Course summary
MSc Subsurface Energy Systems equips you with the knowledge and skills to manage geoenergy resources in a holistic, safe, and cost-effective manner. It will appeal to science and engineering graduates or those of you from a different numerate academic background who are interested in the management of subsurface reservoirs used to switch from a fossil fuel-driven economy to a decarbonised one. You’ll address key concepts in subsurface energy and carbon dioxide storage, geothermal energy or transitional gas while integrating geoscience, engineering, and political and societal aspects into your learning. You’ll consider geoenergy resources, the application of technologies to geoenergy management, and ethics relevant to professional engineering practice. You’ll integrate theory and practice, and learn relevant statistical, scientific, and economical skills. This career-focused master’s programme will develop your technical, scientific, and managerial abilities, relevant for a career in academia, industry, government and non-governmental organisations. Your learning environment The Subsurface Energy Systems programme is taught though a combination of lectures, tutorials, and project work allowing you to get to know and build relationships with your teaching staff, academics, and peers. During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our specialist equipment, state-of-the-art computer technology and industry standard software. You will have the opportunity to work on real-world problems individually and collaboratively to deliver practical solutions with global impact. Industry You will learn at our Edinburgh campus and benefit from teaching and research activities at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering and the Lyell Centre. The institute is a leading centre of excellence in geoenergy engineering and applied geoscience and offers postgraduate programmes of study which meet the needs of the wider energy industry. The Lyell Centre is a leading centre in earth, marine and ecosystem sciences, and a collaboration between the British Geological Survey and Heriot-Watt University. We work closely with industry to ensure our course content is up-to-date and reflects the current and emerging needs of industry and employers. You’ll gain the right blend of knowledge, practical skills, and soft skills to set you up for life after graduation.
Modules
You’ll take eight mandatory courses encompassing a wide range of subsurface geoscience and engineering fundamentals, relevant to the current petroleum, subsurface storage or geothermal industry. In semester three, you’ll strengthen your collaborative and communication skills through the group project where you will assess real data from a field such as carbon dioxide, energy storage or geothermal energy, or natural gas production. The data will be like that which would be available to an operator prior to making a development decision. Your collective analysis of the data will lead to the design of an appropriate production or storage strategy. Through this exercise, you’ll gain valuable insight into the use of imperfect and incomplete data, integrate knowledge from prior learning from the taught courses, and increase your collaborative problem-solving skills. The project also provides the basis for in-depth discussion of the regulatory, economic, and societal challenges related to these technologies. You can customise your learning in semester three to match your specific interests or desired career pathway by choosing the topic of subsurface geoscience or engineering in which you’ll complete your detailed individual project. Projects are offered by the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering and by industry, and normally include a wide choice of experimental research, computer modelling, and real-world problems.
Assessment method
You will be assessed by coursework, exams, written reports and oral presentation, including group presentations. You’ll be supported and receive feedback throughout the programme.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for individual programmes vary, please check the details for the specific programme you wish to apply for on our website.
English language requirements
Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not been educated previously in the English language must provide evidence of their English language ability to ensure they can cope with the demands of a Heriot-Watt programme taught and assessed in English. Further information about the English Language tests that we currently accept as proof of English Language ability including our own English Language programmes, can be viewed on our website.
HWU English Language Requirements
https://www.hw.ac.uk/study/entry/english-language-requirements.htm
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Sponsorship information
Search scholarships from Heriot-Watt University's homepage.
Provider information
Heriot-Watt University
Riccarton
Edinburgh
EH14 4AS