Master’s in Catastrophes, Climate & Environment Engineering
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in Catastrophe, Climate & Environmental Engineering, structured in 12 modules covering climate science, natural hazards, vulnerability and exposure, catastrophe cover schemes, catastrophe modelling, portfolio climate risk, environmental risk, adaptation, risk transfer, sustainable finance disclosure and catastrophe event management, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in Catastrophes, Climate & Environment Engineering — studying from Ireland
Ireland is an established international hub for insurance, reinsurance and captive insurance, with Dublin hosting a large concentration of insurers, brokers and actuarial functions. The Central Bank of Ireland regulates insurance undertakings and the sector's solvency and conduct requirements. Engineers and analysts in this area work on risk modelling, catastrophe analysis, pricing and data-driven underwriting, often combining technical, statistical and regulatory expertise. Professional qualifications and standards are maintained by the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and related bodies.
Fees for Ireland: €7,920 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Ireland
Typical roles
Questions from Ireland
Which professional bodies in Ireland relate to this area, and is this qualification recognised by them?
In Ireland, actuarial work is associated with the Society of Actuaries in Ireland, and risk and data professionals may also look to bodies such as the Institute of Banking. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by any national body, so they do not confer membership or exemptions from these bodies. Confirm any exemption policies directly with the relevant institute before enrolling.
How is training like this typically viewed by employers in Ireland's insurance and risk sector?
Insurers and financial firms in Ireland generally value recognised professional qualifications most highly. A private online qualification is judged on its content and on your demonstrated skills, including your final project. Employers decide whether it is relevant to a given role, so it is best used to support existing experience rather than as a standalone credential.
What is the practical workload and language requirement for studying this online?
Programmes are taught entirely in English and delivered 100% online, so you can study from anywhere in Ireland or abroad. Workload depends on the programme length: specialist courses are 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and master's programmes 1,900 hours. Each student has an assigned technical tutor, and fees can be paid in instalments.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Interpret climate science and its scenarios for insurance.
Analyse natural hazards, exposure and vulnerability.
Build and apply catastrophe models.
Assess physical and transition climate risk in portfolios.
Analyse environmental risks and liabilities.
Design adaptation and risk transfer strategies.
Prepare climate disclosures in line with current frameworks.
Who it's for
- Catastrophe risk analysts in insurance and reinsurance.
- Climate risk specialists.
- Catastrophe modellers.
- Climate adaptation consultants.
- ESG analysts in insurance.
- Environmental risk officers in industry and public administration.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to enter insurance and reinsurance.
What you'll work with
- Royal Legislative Decree 7/2004 (Legal Statute of the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros)
- Directive 2007/60/EC (assessment and management of flood risks)
- Law 26/2007 (Spanish Environmental Liability Law)
- ISO 14090:2019 (adaptation to climate change)
- Directive (EU) 2022/2464 (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, CSRD)
- IFRS S2 (climate-related disclosures)
- Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (Taxonomy Regulation)
- Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
- OpenQuake
- Oasis LMF
- CLIMADA
- QGIS
- Python (xarray)
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1The climate system and energy balance1.2Natural variability: ENSO and NAO1.3IPCC SSP and RCP scenarios1.4Global and regional climate models1.5Attribution of extreme events1.6Trends in temperature and precipitation extremes1.7Sea-level rise1.8Uncertainty in projections1.9Copernicus climate services1.10Workshop: analysis of regional precipitation projections
2.1Earthquakes and seismic hazard2.2River and pluvial flooding2.3Coastal flooding and storms2.4Tropical cyclones and windstorms2.5Hail and convective storms2.6Wildfires2.7Drought2.8Landslides and subsidence2.9Volcanoes2.10Case study: multi-hazard profile of a region
3.1Vulnerability curves3.2Building typologies3.3Building codes and Eurocodes3.4Infrastructure vulnerability3.5Agricultural vulnerability3.6Exposure data and quality3.7Replacement valuation3.8Business interruption3.9Social vulnerability3.10Practical exercise: flood damage curve for housing
4.1Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros4.2Extraordinary risks in Spain4.3International public schemes4.4Catastrophe pools4.5The protection gap4.6Agricultural insurance4.7EU Solidarity Fund4.8Public-private partnerships4.9Climate microinsurance4.10Case study: comparison of national catastrophe schemes
5.1Structure of a catastrophe model5.2Stochastic event catalogues5.3Hazard module5.4Vulnerability module5.5Financial module5.6Exceedance curves5.7Average annual loss and PML5.8Primary and secondary uncertainty5.9Open-source models5.10Lab: EP curve with OpenQuake
6.1Acute and chronic physical risk6.2Transition risk6.3Climate litigation risk6.4Climate scenario analysis6.5EIOPA climate stress tests6.6NGFS scenarios6.7Climate risk in the ORSA6.8Impact on underwriting and investments6.9Climate exposure indicators6.10Practical exercise: climate stress test of a home insurance portfolio
7.1Environmental liability7.2Soil and water contamination7.3Environmental risk analysis7.4Mandatory financial guarantees7.5Major industrial accidents7.6Biodiversity and natural capital7.7Supply chain risks7.8Pollution insurance7.9Restoration and remediation of damage7.10Case study: environmental risk analysis of a chemical plant
8.1Climate change adaptation according to ISO 140908.2Vulnerability assessment according to ISO 140918.3Structural and non-structural measures8.4Nature-based solutions8.5Flood risk management plans8.6Early warning systems8.7Building resilience8.8Insurance incentives for prevention8.9Cost-benefit analysis of adaptation8.10Workshop: adaptation plan for an industrial estate
9.1Catastrophe reinsurance9.2Excess of loss programmes9.3Parametric insurance9.4Catastrophe bonds9.5Basis risk9.6Sovereign catastrophe funds9.7Risk financing instruments9.8Capital markets and climate risk9.9Cost of capital9.10Practical exercise: designing a catastrophe reinsurance programme
10.1TCFD recommendations10.2IFRS S1 and S2 standards10.3CSRD Directive and ESRS10.4Taxonomy Regulation10.5SFDR Regulation10.6Climate disclosure by insurers10.7Net zero commitments in insurance10.8Greenwashing and regulatory risks10.9ESG indicators10.10Case study: climate report of an insurer
11.1Event preparedness11.2Activation of response plans11.3Early loss estimation11.4Mass claims handling11.5Remote loss adjustment11.6Communication with policyholders11.7Coordination with emergency services11.8Reserving after catastrophes11.9Lessons learned11.10Practical exercise: response plan for a DANA (cut-off low) event
12.1Selection of the hazard and region12.2Review of climate data12.3Exposure and vulnerability analysis12.4Loss modelling12.5Climate scenario analysis12.6Adaptation or transfer proposal12.7Regulatory implications12.8Conclusions12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so you can combine it with your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is OpenQuake, Oasis LMF, CLIMADA, QGIS and Python (xarray), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures: catastrophe loss modelling for insured portfolios, climate stress tests and environmental risk analysis of industrial facilities. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: Royal Legislative Decree 7/2004, Directive 2007/60/EC, Law 26/2007, ISO 14090:2019, Directive (EU) 2022/2464 (CSRD), IFRS S2, Regulation (EU) 2020/852 and the Sendai Framework 2015-2030.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with OpenQuake, Oasis LMF, CLIMADA, QGIS and Python (xarray), using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the programme's software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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