Environmental Science with Hazards and Disasters (with Professional Placement)

Reasons to choose Kingston

• Kingston is ranked in the top 5 in the country and top in London for Geography (Guardian League Table 2025).

• This course is accredited by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).

• The subject is brought to life through UK and overseas fieldwork at locations susceptible to hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and coastal flooding.

• The course is highly practical and you'll work alongside hazard practitioners in fields such as floods and volcanoes.

• There's the opportunity for a year's paid work placement. This will give you valuable experience and help prepare you for a career in an environmental or hazards-related role.

• Our careers team offers a programme of events and training sessions which will help you make the best of your career choices.

• 100% of students thought staff were good at explaining things and felt the course has developed the skills they need for the future (NSS 2023).

About this course
What are the causes of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods and landslides? How do we plan for them, lessen their impact and handle the emergencies that can result?

This course examines the physical science of natural hazards, the social factors that can contribute to disasters, emergency planning and disaster risk reduction (DRR). You'll gain expertise in a range of practical and field techniques through ‘real-world' exercises.

Guest speakers come from a variety of DRR organisations, provide first-hand learning opportunities and introduce you to potential career paths.

Future Skills
Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

Career opportunities
Graduates pursue careers in a variety of commercial, industrial and public sector organisations, such as local governments, INGOs, first responders (such as the police and fire service), civil defence, insurance companies and environmental consultants.

Example modules:
– Introducing Physical Geography and Environmental Hazards
– Disaster Risk Reduction
– The Challenge of Climate Change

To view the full list of modules, please visit the University course webpage.

Teaching includes lectures, seminars and tutorials, practical classes and integrated fieldwork study. We place an emphasis is on learning through experiences and there is field and practical work at all stages, including local and overseas fieldwork.

Assessment is varied and your assignments may replicate tasks you are likely to face in the workplace including report writing, role-playing exercises, presentations and environmental hazards and disaster management project exercises.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Environmental Management and Assessment, Institute of