Online Renewables Degree :: Accredited Universities

This course has been designed to provide you with an understanding of the physical, technological, economic and environmental aspects of renewable energy sources, and their present and potential future role in energy supply systems.

You will gain the skills and knowledge to assess different types of offshore renewable foundations and structures, the challenges of maintenance, decommissioning and health and safety implications of each design. You will also look at the operation and control of electrical power and energy systems as well as the control and telemetry systems to allow integrative design.

You will be able to identify and quantify appropriate sites, assess the available resource and select the correct technology for the location. You will be able to model the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic forces applied to offshore structures and select the best installation and anchorage system for the job.

The course also covers managing the health, safety and environmental impact of offshore renewables through effective risk assessment and environmental impact analysis. It will promote an understanding of the principles, fundamental concepts and strategies of project management, and of the benefits to the offshore renewables sector. It will enable you to practice and carry out essential project planning and execution processes.

Aberdeen as the Energy capital of Europe and Robert Gordon University as a major provider of Open and Distance Learning professional education to the energy and offshore industry are uniquely placed to exploit the opportunity presented by the drive toward renewable energy sources.

This course builds on the strengths of the existing courses in Offshore Renewable Energy, Oil and Gas Engineering and Subsea Engineering and adds content on the offshore environment and electrical power, forming a unique programme which is relevant to the needs of professional engineers working in, or aspiring to work in, the offshore renewables sector. The MSc Offshore Renewables course will equip graduates to become part of the 21st century engineering community responsible for sustainable energy generation for the future.

Entry Requirements

This course is suitable for those who hold an honours degree, or equivalent, in Engineering or a related discipline at 2:2 or above.

English Language Requirements
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All international students for whom English is not their first language must provide evidence of linguistic ability, by gaining either

IELTS Academic Test 6.5 overall* (with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component)

TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum score of Listening 17, Reading 18, Speaking 20 and Writing 24)

Pearson PTE Academic 61 (with a minimum score of 51 in each component)

Other Fees

Individual Engineering Research Investigation - £3425

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This postgraduate course has been specifically developed to enable students to professionally enhance their commercial skills. The course has been developed in close collaboration with industry and includes a contemporary industry perspective from sector experts from all parts of the supply chain.

The course will allow you to gain a professionally accredited qualification and develop the demonstrable core commercial competencies much in demand by the oil, gas, renewables and decommissioning industries.

Building on our expertise in providing surveying, commercial and project management education, the course has been designed to meet the particular requirements of the energy sectors, in alignment with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) competency framework, namely:

Commercial management
Design economics
Risk and supply chain management
Contract practice
Procurement and tendering practices
Project financial control
Project Management

Every module includes input and learning from industry experts so you will gain knowledge and skills which are directly applicable to the workplace. Individual modules can be studied on a stand-alone basis for CPD or personal development. Modules may also be delivered on a commercial bespoke basis for organisation learning and development.

Entry Requirements

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds who are industry aware or have a good academic qualification. We will accredit good quality prior experiential learning.

Applicants who comply with any of the following criteria should apply:

- A good Honours degree in any discipline from a recognised university.

- A recognised professionally accredited diploma or corporate body membership.

- Applicants who do not hold an Honours degree but who have relevant industry experience over a reasonable time period will be considered.

For international students 6.5 IELTS or its equivalent in TOEFL is required.

Other Fees

Tuition varies for each year

£3,880 for year 1

£3,880 for year 2

£2,580 for year 3

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This postgraduate course has been specifically developed to enable students to professionally enhance their commercial skills. The course has been developed in close collaboration with industry and includes a contemporary industry perspective from sector experts from all parts of the supply chain.

The course will allow you to gain a professionally accredited qualification and develop the demonstrable core commercial competencies much in demand by the oil, gas, renewables and decommissioning industries.

Building on our expertise in providing surveying, commercial and project management education, the course has been designed to meet the particular requirements of the energy sectors, in alignment with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) competency framework, namely:

Commercial management
Design economics
Risk and supply chain management
Contract practice
Procurement and tendering practices
Project financial control
Project Management
Every module includes input and learning from industry experts so you will gain knowledge and skills which are directly applicable to the workplace. Individual modules can be studied on a stand-alone basis for CPD or personal development. Modules may also be delivered on a commercial bespoke basis for organisation learning and development.

Entry Requirements

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds who are industry aware or have a good academic qualification. We will accredit good quality prior experiential learning.

Applicants who comply with any of the following criteria should apply:

- A good Honours degree in any discipline from a recognised university.

- A recognised professionally accredited diploma or corporate body membership.

Applicants who do not hold an Honours degree but who have relevant industry experience over a reasonable time period will be considered.

For international students 6.5 IELTS or its equivalent in TOEFL is required.

Other Fees

Dissertation fee in year 3 - £2,580

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The programme seeks to develop graduates who will have the knowledge, insight and skills to develop programmes of change, new design or retrofit solutions that require the deployment of either or both energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies. There are a number of drivers for change that requires these skills. The need for a change of focus in construction and energy use are drivers for entrepreneurial growth. If ‘tapped’ into by the existing construction industry it should allow them to diversify and maintain jobs within a sector that has been severely affected by the recession. The depletion of existing fossil fuel resources in the UK and Ireland, resulting in increased insecurity of supply and longer supply chains, the UK Climate Change Act, both EU policies - Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and 20 – 20 – 20 (20% renewables, 20% carbon savings by 2020), and the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan are instruments that require a major shift in the design and construction of new buildings, the refurbishment of existing buildings, and a behavioural shift in energy use in all sectors of the economy, domestic, commercial, industrial, transport. For the country to meet the target of 80% reduction in carbon emissions (based on 1990 levels) by 2050 it requires the elimination of all carbon combustion for space and hot water heating and a major shift towards zero carbon electricity generation. This two-fold step requires graduates with an in-depth knowledge of energy use in buildings and renewable energy technologies who are able to engineer the solutions.

The aim of the course is straightforward, in that it is designed to meet a need for engineers and energy professionals to deliver energy conscious and environmentally sustainable solutions for use by the public, industry, services and government.

It seeks to provide an opportunity for graduates and professionals to acquire knowledge of renewable energy and energy management, and to develop skills appropriate to its practice. To achieve this it seeks to increase capacity for understanding the theoretical concepts and contemporary issues of various aspects. To this end, the course is designed to produce graduates who have an in depth knowledge and understanding of the scientific, technological, and socio-economic principles and techniques upon which renewable energy technologies and energy management strategies are founded.

Graduates are expected to achieve skills in identifying, developing, analysing and critically appraising solutions and to apply those skills in a professional manner. The students who progress to the MSc from the PgD will also be expected to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research, combined with the management of an independent investigation in an area related to energy technology, with the aim of producing graduates with the capability to pursue a career in research and development through independence, self motivation and initiative.

Entry Requirements

Applicants must normally;

(a) have gained:

an Honours degree or non-Honours degree (plus at least one year’s relevant work experience) from a University of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, from the Council for National Academic awards, the National Council for Educational Awards, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, or from an institution of another country which is recognized as being or an equivalent standard; in an appropriate Engineering or Applied Physics discipline,
or

an equivalent standard in a Postgraduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate or an approved professional or other qualification, i.e., Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers, Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers, or Institution of Engineers of Ireland,
and

(b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent)

or as an alternative to (a) (i) or (a) (ii) and/or (b)

(c) in exceptional circumstances, where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of the graduate qualities (including subject specific outcomes, specified by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.

Other Fees

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The extensive consumption of fossil fuels worldwide has been contributing increasingly to global warming, air pollution and imminent energy crisis. One of the global challenges of the 21st century is to tackle these risks surrounding excessive CO2 emissions by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. However, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) shows that the world's current use of renewable energy is only 13% of its overall energy consumption.

In response to this, European Commission directives aim for a 20% reduction in fossil fuel usage throughout Europe by 2020, and a 15% increase in the use of renewable energy in the UK within the same time period. For Scotland, the Scottish Executive has a target of generating 17% to 18% of electricity from renewables by 2010, a figure rising to 80% by 2020. Renewables located in Scotland count towards both the Scottish target and to the overall target for the UK. Consequently, according to the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan (LCTP) by 2020: 34% of carbon emissions will be cut, over 1.2 million people will be employed in 'green' jobs; the efficiency of 7 million homes will be improved, with over 1.5 million of them generating renewable energy. With any luck, more than 50% of the world‘s energy supply could be met with renewables by 2050.

It follows through that huge business incentives, markets and a wide variety of employment opportunities throughout the world can be expected with the development of renewable energy resources as a substitute for fossil fuel technology. The purpose of the MSc programme is to help meet this demand by cultivating qualified and skilled professionals with specialist knowledge into the relevant technology within the renewable energy sector.

3-5-Years Distance Learning (from 2015)
The distance learning programme is designed to enable you to conduct most of your studies at home, in your own time and at your own pace. There is no requirement to attend lectures at Brunel University and there is no set timetable of lectures, instead you follow a structured programme of self-study at home or at work. This gives you the freedom to arrange a work programme to suit your needs. You should usually allow about twelve hours each week for study. There are set submission dates for assignments but we have tried to design the programme so that they are well-spaced, giving you the maximum flexibility in your study plans.

Students can take between 3 and 5 years to complete the course. The average is 3 years, with students taking four modules in the first year, three modules in the second year and the dissertation in the third year. However, depending on your other commitments you can take longer up to a maximum of 5 years. Students are supplied with a study pack in the form of text books and CD-ROMs; you will have assignments to submit and exams to sit each year. Examinations can be taken either at Brunel University or in the country you are resident in. We have an extensive network of organisations (Universities, Colleges and British Council Offices) throughout the world who will provide invigilation services. The cost of invigilation away from Brunel is the candidate's responsibility. Examinations are held in May each year.

Entry Requirements

A UK first or second class Honours degree Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification in an engineering or technology discipline. Other qualifications and relevant experience will be assessed on an individual basis.
English Language Requirements

IELTS: 6 (min 5.5 in all areas)
TOEFL Paper test: 550 (TWE 4) PBT
TOEFL Internet test: 79 IBT (R18, L17, S20, W17)
Pearson: 51 (51 in all subscores)
BrunELT: 60% (min 55% in all areas)
Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accept a range of other language courses. We also have a range of Pre-sessional English language courses, for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English.

Our International Pathways and Language Centre offers a range of foundation and pre-masters courses to provide candidates with the academic skills required for their chosen course.

Other Fees

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