Climate change is a major challenge for the 21st century, requiring an alternative supply of cleaner energy from renewable sources. This course is designed with an engineering focus that deals with applications, combined with the business element; applicable whether you work for a large organisation or a small to medium-size enterprise.
The MSc will meet, in part, the exemplifying academic benchmark requirements for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Accredited MSc graduates who also have a BEng(Hons) accredited for CEng, will be able to show that they have satisfied the educational base for CEng registration.
Mode | Duration | Attendance | Start date |
---|---|---|---|
Full time | 1 year | Delivered in one-week blocks | September 2021, January and March 2022 |
Full time | 2 years including professional placement | Delivered in one-week blocks plus placement year | September 2021, January and March 2022 |
Part time | 2 years | Delivered in one-week blocks | September 2021, January and March 2022 |
Important: if you are an international student requiring a Tier 4 student visa to study in the UK you will also need an ATAS certificate for this course.
Location | Roehampton Vale |
If you are planning to join this course in the academic year 2021/22 (i.e. between August 2021 and July 2022), please view the information about changes to courses for 2021/22 due to Covid-19.
Students who are continuing their studies with Kingston University in 2021/22 should refer to their Course Handbook for information about specific changes that have been, or may be, made to their course or modules being delivered in 2021/22. Course Handbooks are located within the Canvas Course page.
Global warming and the consequences of climate change will increasingly affect both developing and developed countries, especially if the greenhouse gases currently increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are not brought to an acceptable level.
A global priority for the 21st century must be to tackle CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, replacing them with sources of energy that are cleaner, sustainable and renewable. According to the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), the world's current use of renewable energy is only 13% of overall energy consumption.
In response to this, European Commission directives set a 20% reduction in the use of fossil fuel in Europe by 2020 and a 15% increase in the use of renewable energy in the UK. This means there are business incentives for developing alternative energy resources and technologies as a substitute for fossil fuel technology.
With the expected global growth in the renewable energy sector, there will be a crucial need for qualified and skilled engineers with specialist knowledge of the relevant technology. This MSc course focuses on viable sustainable and renewable sources of energy conversion based on systems using solar, wind and bio technologies.
The MSc will meet, in part, the academic benchmark requirements for registration as a Chartered Engineer. Accredited MSc graduates who also have a BEng(Hons) accredited for CEng, will be able to show that they have satisfied the educational base for CEng registration.
It should be noted that graduates from an accredited MSc programme, who do not also have an appropriately accredited honours degree, will not be regarded as having the exemplifying qualifications for professional registration as a chartered engineer with the Engineering Council; and will need to have their first qualification individually assessed through the individual case procedure if they wish to progress to CEng.
Find out more about Further Learning by visiting the Institution of Mechanical Engineers website.
Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.
Please check the Engineering Council website for more information about accredited degrees.
Further learning details are available on the Institution of Mechanical Engineers website.
The course provides an in-depth knowledge of renewable energy systems design and development, commercial and technical consultancy and project management within the sustainable engineering environment.
You will gain technical skills in and knowledge of solar power, wind power, biofuel and fuel cell technologies, as well as renewable energy business and management. In addition, you will gain practical skills in up-to-date computer-aided simulation technologies such as Polysun for solar energy applications, WindPRO for wind farm applications and ECLIPSE for biomass applications.
Option modules enable you to specialise in project engineering and management, as well as risk management or engineering design and development. Advanced topics, such as 3D solid modelling, computer-aided product development and simulation, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and simulation allow you to gain further practical and theoretical knowledge of analytical software tools used in product design.
Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.
If you start this course in January, you will complete the same modules as students who started in September but in a different format – please contact us at SECAdmissions@kingston.ac.uk for more information.
Teaching on this course usually takes place in two separate specific week blocks (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). For further details please contact secpgstudentoffice@kingston.ac.uk.
For a student to go on placement they are required to pass every module first time with no reassessments. It is the responsibility of individual students to find a suitable paid placement. Students will be supported by our dedicated placement team in securing this opportunity.
30 credits
This broad-based module comprehensively examines:
The module is primarily delivered through formal lectures and practical laboratory sessions, supported by case studies and tutorials, with comprehensive course material available via StudySpace.
30 credits
This core module provides a detailed examination of the solar energy conversion process, system design and application. The comprehensive content considers:
Core factual material is primarily delivered through lectures and supported by tutorials, with comprehensive course material available via StudySpace.
30 credits
The comprehensive content of this module examines:
The module also considers the latest developments and technical progress of wind-powered installations and covers all aspects of life-time project management, including:
The module is primarily delivered through lectures and practical laboratory sessions, supported by tutorials, with comprehensive course material available via StudySpace.
60 credits
This project module allows you to choose an area to research relating to a specific industrial problem and recommend a solution; utilising relevant hardware and software technology in order to produce a conference paper, an oral presentation and a substantial dissertation.
On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:
30 credits
This module is designed to equip you with the essential project management techniques so that you can take leadership in initiating and managing new projects in engineering companies. Such projects include new products, new services, setting up international collaborations, establishing supply chains, and to name but a few. Many successful organisations use project management as a core management tool to drive their business forward and to explore new territories.
The module is skill-driven and provides a comprehensive learning platform for you to master not only the theoretical techniques of project management, but also assess their applications through a variety of structured hands-on practical sessions and discussion forums. You will study and analyse reasons of success and failure of real projects through a series of case studies, and will learn how to establish and mitigate potential risks associate with a new project. Project and risk management is a sought-after subject area by industry and this module enhances the your employability potential in a wide spectrum of national and international industrial organisations.
30 credits
This option module is designed for students in mechanical engineering and allied subject areas to be able to extend existing knowledge and skills of relevant computational techniques and advanced mathematics developed at undergraduate level. Emphasis is placed on the solution to fluids problems in a realistic mechanical engineering context.
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
30 credits
This option module is structured to develop an in-depth understanding of some of the fundamental CAD/CAM/CAE computing technologies that support the engineering product development process. The module also develops both an understanding of the role of these technologies within product data management (PDM) systems and its role as a key enabler for product lifecycle management (PLM).
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
120 credits
The Professional Placement module is a core module for those students following a masters programme that incorporates an extended professional placement. It provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in an appropriate working environment, and develops and enhances key employability and subject specific skills in their chosen discipline. Students may wish to use the placement experience as a platform for the major project or future career.
It is the responsibility of individual students to find and secure a suitable placement opportunity; this should not normally involve more than two placements which must be completed over a minimum period of 10 months and within a maximum of 12 months. The placement must be approved by the Course Leader, prior to commencement to ensure its suitability. Students seeking placements will have access to the standard placement preparation activities offered by Student Engagement and Enhancement (SEE) group.
Read more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.
The information above reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. Updates may be made on an annual basis and revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year. The regulations governing this course are available on our website. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this may not be offered.
Many postgraduate courses at Kingston University allow students to take the option of a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The responsibility for finding the work placement is with the student; we cannot guarantee the placement, just the opportunity to undertake it. As the work placement is an assessed part of the course, it is covered by a student's Tier 4 visa.
Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.
This course is delivered by the School of Aerospace and Aircraft Engineering in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing.
The Faculty's wide selection of undergraduate and postgraduate courses covers a diverse range of subject areas, from aerospace to geography; from maths and computing to biotechnology; and many more. Our collaborative set-up provides new opportunities for our students, and we design our courses with industry professionals to ensure you stay up to date with the latest developments.
The University has a long historical association with training aerospace engineers, dating back to the Sopwith Aviation company in 1912. Today we are the largest aerospace provider in higher education (HESA data 07/08).
Kingston is the only UK university approved by the European Aviation Safety Association EASA Pt 14, allowing us to deliver courses at our Roehampton Vale campus. Students benefit from the specialist facilities at Roehampton Vale - from a Boeing 737 fuselage to large scale wind tunnels - all with programmes supported with the latest software technology.
Postgraduate students may run or assist in lab sessions and may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader.
There is a wide range of facilities for practical work at our Roehampton Vale campus, where this course is based. You will have access to a modern environment with the latest technology and industry-standard equipment, including:
We also have a dedicated postgraduate workroom with high spec PCs and a range of software.
The £4 million Hawker Wing, which opened in December 2007, provides three floors of extra space for students and staff at Roehampton Vale, including improved learning and teaching facilities.
Our excellent industrial links have developed over many years and throughout many countries. Some examples include work with:
Our Industrial Advisory Committee reviews and advises industrial activities. The Committee acts as a forum for discussing teaching, research and consultancy to industry.
Many academic staff are engaged in a range of research and consultancy activities funded by the Research Councils, the European Union, the government, trade unions and industry. These activities ensure our staff are in touch with the latest industry thinking and bring best practice to your studies.
Many of our staff in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing are research active. This ensures they are in touch with the latest thinking and bring best practice to your studies.
Current research projects at the Applied Engineering Research Centre cover the following areas: