Marine Renewable Energy (Taught)

MSc Marine Renewable Energy provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the marine energy sector, including the technical, environmental, and economic drivers which shape the industry. You’ll be involved in interdisciplinary teaching and learning to make a positive contribution in the development of sustainable marine renewable energy initiatives. The programme is suitable for those from a wide variety of academic backgrounds who want to work in the marine renewable energy industry.

You’ll become familiar with the key drivers and limitations of marine renewable energy technologies and their associated development processes. The curriculum focuses on three themes of environment, technology, and governance.

You’ll understand the marine environment, sources of energy, and consider potential environmental effects of marine energy development.

You’ll gain an awareness of the fundamental technology options for generating new marine renewable energy platforms and their limitations, including issues surrounding the storage of energy and the integration of marine energy into wider energy systems.

You’ll also explore the relevant policy, legislation and planning approaches, and understand the nature of energy markets and the economic instruments used to promote marine renewable energy through using financial appraisal tools for individual developments.

This career-focused master’s programme will develop your technical, scientific, and managerial abilities, and provide you with a specialist education to set you up to become a professional in a range of roles within marine renewable energy.

Customise your learning

You will study the programme full-time for 12 months in Orkney. You’ll take two mandatory courses that will provide you with current knowledge in marine renewable energy technologies and commercialisation. You can customise your learning to match your specific interests or desired career pathway by choosing six optional courses from a range of over ten environmental, marine, and energy transition specialist courses, including marine planning, environmental processes, oceanography, and transition engineering.

In semester three, you’ll undertake an extensive and specialised investigation into your chosen area of interest in marine renewable energy through your dissertation. You’ll be required to demonstrate your mastery of the subject area by researching, investigating, and reporting on a specialist topic, and you’ll be required to do this within the time and resources available.

You’ll have the opportunity to go on a two-week field trip to Malaysia through the optional Tropical and Coral Reefs: Monitoring and Management course. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the marine environment whilst learning different techniques for surveying and monitoring coral reefs.

Employability

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. An average salary of £ 33,500.

Potential career paths

-Marine development companies
-Utilities
-Consultancies
-Governments
-Regulators
-NGOs