The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Centre for Applied Risk Management (UARM) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its master’s degree programme in behavioural risk work. The programme, initiated by associate professor Hermien Zaaiman and her team, has significantly influenced the professional landscape in Southern Africa over the past decade.

The theme of "Celebrating 10 years of excellence in applied risk management" was inspired by the programme's pioneering role in offering an applied risk management course in South Africa. With only two other universities abroad offering a similar course at the time, the NWU's initiative marked a significant milestone in the region.

According to Fred Goede, the programme leader, it has made a profound impact on the professional landscape in Southern Africa, with positive feedback from line managers and notable contributions from graduates to their organisations. He says alumni have progressed in their careers, with some even serving on the board of the Institute of Risk Management South Africa.

UARM has achieved several milestones over the past decade. The centre, established in 2012, has seen significant growth in its teaching profile, with an increasing number of students enrolling in the programme. “The MCom programme boasts a commendable throughput rate of 82% over the last eight years, with an average graduation time of 2,1 years. The quality of graduates has also been noteworthy, with 47% of them graduating with distinction," Fred explains.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, the NWU will be hosting a breakfast event at the Johannesburg Country Club on 3 October, followed by a workshop on 4 October. The workshop aims to bring alumni and practitioners in the field of risk work together to share experiences and knowledge. This celebration will involve the School of Economic Sciences and Optentia, the interdisciplinary research unit in the Faculty of Humanities.

Fred emphasises that the workshop is an opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing, reflecting the programme's commitment to fostering professional development within the field of risk management. He adds that the impact of the NWU's master’s degree programme in behavioural risk work extends far beyond the classroom, reaching the professional lives of its alumni and the broader community of risk work practitioners.

“Ten years ago, we took in the first cohort of master’s students, following a few years of benchmarking, preparations and course registration. Since then, we have delivered 72 master’s graduates and our first PhD in applied risk management.

"The course was developed and improved with significant input from the public and private sectors to ensure that the outputs are useful. Line managers evaluate every graduate's value to their organisations, and they have provided us with excellent reports," he adds.

Fred says the decision to host two exclusive networking and knowledge-sharing events is motivated by the institution's commitment to continuously improve the UARM course. Delegates will be able to contribute learning from the past decade and share their vision on the future of risk management.

2024’s first-year master’s students pursuing an MCom in applied risk management.