MSc Marine Renewable Energy

Course content

Programme lead: Dr. David Woolf

8 taught courses (7 mandatory + 1 optional) plus dissertation

Semester 1	Semester 2
Economics of Renewable Energy	Developmental Appraisal
Marine Renewable Energy Technology	Developmental Project
Oceanography	Renewable Technology Commercialisation
Environmental Processes (Optional)	Integration of Renewable Technology
Energy in the 21st Century (Optional)

Semester 1

Economics of renewable energy

The aim of this course is to familiarise students with the economic principles and economic forces that underpin the energy sector in general and the renewable energy sector in particular. The course shall consider economic tools as potential solutions to energy related problems.

Marine Renewable Energy Technology

This course aims to promote an understanding of the developing marine renewable energy technologies - principally those of the wave, tidal stream and offshore wind sectors. It will involve the consideration of a range of generic technical design issues which must be addressed by design teams aiming to develop and install viable generating devices in typical prevailing marine operating environments. It will also consider offshore operations and the installation, operation and maintenance of marine energy converter (MEC) structures.

Oceanography 

This course introduces the fundamentals of oceanography, providing an essential foundation at the beginning of the course for students who either do not have a background in the subject area, or whose background is largely limited to marine biology.

Semester 2

Development Appraisal

The aim of this course is to consider various aspects of development appraisal which relate to the viability of renewable energy development. This includes aspects of planning and resource availability, financial appraisal and economic viability. Finally, some project planning techniques are considered in the context of renewable energy developments.

Development Project

This is a team project, where students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned through the other courses in relation to a hypothetical project. You have to look at a range of issues including resource assessment, site selection, development layout, consents, planning and economic appraisal, applying the knowledge and tools you have studied.

Renewable Technology Commercialisation

This course will provide students with a first-hand familiarisation of the development pathway associated with bringing a renewable energy technology from the drawing board, through critical developmental stages, to commercial markets. It will take an innovative approach – diverging from traditional class-based lecture formats - and be presented on a web-based platform where a wide range of multi-media materials will include recorded interviews with key industry personnel, industry documentation, case studies, scientific papers and specifically prepared materials, etc.

Integration of Renewable Technology

This course deals with the technical aspects of generating and integrating renewable energy into distribution networks. The course covers electrical generation, integration (via electricity, heat or fuel networks), distribution and use of energy, storage of renewable energy, and transport.

Semester 3

Dissertation

This research project allows you to focus on a specific area of interest, with opportunities to collaborate with businesses and other stakeholders. You choose your dissertation subject, in discussion with your supervisor.

Career

Marine planning, including spatial planning, is a fast developing discipline of global interest with excellent employment prospects. It has the ambition to promote sustainable development of the Blue Economy and mitigate the effects of climate change. The international "Blue Growth Agenda" anticipates increasing economic activity and employment from  maritime industries as diverse as offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, aquaculture, biotechnologies, artificial islands, deep sea mining and tourism. The increase in activity requires increased vigilance in marine protection and conservation. Our graduates typically hold key positions in:

• Marine development companies 
• Utilities
• Consultancies
• Governments
• Regulators
• NGO's

Entry requirements

Masters (MSc) level entry applicants must have one of the following:

• Minimum of 2:2 honours degree or equivalent academic qualification in a related subject area
• For postgraduate conversion courses, non-related degrees will be considered
• Corporate (or chartered) membership of relevant professional institutions will also be considered

PG Diploma level entry applicants must have an ordinary degree in a related subject area and relevant post qualification industry experience.

Candidates who do not meet the above entry requirements or have no formal academic qualifications will be considered individually based on their CV and possibly interview. Admission via this route will be at the discretion of the Director of Recruitment.

Recognition of Prior Learning

We are committed to providing study opportunities to applicants who have a wide range of prior experiences through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). For more information on RPL, please contact the Admissions Team (studywithus@hw.ac.uk) ahead of application. We can only consider requests for RPL at the time of application to a course of study.

English language requirements

If English is not the applicant’s first language a minimum of IELTS 6.5 or equivalent is required with all elements passed at 6.0 or above. Please refer to English language requirements for further details.

Some applicants may be asked for alternative evidence in line with UKVI recognised English speaking countries. Applicants who have previously successfully completed courses delivered in the medium of English language may be considered and will be required to provide documentary evidence of this. Examples would be secondary school education or undergraduate degree. A minimum of at least one year of full time study (or equivalent) in the medium of English language will be required.

All evidence of English language needs to be dated within two years of the commencement of study.

We also offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement prior to starting your master’s programme:

• 20 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.0 with no skill lower than 4.5)
• 14 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.0 with minimum of 5.0 in writing and no skill lower than 4.5)
• 10 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.5 with no skill lower than 5.0)
• 6 weeks English (for IELTS 5.5 with no skill lower than 5.5)

Fees

Tuition fees for Sept 2023 entry

Status	Full-time	Part-time
UK	£8320	£4160
Overseas	£17320	£8660

Additional fees information

All course costs are covered by the tuition fee. For students studying at the Orkney Campus this includes electronic versions of the course notes.

Students should budget additional funds sufficient to cover living expenses such as accommodation, travel to and from the university, food, clothing and leisure pursuits.

Financial support

Tuition fee loans of £5,500 are available to Scottish distance learning students on taught postgraduate courses. Full-time distance learning postgraduate students can also access a £4,500 living cost loan. Find out more from the Students Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)

Additional scholarship information

Scottish Funding Council (SFC) funding available for Scottish students for MSc Marine Renewable Energy. This funding is available for on-campus study only.