hazard Identification)
  • safety management systems (SMS)
  • accident analysis, and
  • safety cases.

You’ll develop your understanding of risk assessment, the common tools used to carry out risk assessments, and the legal requirements involved.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to...

  • Apply QRA techniques to analyse risks and support decision making.
  • Use tools for risk identification and management.
  • Design and implement safety management systems.
  • Analyse industrial accidents critically.
  • Evaluate safety cases and legal requirements.

Choose the University of Aberdeen for risk analysis and management courses

Fits around full-time work

This course is designed to fit around work. With flexible hours and 24/7 study access.

You’re in expert hands

We’ve been training world-class engineers for over 100 years and delivering online learning for decades.

Over 525 years of excellence

Study with the fifth-oldest university in the English-speaking world, founded in 1495.

How you’ll study

Online learning

This distance-learning engineering risk analysis course is delivered flexibly, 100% online.

You can learn with us anywhere in the world, no student visa required, and manage your study hours to suit you.

Your teaching

This course is taught at Masters level.

Teaching is delivered through MyAberdeen, our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It holds all the materials, tools and support you’ll need in your studies. Take a look around MyAberdeen.

You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of resources available, including:

  • video lectures
  • live online tutorials
  • slide shows
  • quizzes
  • reading materials
  • discussion boards with your tutors and peers
  • the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library.

Live online tutorials

This course features eight live online tutorials. Live attendance to these is optional but encouraged. The tutorials will recorded for you to view at your convenience.

Your tutors

This Masters-level short course is delivered by our School of Engineering.

You’ll learn from experienced academics and researchers, engineers, and industry professionals.

You’ll be assessed online for this course.

Assessment will take place throughout the term via:

  • your coursework (worth 40% of your final course grade), and
  • a final online exam (worth 60%).

The course totals approximately 150 hours of study and assessment time. That’s around 10 – 15 hours per week.

This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes. This includes time for independent study, as well as teaching and assessments.

You can largely set your own study hours each week to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study when it suits you.

Live online tutorials

This course features live online tutorials.

These are scheduled to last for around one hour. Tutorials will be recorded so that you can view them anytime if you are unable to attend live.

Tutorial times will be organised at the start of the course. Your course coordinator will consider everyone’s circumstances and time zones before setting up tutorial times.

Activities at fixed times

You’ll have live online tutorials at fixed times, plus assessments with deadlines. But otherwise, you can access and work through your course at your convenience.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your coordinator via email, MyAberdeen and Microsoft Teams. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.

We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

Your teaching team

Dr Henry Tan

Dr Henry Tan

Henry is a Senior Lecturer in our School of Engineering and will be your course coordinator.

He works in safety science, corrosion, and material failure.

Henry collaborates with industry, including BP and DNV, on using multidisciplinary digital twin technology for safety-critical systems in the energy transition.

View Henry’s profile
Dr Srinivas Sriramula

Dr Srinivas Sriramula

Srinivas is a Reader in our School of Engineering.

His research interests include safety engineering, structural mechanics, composite materials, energy engineering, and risk management.

View Srinivas’ profile

Where this will take you

Towards a Masters

You’ll earn 15 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards our online:

Accredited Masters in Process Safety

Become a qualified process safety engineer, ready to work in any chemical processing sector. Join an IChemE-accredited online degree you can fit around full-time work.

View MSc Process Safety

Accredited Masters in Safety and Reliability Engineering

Become a world-class safety engineer, wherever you’re based, with this accredited online MSc. Train online with internationally experienced safety engineers and learn direct from industry.

View MSc Safety and Reliability Engineering

Masters in Advanced Chemical Engineering

Develop your knowledge and qualifications in chemical engineering, design and practice, with an emphasis on safety and sustainability. Study flexibly online in this degree that fits around full-time work.

View MSc Advanced Chemical Engineering

Build your learning

We offer a range of specialist online Engineering and technology courses you can use to build your skills.

Many carry credits you can build up into postgraduate qualifications, including Masters degrees:

Careers

This course is designed to help you progress within roles in:

  • risk management
  • safety engineering, and
  • process safety.

You’ll be able to apply the skills and knowledge you’ll gain across industries, including energy, oil and gas, and manufacturing.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for CPD hours. Talk to your employer or institute to find out more.

Free career support

Access our free careers service while you study.

  • 1:1 appointments
  • CV checks
  • Interview prep
  • Job opportunities

See how our careers service can help you.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world.

This course has no formal entry requirements. You do not need to provide proof of your qualifications.

But you do need to check the entry guidance above to understand the level of teaching delivered, to decide if this course is right for you.

If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check the equivalent teaching level for your country.

Visa requirements

You do not need a student visa to study online with us.

English language requirements

Teaching is delivered in English.

You do not have to provide proof of your English language skills to join this course. But we want to make sure that you can use English well enough to study successfully.

Recommended level of English

For this course, we recommend the following level of English language proficiency.

These are our Postgraduate Standard requirements, and these are minimum scores.

IELTS Academic, IELTS UKVI Academic, and IELTS Online (not IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training)

  • 6.5 overall
  • 5.5 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 6.0 for writing

TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition

  • 90 overall
  • 17 for listening
  • 18 for reading
  • 20 for speaking
  • 21 for writing
  • TOEFL DI code is 0818

Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency

  • 176 overall
  • 162 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 169 for writing

LanguageCert Academic/LanguageCert Academic SELT

  • 70 overall
  • 60 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 65 for writing

LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator (Written and Spoken) – Online / In-centre

  • Overall High Pass
  • 33 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 38 for writing

Oxford ELLT Digital – English Language Level Test Online

  • 7.0 overall
  • 5.0 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 6.0 for writing

PTE Academic (online test not accepted)

  • 62 overall
  • 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

Duolingo tests taken from 1 July 2024 onward

  • 120 overall
  • 95 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 105 for writing

University of Aberdeen English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE)

  • Pass
  • Valid for one year. Refresher can be offered if out of date

Pre-sessional academic English preparation programmes undertaken at other UK universities

  • Pass at an equivalent of 6.5 (C1)
  • B2 in all four skills
  • Certification must be within one year prior to the start of your course

For full information about language requirements, see our English Language Requirements page.

You will need access to:

A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either:

  • Windows 10 or later
  • macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.

Most teaching materials are smartphone- and tablet-friendly. But we recommend a proper laptop or desktop for completing assignments comfortably.

Reliable internet access

We recommend:

  • a wired connection
  • a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps so you can take part fully in live sessions.

Speakers or headphones

  • We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
  • A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one for some interactive sessions.

Software

We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.

If your course requires specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.

See our detailed IT requirements for more information.

When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.

But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.

Your most important commitment will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.

Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your studies each week:

  • Be realistic
  • Create a weekly schedule as a guide

If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.

Fee payment

Your course fee needs to be paid in full before you start your course.

We accept payment via Visa Debit, Visa Credit and Mastercard.

Ways to save

You may be able to get help funding this course via:

  • discounts – if any discounts are available for this course, they’ll appear in the section below
  • employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors.

Find out more about funding options.

Student card

All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.

This course has no formal entry requirements. You decide if it’s suitable for you.

The course is delivered at Masters level. At this level, you’d usually have at least:

  • a 2:2 UK honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, or
  • relevant professional experience that supports this level of learning.

Prerequisite knowledge

You are also expected to have a foundational understanding of safety and risk management principles. This includes:

  • risk identification techniques, such as fault tree analysis (FTA), event tree analysis (ETA), and hazard identification (HAZID)
  • an understanding of risk calculation, specifically the ability to assess risk by evaluating the likelihood of occurrences and their potential impact, using qualitative and quantitative methods like Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA)
  • knowledge of the ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) principle, reliability theory, and safety management systems.

While previous safety and risk management coursework is beneficial, you may have demonstrated competence in these areas through alternative qualifications or through relevant industry experience.

If you do not have the recommended prerequisite knowledge, we will provide preparatory materials or an optional introductory module. This could include self-study packs or online sessions covering essential topics such as risk identification methods, basic reliability theory, and the ALARP principle.

If required, time spent on these will be in addition to the total course study hours stated above.

Apply for this course

Start date
26 January 2026
Cost
£1,355
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