MSc Safety, Risk and Reliability Engineering

Overview

Risk has become a key concept in modern society. Growing concern about the environment and a number of disasters have served to focus attention on the hazards and risks involved in a wide range of activities from offshore oil production to rail and air transport from the design of football stadiums to the operation of chemical plants and environmental protection.

Today there is a wide range of techniques available to assess risk and reliability, both in relation to safety and in the wider sense. These techniques now underpin new legislation on safety and have relevance over a broad spectrum of activities, including environmental and other systems, where risk and reliability are key concerns.

The MSc/PG Diploma course in Safety, Risk and Reliability Engineering is designed to give a thorough understanding of these techniques and experience of their application to a variety of real-world problems. It aims to provide students with an understanding of safety, risk and reliability engineering in both a qualitative and quantitative manner, and to develop the skills to apply this understanding. The course will also introduce students to recent developments in analytical techniques, e.g. computer modelling of risk, reliability and safety problems.

If you are interested in our courses you can join our Linked In group Safety Courses at Heriot-Watt where you can link up with other applicants, current and previous students and potential employers. Applying to join needs approval from the group owner which may take a week or two.

Online learning

This course can be studied via Online Learning, ideal for those in employment or with other commitments, providing flexible study options that fit around work or family. View our How online learning works pages to find out more. It can also be studied on-campus full-time or part-time.

Degree duration
Online Learning: 2½ - 8 years. Most students intend to complete their studies via Online Learning within 2-3 years.

Graduate profiles

Visit our Graduate Profiles page to learn what some of our graduates said about their experiences studying Safety, Risk and Reliability Engineering at Heriot-Watt University.

Applicants to the MSc programme will normally have a good undergraduate degree (minimum 2:2 honours or equivalent) in engineering or a relevant science discipline, or demonstrate equivalent academic ability based on industrial experience or membership of a professional institution.