Risk Management and Societal Safety is a subfield within the doctoral programme in Science and Technology at UiS. The subfield has specialisations in risk management, societal safety, industrial economics, and city and regional planning. The doctoral programme is linked to the research within each of these specialisations.

Our research fields
Within the area of risk analysis and management, the focus has traditionally been on a technical approach to risk and vulnerability analysis and risk management, but in recent years risk and vulnerability together with the development of risk analysis and societal safety have been viewed in a broader perspective within this academic environment. The petroleum industry has been and continues to be important in applicable research issues. The amount of research directed at other applications is also significant and increasing and includes themes such as traffic safety, patient safety, operational risk in finance and air safety.
In the field of societal safety, research themes are largely directed at risk and vulnerability analysis and management particularly in relation to public bodies and regulatory issues within areas such as transport, communication, health and emergency preparedness.
Within the area of industrial economics there is research on financial risk management and the financial approach to the effects of risk, uncertainty and risk management and the significance of regulations. The petroleum industry is also important here for applicable research issues, but studies are also ongoing into a large number of other industries, sectors and markets including fishing and fish farming, energy, finance, agriculture, medicine and various levels in the value chain such as suppliers, retailers and exporters.
City and regional planning focuses on place making, site-specific understanding, spatial analysis, conceptual development and design, as well as planning processes, shaping robust urban infrastructure and communities, along with renewable energy solutions.
Courses
The training component should contain the professional and methodological training required for working on and completing the thesis. The programme is structured with a training component (coursework) of 30 credits and a research component of 150 credits. The learning outcomes are partly covered by courses which in turn are divided into three types: programme courses, study courses and project courses, all worth 10 credits each.
Learning outcomes
Admissions requirements
To be admitted to the doctoral programme in Science and Technology – Risk Management and Societal Safety the applicant must normally have minimum a five-year master's degree in science, engineering, economics or social sciences (the degree specifics are stated in the individual vacancy ads in JobbNorge). The applicant must have a strong academic background with both the master’s thesis grade and the weighted grade average of the master’s degree courses being individually equivalent to or better than a grade B.
As the language of instruction is English, applicants must document that they fulfil the listed English language requirements specified in the ad.
All available PhD vacancies are published here.
Academic contact:
Department of Safety, Economics and Planning