MSc in Environmental Hazards and Risks Management
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
Request the earliest start date
TUITION FEES
EUR 5,500 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* the tuition fee may vary according to your nationality, namely if you are a national of an EU country or of a country outside the EU
Introduction
The M.Sc. provides skills in risk management, and more particularly in risk modeling, to better predict and manage environmental hazards and risks.
- Degree: Master of Science (MSc)
- FI (initial training)
- Duration: 2 years
- Location: Institut Méditerranéen du Risque de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable, Nice
- Language: English
The Mediterranean environment combines high population densities, rapid land cover change, and extreme climatic events in an IPCC global climate change hotspot. The region is subject to devastating floods and forest fires in addition to a wide range of ecological hazards. Proximity to the Alps and sea contributes to further exposing the population to geohazards, such as mass movements, earthquakes, and coastal flooding/tsunamis. Few areas in the world concentrate on as many environmental hazards and risks as southeast France, so it is an ideal context to learn about risk management.
In the Nice Côte d’Azur area, a multitude of field sites can be investigated to discover monitoring and mitigation strategies that are applicable throughout the world. In addition, there is a wide range of digital data available: high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery, Digital Elevation Models, raster and vector GIS databases describing land cover, building units, vegetation, stream networks… The context is therefore also propitious to modeling hazards and risks both spatially and temporally using GIS and remote sensing.
Globally, rapid urban expansion is exposing more people to a range of ecological and natural hazards and risks. Earthquakes, flooding, and other extreme events are affecting more people every year. Terrestrial and ecological habitats are under pressure from pollution and invasive species, and extreme events threaten natural and urban environments throughout the world. Land cover changes, particularly urban growth, can reinforce the negative impacts of climate change and contribute to transforming natural and human environments at unprecedented rates.
Adapted strategies can mitigate some of the impacts of global change. Urban and suburban planning integrates civil engineering and nature-based solutions and appropriate zoning, and the rapid treatment of high-resolution spatial data combined with risk modeling can improve warning systems and save lives. Beyond these strategies, free and open access services have been developed by Europe to support operational actors in risk management (International charter Space & Major disasters, Copernicus program, etc.), and these will be explored in the M.Sc.
Program Outcome
If you decide to join us you will:
- Learn from leading academics and private sector experts who bring their professional experience into the classroom.
- Gain teamwork and collaboration skills by working on projects in small teams with other students.
- Learn how to use innovative geospatial tools such as remote sensing and GIS software and programming languages such as Python and R to manipulate and extract information from geospatial data.
- Experience learning through field trips to practice your skills and better understand the reality on the ground.
Career Opportunities
Upon completion of the program, MSc Environmental Hazards and Risks Management graduates will have a comprehensive understanding of various risk management components, including planning, mitigation, monitoring, scenario modeling, and warning systems.
This program will equip you to work for national and international organizations such as environmental management agencies, urban planning agencies, consulting firms, and humanitarian organizations.
Possible roles include:
- Environmental Consultant
- Remote sensing engineer
- Risk management consultant
- GIS data manager for risk assessment and mitigation
- Federal/Municipal employee in risk management
You could also choose to pursue a PhD, either at the Université Côte d'Azur or at another university.
Curriculum
Our two-year program is organized in 4 semesters (30 ECTS credits each). It allows a gradual acquisition of skills, with the 1st semester dedicated to ensuring that students coming from a wide range of scientific disciplines have the theoretical and methodological fundamentals needed to address the risk modules.
Semester 2 includes a 3-month internship and semester 4 is dedicated to a 6-month internship. Internships can take place in France or abroad, depending on the student's preference.
Semester 1
Theoretical courses
- Risk management overview
- Principles of ecology
- Environmental chemistry
Methodological courses
- Geographic Information Systems
- Remote sensing
- Statistics
- Elements of Mathematics
Semester 2
Risk modules
- Earthquakes and Tsunamis
- Agricultural risks
- Land Use/Cover Change
Special topics
- Climate change
- Inorganic soil & water pollution
3-month internship
Semester 3
Risk modules
- Flooding
- Forest fires
- Ecological Issues
- Mass Movements
Special topics
- Crisis Management
- Business & Project management
- Introduction to Industrial Risks
Semester 4
6-month internship
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Gallery
Scholarships and Funding
IDEX Scholarships for International MSc Programs
Each year Université Côte d'Azur awards 10 Idex scholarships to the best MSc candidates. The recipients of these grants of excellence will be exempt from tuition fees and will receive a stipend of €5,000.
To be eligible, students will have to apply to one of Université Côte d'Azur's international programs listed below:
- European Masters Molecular Pathology
- MSc Biobanks and complex data management
- MSc Data science and artificial intelligence
- MSc Biocontrol solution for plant health
- MSc Modeling of neuronal and cognitive systems
- MSc Environmental hazards and risks management
- MSc Music scoring for visual media and sound design
- MSc Management of the flavor and fragrance industry
- MSc MARRES, ocean science, conservation and innovation (Science and Society)
- MSc SMART-EDTECH
France Excellence Europa Scholarship Program
International students from 26 European countries may be awarded the France Excellence Europa scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree at Université Côte d’Azur for a maximum period of 12 months (M2) and 24 months (M1).
EIFFEL Scholarship Program of Excellence
The Eiffel Scholarship program is a tool developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enable French higher education institutions to attract the best foreign students to graduate programs at the master's and doctoral levels.