Course summary

Overview of Programme MSc Energy provides you with the opportunity to learn a balanced, integrated course which will equip you with the tools needed to positively influence organisations in developing new business strategies relevant to ‘energy, or in reacting to the growing portfolio of environmental legislation. The programme has been designed to provide you with the practical and theoretical grounding in technologies and develop your wider knowledge and skills relevant to the Energy sector, for both practicing engineers and decision-making managers and policy makers. You’ll learn from a broad range of energy related disciplines, with relevance to energy resources, power generation, process engineering, environmental legislation and environmental impact assessment, energy in buildings, and by studying business courses in collaboration with the Edinburgh Business School. Energy is an essential component of our existence. The cost, availability and efficient utilisation of energy are increasingly strong focal points in the strategies of governments world-wide, as they realise that the 'raw material' for most of the energy used today has a finite life. You’ll explore sustainable energy options as the finite nature of our main element in our current energy chain of supply – fossil fuel – becomes more obvious. During the master’s programme, you’ll understand energy not only as electricity, but as heat and transportation. You’ll become aware of the relationship between demand and supply of energy, a relationship that consists of much more than its technical component. You’ll learn about the political, economic, and social issues and adjust your perspective to view energy provision, consumption, and costs on a global and local scale– both in the monetary and environmental terms. The flexible degree structure allows you to focus in on your specific Energy interests. You’ll have the opportunity to choose courses from an extensive list, including modules on electrical power systems, renewable energy technologies, economics of renewable energy, heat exchangers and heat transfer, process intensification, design of low carbon buildings, demand management and energy storage, and quality management. Our Expertise 96% of Heriot-Watt University’s engineering research was classed as world-leading in the REF 2021 review, which ranked us 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for engineering research through a joint submission with the University of Edinburgh. Our MSc Energy is directly informed by the world class research carried out by Heriot-Watt’s Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering (IMPEE) research institute, and our Energy Academy. Your learning environment The MSc Energy programme is taught though a combination of lectures, tutorials, and laboratory practicals, allowing you to get to know and build relationships with your teaching staff, academics, and peers. You will be assessed by coursework, exams, and your dissertation, and will receive support and feedback throughout the programme. During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our specialist equipment, software and laboratories used by professional mechanical engineering, including machining and manufacturing facilities, an air conditioning unit, wind tunnel for fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, 3D printer, and a uniaxial testing machine. You will have the opportunity to work on real-world problems, and work across disciplines to deliver practical solutions with global impact in our state-of-the-art GRID (Global Research Innovation and Discovery) facility. Accreditation This programme is accredited by Energy Institute (EI). Students completing an EI accredited degree are deemed to have met part or all the academic requirements for registration as a Chartered or Incorporated Engineer and are in a strong position to move on to achieve professional engineering status after a period of initial professional development in industry.