Gain skills in risk analysis in this flexible risk and reliability engineering course.
- Study the key concepts in risk and reliability modelling, including uncertainty quantification and probability theory.
- Explore risk assessment principles and train in a range of risk assessment techniques.
- Learn online, part-time and develop focused skills as a graduate engineer or industry professional.
This distance-learning short course fits around full-time work and is a core part of many of our Engineering Masters degrees.
Build credits towards a Masters degree
This online course is part of:
- MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering
- MSc Advanced Structural Engineering
- MSc Decommissioning
- MSc Offshore Engineering
- MSc Subsea Engineering
You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards any of these MSc qualifications.
What you’ll study
You’ll study three main topic areas.
An introduction to general risk assessment principles
- Here you’ll focus on a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques.
- You’ll train in the application of probabilistic modelling schemes.
Reliability computations
- You’ll focus on reliability computations based on the ‘physics of failure’ approach.
- You’ll explore problem formulation and the use of structural reliability methods, including first-order reliability method (FORM) and Monte Carlo simulations.
An introduction to safety management
- This final part of the course looks at safety management systems and human reliability.
Across the course, you’ll also cover:
- revision of elementary risk and reliability concepts
- engineering quantities as random variables
- risk assessment techniques
- structural reliability – background and applications.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to...
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Explain the significance of technical safety principles.
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Describe a range of risk assessment schemes.
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Analyse problems in which many of the parameters are non-deterministic in nature.
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Formulate a range of reliability problems.
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Explain the types of uncertainty that affect the reliability of engineering systems and components, and the model these using appropriate probability distributions.
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Compute reliability using a variety of methods, including FORM and Monte Carlo simulation.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for risk and reliability engineering courses
Flexible
Flexible hours and 24/7 access, so you can study when it suits you.
Led by industry
Your course content is developed and reviewed by an Industry Advisory Board, so your training is always cutting edge and industry-relevant.
20% alumni discount
University of Aberdeen alumni get 20% off this online course.
How you’ll study
Online learning
This distance-learning 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:
- videos
- video lectures to stream
- quizzes
- reading materials
- discussion boards with your tutors and peers
- the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library.
Your tutors
This course is delivered by our School of Engineering.
You’ll learn from a team of internationally experienced engineers and academics from this School.
Industry input
Your course content is developed and reviewed by an Industry Advisory Board. This group of experienced professionals ensures your learning is always in line with the latest industry trends, technology and career opportunities.
You’ll be assessed online. Assessment will take place throughout the teaching term.
Types of assessment for this course may include:
- coursework
- online quizzes
- timed online open-book assessments.
Assessment deadlines
Your assessments will have submission deadlines, either during or at the end of the course. Your course coordinator will let you know when your assessment deadlines are, so you can plan your study time accordingly.
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.
Activities with deadlines
There will be some activities scheduled at fixed times, such as assessments with deadlines, or meetings with your tutor. But otherwise, you can access and work through the 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 tutors via MyAberdeen and email. 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:
- Careers and Employability Service – including one-to-one advice sessions
- Disability support
- IT support
- Library support
- Student Support Service – help with finances, stress, wellbeing and non-academic issues
- Student Learning Service – study support, with advice sessions available via phone or Skype
- Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) – run by students for students
- Toolkit – clever apps and free training that can make your study life easier
Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.
Your course coordinator
Dr. Dimitri Danulussi Alves Costa
Dimitri is a Research Fellow in our School of Engineering. He holds an MSc and PhD in Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Dimitri has worked with the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory where he participated in the development of beamlines for the 4th generation particle accelerator Sirius.
View Dimitri’s profileWhere 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:
Masters in Advanced Mechanical Engineering
Earn your MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering online. Study flexibly and build the advanced skills demanded by the world’s leading employers in the automotive, energy, defence, aerospace, and manufacturing sectors.
View MSc Advanced Mechanical EngineeringMasters in Advanced Structural Engineering
Prepare for a career in the aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors, as well as civil, structural, and construction, with our flexible online Masters degree.
View MSc Advanced Structural EngineeringAccredited Masters in Decommissioning
Join the world’s first and only accredited online Masters degree in decommissioning oil rigs, platforms and offshore structures.
View MSc DecommissioningAccredited Masters in Offshore Engineering
Join our accredited online MSc and gain the skills you need to work in a wide variety of roles in the offshore engineering sector, including marine renewables.
View MSc Offshore EngineeringAccredited Masters in Subsea Engineering
Become a subsea engineer with our accredited online MSc. Train in the fundamental skills and technical knowledge demanded by the subsea sector today.
View MSc Subsea EngineeringBuild 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
Completing this course will give you an advantage in technical safety-related careers.
Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). 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
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.
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.
Learning resources
Access to all the essential books and resources you need are included in your tuition fee. They’ll be made available to you online and you do not have to buy your own copies.
We also provide optional recommended reading lists. Many of these resources are available electronically through our library, although purchases may be required if you wish to read the full list.
Printing
You may want to set aside a small budget for printing, depending on how you like to work.
This course includes many of the same learning outcomes as our online short course in Safety and Risk Management. We recommend that you do not study this course alongside Safety and Risk Management.
This course has no formal entry requirements. You decide if it’s suitable for you.
The course is delivered at postgraduate Masters level. At this level of teaching, you’d usually have at least:
- a 2:1 UK honours degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Physics, or
- relevant professional experience that supports this level of study.
Mathematical skills
This course includes significant mathematical content. Please review our mathematical skills document, which we’ve prepared to give you an indication of the level of mathematics you’ll require.
Apply for this course