Course summary

Overview of Programme MSc Global Sustainability Engineering provides you with the opportunity to develop your engineering knowledge to identify existing unsustainable processes and practices and implement strategies to improve sustainability. The programme has been created in response to the current gap in industry and create graduates who have both a background in science or engineering and who can provide technical consultation and deliver specialist solutions to improve sustainability. You’ll learn from academics and a curriculum focused on and drawing inspiration from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. You’ll develop the knowledge and skills to become advocates for change within the sustainability engineering field, by understanding how both incremental and disruptive approaches can be harnessed for effective sustainable development. The programme adopts an interdisciplinary approach, to provide you with a holistic view of problems and solutions which can be developed. During the programme, you’ll develop a working knowledge of the relevant science and technology core to sustainability engineering, including environmental science and engineering, energy, recycling, sustainable processing, impact assessment, and environmental economics. You’ll gain an awareness of the context and framework within which the environmental degradation and sustainability problem and solutions exist. You’ll explore the implications of global trends on the environment, society, economy, and organisations to develop sustainable products and services with the aim to improve sustainability performance. 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 Global Sustainability Engineering is directly informed by the world class research carried out by Heriot-Watt’s Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering (IMPEE) research institute and our Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS). Your learning environment The MSc Global Sustainability Engineering 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 our specialist equipment, software and laboratories used by professional chemical and sustainability engineers, including a condensation rig, mock continuous stirred tank reactor, fermentation broths, flowmeter calibration, absorption columns, reactant distribution reactors, heat exchangers, distillation columns, absorption column, and fermenters. Customise your learning You’ll have the opportunity to focus on the areas of global sustainability engineering that interest you the most. You can customise your degree to match your specific interests or desired career pathway by studying six mandatory courses and choosing two further options from a range of sustainability and engineering specialist courses, including process intensification, renewable energy technologies, circular economy, carbon solutions, green and sustainable logistics, and demand management and energy storage. In semester three, you’ll undertake an extensive and specialised investigation into your chosen area of sustainability engineering through your dissertation. You’ll be required to demonstrate your mastery of the subject area by applying the latest sustainability engineering technology developments to an extensive investigation into an advanced or specialist topic relating to the subject area.