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Email academic.registry@tcd.ieThis one-year course includes seven modules from the established M.Sc. in Managing Risk and System Change course. Spread over one academic year, it allows students to supplement their further education and career development without the need to commit immediately to a Masters programme. On successful completion, graduates of this course may progress to Masters level.
The overall objective of this online programme is to provide a rigorous but practical focus on risk, change and system design in operations, manufacturing and services, with an innovative integrated approach to the role of people in such systems. It provides a core framework that has been tested in collaborative industrial research and practice for managing and developing people, the design and integration of new technologies, the management of risk and the implementation of change. World-class international teams who have collaborated through industrial research has been mobilised to provide the highest calibre research led teaching, supervision and professional expertise.
Students will also become part of a global community of practice, a community of professional learners, across a range of safety critical sectors, where they will benefit not only from the academic and industrial experts delivering the course but also from the extended network of fellow students.
Current students are working in a diverse range of industries which include: Finance, Healthcare, IT, Defence Forces, Emergency Services, Aviation, Casino and Gambling, Law Enforcement, Process and Software Development and Pharmaceuticals. The course will be an excellent qualification to supplement the further education and career development of personnel who have responsibility for managing risk. It brings the next generation of safety, risk and change management to you, in your work, embedded in your everyday practice with a systemic, proactive and performance focus.
The course advances graduates' career prospects both in terms of promotion eligibility and post-graduate training, with graduates pursuing careers in risk, change, operations, quality, safety, human resources, planning, and system design.
The Postgraduate Certificate consists of four of the seven modules and runs part-time over one academic year. Students who successfully complete all modules in the Postgraduate Certificate may take an additional year of study and complete a further three modules for the award of Postgraduate Diploma.
The Postgraduate Diploma consists of seven modules and makes up year one of the Masters. The course runs part-time over one academic year from September until May. Students who have successfully completed the Postgraduate Diploma may study for an additional year to pursue the award of Masters.
To qualify for the Masters award, students dedicate this additional year to the research dissertation. The dissertation will provide students with an opportunity to pursue a research topic based on key strategic operational issues within their organisations in order to create a research-practitioner capability in managing risk and system change.
This course provides students with a stimulating online learning experience by creating a structured yet flexible learning approach. The place of study is flexible as online delivery allows students to engage in learning activities at home or in the workplace and there is no requirement to attend the Trinity campus in Dublin. Students will have access to weekly materials using a virtual learning environment and the opportunity to engage with other students and lecturers using a variety of online discussion boards.
Students take four of the seven core modules: The Role of People & Processes in Organisations; Managing Performance and Risk; Leading Change; Strategic Human Resource Development; Stability & Change; Socio-Technical System Design; and Statistics & Action Research Methods.
Click here for further information on modules/subjects.
This short video introduces the online postgraduate programme in Managing Risk and System Change at Trinity College Dublin.
September 2025
Professor Siobhán Corrigan
31st July 2025
Applicants will normally be required to hold an Honours degree (at 2.1 level at minimum) or equivalent and have at least three to four years of appropriate professional experience. In exceptional circumstances, the Course Director shall make appropriate recommendations to the Dean of Graduate Studies for candidates who do not fully meet the above criteria but make a reasonable case for admissions otherwise (typically based on their relevant work experience). An applicant may be asked to provide written samples in support of academic writing ability or be set a piece of academic writing to complete.
Applicants will also require:
All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements. For more details of qualifications that meet Band B, see the English Language Requirements page here.
Click here for a full list of postgraduate fees.
To apply, click on the relevant Apply Link below
+353 (0)1 8962605
www.tcd.ie/psychology/courses/postgraduate/msc-riskandchange/
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Trinity embraced my unique background, recognising that all experiences contribute to learning. I could not speak highly enough of the place. My time at Trinity College has been transformative, I've grown as a person and it has helped me progress in my career in a new industry, and for that, I will forever be indebted to the university. I worked for a large part of my career in the oil & gas industry so I had a solid understanding of risk/change management strategies, but it wasn't until I was in the online classes with students from various industries around the world that I truly realised the challenges other people face. For me, this was the most enjoyable part of the course, learning how others manage risk and system change differently to my own experience.
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I expected an amazing standard of education, and I was not disappointed. My lecturers facilitated an expansive learning experience; my supervisors lifted spirits and curtailed effusive prose throughout a tumultuous period of thesis preparation and writing, the support team reassured with an enthusiasm that was infectious. The creativity with which the course team designed and delivered the course ensured that a diverse group of students, located worldwide, bonded in a manner that is a testament to the holistic quality of a Trinity education. I made life-long friends. From the initial enquiry through to graduation and beyond, the level of support and care offered continues to inspire and surprise me.
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