Course summary

The MSc Offshore Renewable Energy: Engineering programme (MSc OREE) is a deepening engineering programme which combines study in specialist, advanced engineering technologies that underpin the development of Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) systems. The MSc OREE programme is designed to take advantage of the offshore renewable energy specialisms present in the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (SECaM), and to take advantage of the international reputation that Plymouth has in this sector, as highlighted by the leadership of the EPSRC ORE Supergen Hub. The MSc OREE programme will be a one year MSc course, incorporating subjects including the mechanics of ORE structures, computer aided engineering, power systems, naval architecture, simulation and optimisation of engineering systems, operation and maintenance and experimental and numerical modelling. A dissertation over the summer will provide students the opportunity to carry out a research project of their choosing, working alongside the international leading research being carried out in ORE at Plymouth. The programme is designed to target previous engineering graduates (Civil, Mechanical and Electrical and similar) who seek a deepening pathway specific to an engineering career in the ORE sector. This will include BEng and BSc graduates who need to achieve a Masters and also MEng graduates requiring new skills to move sector. It may also be suitable for a limited number of non-engineering graduates with a sufficient mathematical background and relevant industrial experience. The MSc OREE programme is designed to meet industry’s need for suitably trained engineers, as detailed in a recent review of the skills requirements of the UK Offshore Wind Industry. The ORE sector has experienced rapid growth over the last decade, especially within the UK, but also internationally. However the full potential of ORE resources still remains to be fully exploited and as such the industry is expected to continue to grow. New technological developments within ORE are essential to meet UK and global climate change objectives, and to make major contributions towards innovation, jobs and growth. The UK has the ambition to lead the world in developing these technologies and the Government has put ‘Clean Growth’ at the centre of its modern Industrial Strategy. The UK is ahead of much of the world in certain subsectors, such as operation and maintenance, and has the largest installed capacity on the international stage. In a recent review of the Skills and Labour Requirements of the UK Offshore Wind Industry, employment in the offshore wind sector is predicted to increase from 10,000 jobs in 2017 to 36,000 in 2032, with employment demand ‘strongest for technicians and engineers’. Some of the skills listed as crucial to the success of the industry are given as technical, electrical, control and instrumentation – all of which will be covered by this programme. Mainland UK waters are also among the best in the world for wave and tidal energy resource, holding 50% of Europe’s tidal resource, and with the potential to meet up to 20% of the UK’s current electricity demand. It has been predicted that the wave and tidal energy sector could create 20,000 skilled jobs in the next decade and the sector could contribute around £4 billion to UK GDP by 2050. The MSc OREE programme is designed to provide the trained engineers that the ORE sector needs to reach its full potential. It is anticipated that graduates will obtain employment either within the rapidly expanding offshore wind industry or within the developing tidal and wind industries. The skills developed during this course would also provide the opportunity for employment elsewhere within either the marine engineering sector or the renewable energy sectors.