Sustainable Energy Futures

Course Overview

The MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures aims to develop the next generation of leaders in the energy sector. This postgraduate course provides grounding in the major features of global energy issues, sustainable energy technologies and their interactions with economics, the environment and policy. Taking a quantitative approach to the study of technology and systems, the MSc mainly attracts students from engineering and physical sciences, though not exclusively. It will also appeal to those with some post degree experience wishing to gain a broader, more strategic perspective of energy issues. Combining the academic and industrial experience of the Faculty of Engineering with the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Imperial College Business School, the MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures offers a unique multidisciplinary teaching programme. Emphasis is placed on the study of whole systems and sustainability, in order to be directly applicable to the wide ranging and cross-cutting energy problems faced by society. Students will develop the critical evaluation skills, research techniques and quantitative analytical methodologies essential for assessing real-world energy systems. Course Overview: The MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures is offered as a full-time one year intensive course starting in early October and finishing in late September. It is split over three semesters: Autumn and Spring consist of mandatory taught modules and Summer is dedicated to carrying out a research project. Modules in the Autumn semester, including Energy Systems Technology, Methods for the Analysis of Energy Systems and Energy Economics and Policy, bring a diverse cohort up to speed on common language and analytical tools. In the Spring semester, students take six specialised modules that are taught as a sequence of intensive, two-week courses. Before embarking on individual research projects in the Summer, students will have chosen their topic and presented an initial literature review in the preceding semesters. There is opportunity to make use of the interdisciplinary nature of the MSc. Research projects take on at least two supervisors from different departments and throughout the year, students are required to attend un-assessed transferable skills workshops on Personal Effectiveness, Presentation and Communication and a Literature Review course developed exclusively for the MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures.