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. 

You’ll benefit from our innovative approach when it comes to the promotion and communication of energy research activities. Our Energy Academy, a virtual learning centre used to connect all energy related research across the university, gives you direct access to the latest research carried out across the university. Heriot-Watt has three dedicated energy research centres which study:  

• Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage,  
• Intermittency of Supply, Storage and Control,  
• and Energy Policy and Strategy   

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, high speed wind tunnel rig, 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.  

Outside of the classroom, you can join several Mechanical Engineering and Energy related societies including: 

• Our satellite building society, CanSat in which you can build a satellite the size of a drink can and have the opportunity to complete at the AAS CanSat Competition,  
• HWRacing to build and compete a car at the world-famous Formula Student Competition at Silverstone,  
• Aero-Watt to build a fully autonomous plane for the IMechE UAS challenge,  
• and IMechE Railway Challenge team where you’ll build a small-scale locomotive to compete in the national challenge. 
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Customise your learning 

You’ll have the opportunity to focus on the areas of energy that interest you the most. You can customise your degree to match your specific interests or desired career pathway by studying three mandatory courses and choosing five further options from a suite of over 25 specialist energy, mechanical engineering, and business courses. You will choose optional courses from an extensive list, including electrical power systems, economics of renewable energy, climate change, sustainability and adaptation, sustainable processing, and energy systems and buildings.  

In semester three, you’ll undertake an extensive and specialised investigation into your chosen area of energy through your dissertation. You’ll be required to demonstrate your mastery of the subject area by applying design and evaluation techniques to develop new insights and responses to current issues in energy and mechanical engineering industries.  

You can choose whether to study the programme full-time, part-time, or by course. This flexibility allows you to fit your postgraduate studies around your lifestyle. You can begin the programme in September, and the full-time course will last 12 months full time or 24 months part time. If you decided to study part-time, you register for two courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of your second year.   

Industry  

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.   

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.