Sustainable Energy Systems MSc

This programme is run over 12 months, with two semesters of taught courses followed by a research project leading to a masters thesis.

Semester 1

Compulsory courses

• Technologies for Sustainable Energy
• Engineering Research Methods with Grand Challenge (MSc)
• Sustainable Energy Contexts

Plus, one of the following, depending on the student's academic background:

• Electrical Engineering Fundamentals of Renewable Energy
• Mechanical Engineering Fundamentals of Renewable Energy

Of these two courses, students must take the one that they are the least familiar with, so that they can appreciate the breadth of the field as well as be able to keep up with courses in Semester 2 that draw on these subjects.

Students are also required to either be already knowledgeable of the content of the other course or ensure that they assimilate the parts that they are not already familiar with by independent study during the Semester.

Thus, for example, a Chemical Engineer would be required to register for the Electrical Engineering Fundamentals of Renewable Energy course, since they should already have a good knowledge of significant parts of the Mechanical Engineering course, such as fluid mechanics. However, they should still check the contents of the other course during the Semester to make sure that their knowledge of solids mechanics is at the required level.

Optional courses

In addition, all students will choose 20 credits of optional courses. Depending on availability, you can select courses from the:

• School of Engineering
• School of GeoSciences
• Business School
• School of Social and Political Science
• Edinburgh College of Art

Semester 2

Compulsory courses

• Solar Energy & Photovoltaic Systems (MSc)
• Principles of Wind Energy (MSc)
• Marine Energy (MSc)

Optional courses

Students will also choose 30 credits of optional courses. Depending on availability, you can select courses from the:

• School of Engineering
• School of GeoSciences
• Business School
• School of Social and Political Science
• Edinburgh College of Art

A list of optional courses will be confirmed at the beginning of the academic year.

Summer months

From the end of the May exams until the end of the programme, you will work full-time on your Dissertation project, striving to answer a research question in the field of sustainable energy. The question must be specific enough that it can be meaningfully addressed during this short period of time, and not have been covered anywhere else before.

Prior to the summer, you will carry out preliminary research to define this research question and devise a methodology for addressing it. You must finish this process by the end of Semester 2. At this point, you will produce a mission statement and submit it for approval by the allocated supervisor

We advise you to start as early as Semester 1 if you wish to develop your own project or work collaboratively with industry or other organisations that you have approached.

In all cases, students are encouraged to have at least some input in the definition of the project by indicating preferred subject areas and then making proposals or suggestions to their supervisors when the research question is being determined.

Graduates go on to a wide range of activities in industry, public organisations or academia.

The MSc has well-established links with industry. Many graduates find employment with leading national and international companies involved with energy, consultancy and engineering.

Thus, recent graduates are now working in a variety of fields and roles, including as:

• civil, structural, automotive, subsea and electrical engineers
• power systems, energy and environment and renewable energy consultants

Employing organisations include:

• Arup
• Crown Estate
• EDF
• Equinor
• GE
• Mainstream Renewables
• National Grid
• ORE Catapult
• Orsted
• SSE
• Scottish Power
• Siemens Gamesa
• Vattenfall
• Vestas

These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2024/25 academic year will be published on 2 October 2023.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in engineering or physics.

If you apply with a background in another field, you may be accepted if you hold a UK first class honours degree, or its international equivalent, and have studied mathematics to first year undergraduate level, including vectorial calculus (gradients, curls, etc), complex algebra and Fourier transforms. You must also be able to demonstrate a strong interest in the energy sector.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 62 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Deposit

If you receive an offer of admission you will need to pay a deposit to secure your place.

• £1,500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

Any applicants who are required to pay will receive an offer with full details.

Find out more about tuition fee deposits:

• Tuition fee deposits

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fees

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your residency status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Housing, Construction and Infrastructure (HCI) Skills Gateway Scholarships

HCI Scholarships are part of the support programme for ‘advanced skills’ within the Housing Construction Infrastructure (HCI) Skills Gateway, which is an employability and skills support mechanism funded by the Scottish government within the Edinburgh & SE Scotland City Region Deal.

Scholarships are available to MSc and PG Dip students domiciled or working in the South-East of Scotland, more specifically the councils of:

• East Lothian
• Mid Lothian
• West Lothian
• City of Edinburgh
• Fife
• Scottish Borders

Applications are particularly welcome from applicants of groups underrepresented in the construction industry (public and private sector).

Learn more about this scholarship:

• HCI Skills Gateway Scholarships

Engineering International Masters Scholarships

• £3,000

The scholarships will be awarded to overseas applicants who have been accepted for admission on a full-time basis for an eligible postgraduate taught Masters programme within the School of Engineering.

The scholarship will be awarded broadly on the basis of academic merit with candidates requiring a first-class honours degree from a UK university or overseas equivalent.

Learn more about this scholarship:

• Engineering International Masters Scholarship

Scottish Power Scholarship

• Full tuition fees plus a monthly maintenance allowance

ScottishPower has been building relationships with universities in our communities for a number of years. Working together, we aim to support development of future talent while mitigating the projected skills gap within the energy sector.

The programme is designed to financially support high achieving recent graduates in Spain, the United Kingdom and Mexico, who are interested in pursuing an advanced degree in industry relevant fields such as engineering, smart grids, renewable energy, sustainability, energy and environment, information technology, big data, cybersecurity, and more.

Learn more about this scholarship:

• Scottish Power Scholarship

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding