Flood and Coastal Risk Management PgCert - 2019 Entry

Course Overview

As the UK recovers from the impact of flooding and coastal storms, following the wettest winter in almost 250 years, the importance of understanding and managing risks to our environment in the face of increased frequency of extreme weather and climate change is becoming recognised. This unique course provides flexible and accessible postgraduate training which is focused on the practical application of skills and best practice industry standard techniques in the context of the latest legislation, guidance and policy.

You will benefit from industry leading technical expertise as the course is delivered in partnership with JBA Consulting, a specialist water environment and flood risk management consultancy.

Course Structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Core

• Lake Ecology

  Students will be given an introduction to the foundations of lake ecology, an area with an acknowledged national lack of expertise. The module presents a holistic approach to the drivers and internal interactions that control water quality in lakes.

  Those who take this module will be taught basic ecological principles, which will be elucidated using lake ecology. They will also be introduced to the various applications of state-of-the-art techniques and provided with essential background information for dealing with regulation such as the Water Framework Directive.

  This module also includes a field trip and practicals that will give students experience of working with the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in a management/policy context. Modelling to predict impact of management measures is also an important aspect of the module, and an appreciation of its principles and uses when it comes to lakes and catchment will be encouraged.

  Students will come to understand the state-of-the-art tools and approaches needed to study and manage lakes as used in industry, government and science.

  Please note, this is a core module for the Water pathway.

• River Hydraulics: Processes, Structures and Modelling

  Students will be provided with a solid foundation in key hydraulic processes, the impact of structures and an overview of the generic types of river model during this module. This includes how to select the most appropriate model for a particular application for flood risk management e.g. flood warning, flood risk mapping for spatial and emergency planning, broad scale screening studies, detailed feasibility and design of flood mitigation measures.

  In addition to this, commercially available 1D, 2D and integrated models will be available to use during the module. Students will critically evaluate these commercially available models and select the best model for a specific application. This involves learning to identify and quantify where uncertainty exists in data and modelling, and how it should be dealt with.

  Students will benefit from the availability of a mobile hydraulic flume. It is owned by the JBA Trust for educational purposes and will be used to demonstrate hydraulic principles relating to good river weir and culvert design.

  With this knowledge gained from these tools, students will be able to apply industry standard flood estimation and modelling techniques to solve real problems in the context of flood risk management and the latest legislation and policy.

• Coastal Erosion and Flood Risk Management

  Students will learn about the processes that lead to coastal erosion and flood risk, including tides, storm surges and waves. They will be introduced to estimation and computational techniques used to calculate extreme sea level and wave heights and for the production of tidal graphs for flood inundation modelling.

  It will be delivered in the context of applying these technical approaches and concepts to decision making faced by coastal asset owners, planners, developers, etc. and will also introduce the concepts of predicting climate change impacts, the principles of adaptation, resilience and uncertainty, and how to incorporate these into flood risk management.

  Students will gain an understanding of different types of numerical and physical models available for coastal flood modelling (e.g. empirical, 2D or 3D grid-based, offshore circulation, wave transformation), their strengths and weaknesses and how to deal with uncertainty.

  Students will also gain skills in how to assess, quantify and mitigate the risks to coastal assets, people and the environment. In addition, this module encourages comprehension and assessment of coastal processes reports, wave overtopping studies and coastal flooding studies.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research.

Key Information

Director of Studies: Dr Nick Chappell

Duration: 2 – 3 years, part-time

Entry requirements: We recognise prior learning and experience, and you don’t necessarily need a degree to apply

Assessment: Coursework

Funding: All applicants should consult www.lancs.ac.uk/pgfunding/

Fees

Fees

The University will not increase the Tuition Fee you are charged during the course of an academic year.

If you are studying on a programme of more than one year's duration, the tuition fees for subsequent years of your programme are likely to increase each year. The way in which continuing students' fee rates are determined varies according to an individual's 'fee status' as set out on our fees webpages.

What are tuition fees for?

Studying at a UK University means that you need to pay an annual fee for your tuition, which covers the costs associated with teaching, examinations, assessment and graduation.

The fee that you will be charged depends on whether you are considered to be a UK, EU or overseas student. Visiting students will be charged a pro-rata fee for periods of study less than a year.

Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12 month session, which usually runs from October to September the following year.

How does Lancaster set overseas tuition fees?

Overseas fees, alongside all other sources of income, allow the University to maintain its abilities across the range of activities and services. Each year the University's Finance Committee consider recommendations for increases to fees proposed for all categories of student and this takes into account a range of factors including projected cost inflation for the University, comparisons against other high-quality institutions and external financial factors such as projected exchange rate movements.

What support is available towards tuition fees?

Lancaster University's priority is to support every student in making the most of their education. Many of our students each year will be entitled to bursaries or scholarships to help with the cost of fees and/or living expenses. You can find out more about financial support, studentships, and awards for postgraduate study on our website.

Related Courses

Related Courses

• Biological Science : MPhil/PhD
• Conservation and Biodiversity : MSc
• Ecology : MSc by Research
• Environment and Development : MA
• Environment and Development : MSc
• Environment and Law : LLM
• Environment, Culture and Society : MA
• Environmental Management : MSc
• Environmental Science : PhD
• Environmental Science (by research) : MSc (research)
• Flood and Coastal Risk Management : MSc
• Flood and Coastal Risk Management : PgDip
• Food Challenges for the 21st Century : PgCert
• Food Security (Distance Learning) : MSc
• Food Security (Distance Learning) : PgDip
• Geography : MPhil/PhD
• Human Rights and the Environment : LLM/MA
• Plant Sciences (by research) : MSc (research)
• Sustainable Water Management : MSc
• Volcanology and Geological Hazards : MSc