Program Overview

Master of Science in Risk Analysis

The Master of Science in Risk Analysis is a 2-year program that provides students with advanced competence in analyzing, assessing, communicating, and managing risk. The program is designed to equip students with a solid understanding of risk science, independent of sector or specific application.

About the Programme

The world is characterized by rapid change, technological development, and growing demands for adaptation and sustainability. The master's program in Risk Analysis provides students with a general competence in risk science, covering central areas such as risk analysis and risk assessment, risk perception and risk communication, risk management, and policy and decision-making processes related to risk.

Specializations

The program offers two specializations:

• Risk Governance: This specialization provides insight into how risk can be understood, assessed, and managed across sectors and decision levels.
• Engineering and Technology: This specialization emphasizes a technical approach to risk assessment and risk management, covering topics such as methods and techniques for risk assessments, probability and statistics, reliability analysis, and technical safety.

Career Prospects

The program qualifies students for a wide range of positions in both the private and public sectors, including:

• Professional roles: risk analyst, advisor, consultant, quality manager, technical safety engineer, and project manager.
• Manager: The program provides managers with the competence to understand and use risk assessments, communicate risk, and manage risk through the development of appropriate policies and decision-making processes.
• Researcher: The program provides a solid foundation for pursuing a research education and contributing to the development of risk science.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the master's degree program in Risk Analysis, students shall have acquired the following learning outcomes:

• Knowledge: advanced knowledge within the academic field of risk science, related to concepts, theories, principles, approaches, methods, and models for understanding, assessing, characterizing, communicating, managing, and governing risk, safety, and security.
• Skills: ability to evaluate theories, principles, interpretations, methods, and models within risk analysis, develop and apply methods and models in risk analysis, and plan and conduct analyses of risk, safety, and security.
• General Competence: ability to analyze relevant professional, occupational, and research ethics issues, apply knowledge and skills to deal with questions related to risk analysis, and communicate about scientific issues, analyses, and conclusions within the field.

Study Plan and Courses

The program consists of compulsory courses, specialization courses, and electives. Compulsory courses include:

• Foundations of Risk Analysis and Risk Science
• Theories of Risk Perception and Risk Governance
• Risk Assessment, Economic Evaluation, and Decisions
• Risk Management, Communication, and Policy
• Master's Thesis in Risk Analysis

Academic Requirements

Admission requirements for the specializations:

• Risk Governance: a bachelor's degree within social sciences, natural sciences, psychology, pedagogy, social anthropology, law, geography, engineering, mathematics, statistics, biology, chemistry, physics, urban planning, and societal safety.
• Engineering and Technology: a bachelor's degree in engineering, technology, mathematics (including statistics), natural sciences, or equivalent, with at least 20 ECTS credits in mathematics/statistics/calculus.

Application and Admission

International and local applicants have different deadlines and application procedures. Admission to the program requires a minimum grade average comparable to a Norwegian C (according to ECTS Standards) in the bachelor's degree.

Student Life and Exchange

The program offers opportunities for student exchange during the 3rd semester, with recommended institutions including Lund University, Sweden, and Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Students can also participate in the student union fRisk.