Course Summary

The MSc in New and Renewable Energy is designed to equip our graduates with the skills required to meet the growing challenge to achieve energy and environmental sustainability through the application of new and renewable energy technologies. The course aims to enable students to develop the capacity to solve problems across the traditional Engineering boundaries and to have an appreciation of complete energy systems from source to the end user, to have knowledge of the relevant technologies and to understand the interactions between them. The course also provides students with the opportunity to develop skills in research, development, design and project management through individual and team-based project work.

Course Learning and Teaching

This is a 12-month full-time course beginning at the start of the academic year and finishing with submitting a report and completing an oral examination on your chosen research and development project. The course consists of four core modules to provide a solid education in a broad range of New and Renewable Energy technologies. A choice of one from two optional modules allows you to choose a study course most suited to your interests and needs. The modules include lecture courses, a group design project and an individual research and development project.

You will select one of two optional modules. These modules typically include 38 hours of lectures in addition to coursework and laboratory experiments, allowing you to develop research skills in parallel with lectures. The modules are designed to increase your understanding in either thermodynamics and fluid mechanics or electrical engineering. You are advised to select the module which you feel would best support your learning needs.

The core lecture modules typically involve 38 hours of lectures and cover topics such as electricity generation from renewable and conventional sources, transmission and distribution (including smart networks), electricity markets and optimisation, and low carbon technologies (including electrical vehicles).

The third core module is a group design project focused on a realistic application of renewable energy technology. You will gain experience of teamwork, presentation skills and project management, as well as the technical aspects of engineering design. You will also benefit from this opportunity to develop their research skills in preparation for your individual research and development project.

A major individual research and development project completes the core modules. This provides an open-ended challenge to each individual student, in collaboration with a staff supervisor. Regular meetings are held with your supervisor to discuss project progress and planning issues. A mid-term assessment is carried out to ensure the project is on track. At the end of the project, you are required to submit a final report on your work, in the style of a research paper. You are also required to prepare and present a poster to encourage further development of your ability to present your work to staff and peers. An oral examination is held to allow detailed questions to be put to you regarding the technical aspects of your project. You should expect to have up to 15 hours of contact time with your supervisors plus over 500 hours of research work and preparation, supported by the School’s technicians and other research workers, over the course of your research projects.