Study an Energy and Power MSc at Cranfield

Climate change, growing populations and limited fossil fuel resources mean that demand for renewable energy continues at an ever-increasing rate. Use of renewable resources and application of renewable energy technologies will play a major role in future energy supply.  Renewable energy is now at the heart of every informed discussion concerning energy sustainability, security and affordability. Graduates can expect to go on to a wide range of careers across the industrial and public sector.

Overview

  • Start dateFull-time: October. Part-time: October
  • DurationOne year full-time, two-three years part-time
  • DeliveryTaught modules 40%, group project 20% (or dissertation for part-time students), and individual project 40%.
  • QualificationMSc, PgDip, PgCert
  • Study typeFull-time / Part-time
  • CampusCranfield campus

Who is it for?

The MSc comprises eight assessed modules, an integrated group project and an individual project. Students undertaking the Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) complete the eight modules and the group project. Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) students complete six modules, a project and a personal development portfolio.

This course is suitable for engineering, maths or science graduates who wish to specialise in renewable energy. It develops professional engineers and scientists with the multidisciplinary skills and ability to analyse current and future energy problems. This course will equip you with the advanced interdisciplinary skills required to design, optimise and evaluate the technical and economic viability of renewable energy schemes. On the engineering route, you will have the opportunity to learn state-of-the-art technical skills required to design renewable energy systems including Finite Element Analysis (FEA).  The management route allows you to focus on aspects such as health and safety, environmental aspects and asset management.

Your career

With the current worldwide focus on addressing low carbon energy production and renewable energy technologies, graduates of this course can expect to be highly sought after by employers. Successful graduates will have the skills and knowledge to be able to analyse current and future energy needs, and design and implement appropriate solutions, taking into account the social, environmental, technical, regulatory and commercial issues. Graduates can expect to go on to a wide range of careers as professional scientists or engineers in energy production, distribution and demand management across the full breadth of industrial and public sector organisations.

Successful graduates have been able to pursue or enhance careers in a variety of key areas such as:

Design of new renewable energy solutions, testing and certification of renewable energy technologies, operation and maintenance (O&M) of renewable energy technologies, devices, structures and assets, technical-environmental analysis of novel renewable energy solutions.

Cranfield Careers Service
Our Careers Service can help you find the job you want after leaving Cranfield. We will work with you to identify suitable opportunities and support you in the job application process for up to three years after graduation.We have been providing Masters level training for over 20 years. Our strong reputation and links with potential employers provide you with outstanding opportunities to secure interesting jobs and develop successful careers. The increasing interest in sustainability and corporate and social responsibility has also enhanced the career prospects of our graduates.

Graduates have been directly employed by the following companies:

E.ON, Vestas, Vattenfall, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, ABB, Scottish Renewables, EDF, Iberdrola.

Why this course?

Evidence is growing that production from conventional oil resources has already peaked and that, at current usage rates, similar peaks will occur in the foreseeable future for natural gas and coal.

Developed economies now face a number of challenges in procuring energy security and responding to energy pricing and affordability issues, as well as dealing with contributions to carbon emissions in line with the UK Government’s ambitious targets of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Students benefit from dedicated state-of-the-art facilities including unique engineering-scale facilities for the development of efficient technologies with low CO2 emissions. In addition to management, communication, team work and research skills, each student will attain at least the following learning outcomes from this degree course:

  • Critically evaluate the key concepts and issues appertaining to the availability and use of renewable energy resources, together with the engineering principles and technologies that underpin the production, distribution and use of these energy resources
  • Systematically assess the technical and economic issues involved in the design and/or operation of renewable energy conversion systems.

Informed by Industry

We have a world class reputation for our industrial-scale research and pilot-scale demonstration programmes in the energy sector. Close engagement with the energy and transport sectors over the last 20 years has produced long-standing strategic partnerships with the sectors most prominent players. The strategic links with industry ensures that all of the material taught on the course is relevant, timely and meets the needs of organisations competing within the energy sector. This industry-led education makes our graduates some of the most desirable in the world for energy companies to recruit.

Course details

The taught programme for the Renewable Energy masters is generally delivered from October to February and is comprised of eight modules. The modules are delivered over one week of intensive delivery with a second week being free from structured teaching to allow time for more independent learning and reflection.

Students on the part-time programme will complete all of the modules based on a flexible schedule that will be agreed with the course director.

Group project

The group project is an applied, multidisciplinary, team-based activity. Often solving real-world, industry-based problems, students are provided with the opportunity to take responsibility for a consultancy-type project while working under academic supervision. Success is dependent on the integration of various activities and working within agreed objectives, deadlines and budgets. Transferable skills such as team work, self-reflection and clear communication are also developed.

Recent group projects include: 

Individual project

The individual project is the chance for students to focus on an area of particular interest to them and their future career.  Students select the individual project in consultation with the Thesis Co-ordinator and their Course Director. These projects provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to carry out independent research, think and work in an original way, contribute to knowledge, and overcome genuine problems in the offshore industry. Many of the projects are supported by external organisations.

Assessment

Taught modules 40%, group project 20% (or dissertation for part-time students), and individual project 40%.

Modules

Keeping our courses up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. The modules we offer reflect the needs of business and industry and the research interests of our staff and, as a result, may change or be withdrawn due to research developments, legislation changes or for a variety of other reasons. Changes may also be designed to improve the student learning experience or to respond to feedback from students, external examiners, accreditation bodies and industrial advisory panels.

To give you a taster, we have listed the compulsory modules and (where applicable) some elective modules affiliated with this programme which ran in the academic year 2018–2019. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2019 entry. All modules are subject to change depending on your year of entry.


Compulsory modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course

Engineering route compulsory modules

Principles of Renewable Energy Technologies

Module Leader
  • Dr Ying Jiang
Aim

    An understanding of the principles of renewable energy technologies is key to understanding the technological basis of the systems and applications, particularly with regards to the overall energy mix of a specific country. The module provides the fundamentals of the renewable energy technologies and their impact on global and national energy system. The purpose of this module is to introduce the basis for assessment of the performances of solar technologies (thermal and PV), onshore wind, biomass and waste technologies, and geothermal technologies.
Syllabus
    • Solar energy technologies, including photovoltaic and concentrated solar power [CSP];
      • Definition of solar radiation fundamentals and models of solar radiation
    • Biochemical sources of energy
      • Anaerobic digestion
      • Landfill gas
      • Waste and biomass
    • Onshore and offshore wind energy: fundamentals of wind turbines and placement.
    • Geothermal Systems (including ground-source heat pumps)
    • Wave and tidal energy technologies
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Articulate the fundamental principles, terminology and key issues related to the major onshore and offshore renewable energy technologies.
  • Critically compare the challenges for the development and operation of the major technologies, including government regulation and policy.
  • Identify gaps in the knowledge and discuss potential opportunities for further development, including technology and economic potential.

Post-Generation Engineering in Renewable Energy

Module Leader
  • Dr Jerry Luo
Aim
    To provide a fundamental understanding of energy storage and distribution after generation of renewable energy, and provide the students with knowledge in designing and analysing post-generation infrastructure through case studies of latest technology development in renewable energy storage, distribution and applications.
Syllabus

    1. Overview of energy storage and distribution for post-generation in renewable energy systems

    2. Energy storage technologies and materials

    • Thermal energy storage
    • Mechanical energy storage
    • Electromagnetic energy storage
    • Hydrogen storage

    3. Electrical energy storage technologies

    • Electrochemical energy storage
    • Principles determining the voltages and capacities of electrochemical cells
    • Materials and designs of electrochemical cells
    • Lead-acid and lithium batteries
    • Batteries for medium- to large-scale applications

    4. Sustainable management in energy systems

    • Monitoring and management of waste from energy generation
    • Management in energy distribution

    5. Electrical power management and control in energy storage and distribution

    • Control and automation of power systems
    • Transmission
    • Smart grids
    • Micro-grids integrated electric network

    6.    Case studies on the applications of energy storage and distribution, including smart grids, smart meters, energy management, and advanced battery technologies.

    • Smart grid for renewable energy systems
    • The energy generation, storage and distribution of PV systems
    • Internet of things (IoT) for smart energy systems
Intended learning outcomes
  • Critically evaluate the key benefits and challenges of energy storage and distribution networks in renewable energy.
  • Identify the appropriate energy storage and distribution methods for different types of renewable energy systems.
  • Analyse the main configurations and components in energy storage and distribution networks for renewable energy systems.
  • Justify the importance of materials, control, integration and information management issues in post-generation of renewable energy.
  • Appraise future technology trends in sustainability and assess associated opportunities and challenges.

Risk and Reliability Engineering

Module Leader
  • Dr Mahmood Shafiee
Aim
    To introduce the principles of risk and reliability engineering and associated tools and methods to solve relevant engineering problems in industry.
Syllabus
    • Introduction and fundamentals of risk management and reliability engineering.
    • Failure distributions: how to analysis and interpret failure data, introduce the most commonly used discrete and continuous failure distributions (e.g. Poisson, Exponential, Weibull and Normal).
    • Risk management process: hazard identification, assessment, evaluation and mitigation (risk acceptance, reduction, ignorance, transfer).
    • Risk assessment techniques: risk matrix, Pareto analysis, fault tree analysis (FTA), event tree analysis (ETA), failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA), hazard and operability study (HAZOP).
    • Reliability and availability analysis: system duty cycle, breakdown/shudown, MTTF/MTBF/MTTR, survival, failure/hazard rate.
    • Reliability analysis techniques: reliability block diagram (RBD), minimal cut-set (MCS), series and parallel configurations, k-out-of-n systems, active and passive redundancies.  
    • Introduction to structural reliability analysis: stress strength interference and limit state function, first-order / second-order reliability method (FORM/SORM), Damage accumulation and modelling of time-dependent reliability.
    • Identification of the role of inspection and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in risk reduction and reliability improvement.
    • Introduction to maintainability and its various measures
    • Workshops and case studies: Work in groups to determine the risk and reliability of subsea production systems, power distribution networks, wind turbines, gas turbines, etc. 
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Identify and analyse the concepts and principals of risk and reliability engineering and their potential applications to different engineering problems;
  • Assess and analyse appropriate approaches to the collection and interpretation of data in the application of risk and reliability engineering methods;
  • Evaluate and select appropriate techniques and tools for qualitative and quantitative risk analysis and reliability assessment;
  • Analyse and evaluate failure distributions, failure likelihood and potential consequences, and develop solutions for control/mitigation of risks.

Engineering Stress Analysis: Theory and Simulations

Module Leader
  • Dr Ali Mehmanparast
Aim
    This module brings together theoretical and computational stress analysis through Finite Element simulations, allowing students to appreciate how the two disciplines interact in practice and what their strengths and limitations are. The examination of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for various practical applications (e.g. engineering components, composite structures, rotating disks, cracked geometries) in conjunction with relevant case studies will allow students to combine theoretical understanding with practical experience in order to develop their skills to model and analyse complex engineering problems.
Syllabus
    • Stress Analysis: Introduction to stress analysis of components and structures, Ductile and brittle materials, Tensile data analysis, Material properties, Isotropic/kinematic hardening, Dynamic strain aging, Complex stress and strain, Stress and strain transformation, Principal stresses, Maximum shear stress, Mohr’s circle, Constitutive stress-strain equations, Fracture and yield criteria, Constraint and triaxiality effects, Plane stress and plane strain conditions, Thin walled cylinder theory, Thick walled cylinder theory (Lame Equations), Compound cylinders, Plastic deformation of cylinders, Introduction to computational stress analysis.
    • Finite Element Analysis: Introduction to FEA, Types of elements, Integration points, Meshing, Mesh convergence, Visualisation, Results interpretation, Beam structures under static and dynamic loading, stress concentration in steel and composite plates, tubular assemblies, 2D and 3D modelling of solid structures, axisymmetry and symmetry boundary conditions, CS1: Stress and strain variation in a pressure vessel subjected to different loading conditions, CS2: Prediction and validation of the stress and strain fields ahead of the crack tip. (case studies are indicative).
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Develop a strong foundation on stress analysis and demonstrate the ability to analyse a range of structural problems.
  • Explain the fundamentals of Finite Element Analysis, be able to evaluate methodologies applied to the analysis of structural members (beams, plates, shells, struts), and critically evaluate the applicability and limitations of the methods and the ability to make use of original thought and judgement when approaching structural analysis.
  • Provide an in-depth explanation of current practice through case studies of engineering problems.
  • Use the most widely applied commercial finite element software package (ABAQUS) and some of its advanced functionalities.
  • Evaluate the importance of mesh sensitivity in finite element simulations.

Management for Technology

Aim
    The importance of technology leadership in driving the technical aspects of an organisations products, innovation, programmes, operations and strategy is paramount, especially in today’s turbulent commercial environment with its unprecedented pace of technological development. Demand for ever more complex products and services has become the norm.  The challenge for today’s manager is to deal with uncertainty, to allow technological innovation and change to flourish but also to remain within planned parameters of performance.  Many organisations engaged with technological innovation struggle to find engineers with the right skills.  Specifically, engineers have extensive subject/discipline knowledge but do not understand management processes in organisational context.  In addition, STEM graduates often lack interpersonal skills.
Syllabus
    • Engineers and Technologists in organisations: The role of organisations and the challenges facing engineers and technologies.
    • People management: Understanding you. Understanding other people. Working in teams. Dealing with conflicts.
    • The Business Environment: Understanding the business environment; identifying key trends and their implications for the organisation.
    • Strategy and Marketing: Developing effective strategies; Focusing on the customer; building competitive advantage; The role of strategic assets.
    • Finance: Profit and loss accounts. Balance sheets. Cash flow forecasting.Project appraisal.
    • New product development: Commercialising technology. Market drivers. Time to market. Focusing technology. Concerns.
    • Business game: Working in teams (companies), students will set up and run a technology company and make decisions on investment, R&D funding, operations, marketing and sales strategy.
    • Negotiation: Preparation for Negotiations. Negotiation process. Win-Win solutions.
    • Presentation skills: Understanding your audience. Focusing your message. Successful presentations. Getting your message across.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Recognise the importance of teamwork in the performance and success of organisations with particular reference to commercialising technological innovation.
  • Operate as an effective team member, recognising the contribution of individuals within the team, and capable of developing team working skills in themselves and others to improve the overall performance of a team.
  • Compare and evaluate the impact of the key functional areas (strategy, marketing and finance) on the commercial performance of an organisation, relevant to the manufacture of a product or provision of a technical service.
  • Design and deliver an effective presentation that justifies and supports any decisions or recommendations made
  • Argue and defend their judgements through constructive communication and negotiating skills.

Energy Systems Case Studies

Module Leader
  • Dr Stuart Wagland
Aim
    The module aims to provide the students with a deep understanding of the truly multidisciplinary nature of a real industrial project.  Using a relevant case study, the scientific and technical concepts learned during the previous modules will be brought together and used to execute the analysis of the case study.
Syllabus
    • Work flow definition: setting up the single aspects to be considered, the logical order, and the interfaces.
    • Design of an appropriate analysis toolkit specific to the case study
    • Development of a management or maintenance framework for the case study
    • Multi-criteria decision analysis [MDCA] applied to energy technologies to identify the best available technology. 
    • Energy technologies and systems: understanding the development and scaling/design of the technologies by applying an understanding of the available resources in the assigned location;
    • Public engagement strategies and the planning process involved in developing energy technologies.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Critically evaluate available technological options, and select the most appropriate method for determining the best available technology [BAT] for the specific case study;
  • Demonstrate the ability to work as part of a group to achieve the stated requirements of the module brief;
  • Demonstrate the ability to organise the single-discipline activities in a logical workflow, and to define the interfaces between them, designing an overall multidisciplinary approach for the specific case study.

Fluid Mechanics and Loading

Module Leader
  • Dr Imma Bortone
Aim
    To provide a theoretical and applied understanding of fluid mechanics and fluid loading on structures.
Syllabus

    Principles of fluid dynamics:

    • Properties of fluids: Control volumes & fluid elements, Continuity, Momentum & Energy equations, stream function & velocity potential, Bernoulli’s equation.
    • Flow structures: Boundary layer theory, laminar & turbulent flow, steady & unsteady flow, flow breakdown & separations, vortex formation & stability
    • Lifting flows: Circulation theory, Prandtl’s lifting-line theory, sources of drag,  aerofoil characteristics
    • Fluid loading on horizontal and vertical axis turbines

    Dynamics of floating bodies: from simple hydrostatics to complex dynamic response in waves.

    • Hydrostatics of Floating Bodies; Buoyancy Forces and Stability, Initial stability, The wall sided formula and large angle stability, Stability losses, The Pressure Integration Technique
    • Fluid loading on offshore structures and Ocean Waves Theory: The Added Mass Concept, Froude Krylov Force, Linear wave theory, Wave loading (Diffraction Theory & Morison Equation),
    • Dynamics response of floating structures in waves: dynamic response analysis, application to floating bodies (buoys, semisub, TLP), effect of moorings.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Explain how the wind, waves and tides are formed, factors that influence their distribution & predictability;
  • Review the fundamental equations for fluid behaviour, characterisation of flow structures and forces and moments acting on lifting bodies;
  • Evaluate and select the most appropriate model to assess and undertake the simulation of a floating structure static and dynamic stability.

Engineering route elective modules

Computational Fluid Dynamics for Renewable Energy

Module Leader
  • Dr Patrick Verdin
Aim
    To introduce the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques and tools for modelling, simulating and analysing practical engineering problems related to renewable energy, with hands on experience using commercial software packages used in industry.
Syllabus
  • Introduction to CFD & thermo-fluids: Introduction to the physics of thermo-fluids. Governing equations (continuity, momentum, energy and species conservation) and state of the art Computational Fluid Dynamics including modelling, grid generation, simulation, and high performance computing.  Case study of an Industrial problem and the physical processes where CFD can be used.
  • Computational Engineering Exercise: specification for a CFD simulation. Requirements for accurate analysis and validation for multi scale problems. Introduction to Turbulence & practical applications of Turbulence Models: Introduction to Turbulence and turbulent flows. Traditional turbulence modelling. 
  • Advanced Turbulence Modelling: Introduction to Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations and large-eddy simulation (LES).
  • Practical sessions: Offshore renewable energy problems (flow around wind and tidal turbines) will be solved employing the widely-used industrial flow solver software FLUENT.  These practical sessions will cover the entire CFD process including grid generation, flow solver, analysis, validation and visualisation.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Assemble and evaluate the different components of the CFD process.
  • Explain the governing equations for fluid flows and how to solve them computationally.
  • Compare and contrast various methods for simulating turbulent flows applicable to civil and mechanical engineering, especially offshore renewable energy applications such as wind turbines and tidal turbines.
  • Set up simulations and evaluate a practical problem using a commercial CFD package.
  • Design CFD modelling studies of renewable energy devices.

Structural Integrity

Module Leader
  • Dr Ali Mehmanparast
Aim
    To provide an understanding of pertinent issues concerning the use of engineering materials and practical tools for solving structural integrity and structural fitness-for-service problems.
Syllabus
    • Introduction & Structural Design Philosophies
    • Fatigue Crack Initiation
    • Fracture Mechanics (1) – Derivation of G and K
    • Fracture Mechanics (2) – LEFM and EPFM
    • Fracture Mechanics (3) – Evaluation of Fracture Mechanics Parameters; K and J
    • Fracture Toughness Testing and Analysis; KIC and JIC
    • Creep Deformation and Crack Growth
    • Non Destructive Testing Methods
    • Inspection Reliability
    • Defect Assessment, Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics of Welded Components
    • Fracture of Composites
    • Corrosion Engineering
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Assess fitness-for-service issues and propose appropriate structural integrity solutions.
  • Judge the current component life assessment procedures and distinguish their limitations in aspects of structural integrity.
  • Develop a critical and analytical approach towards the engineering aspects of structural integrity.
  • Be able to confidently assess the applicability of the tools of structural integrity to new problems and apply them appropriately.

Management route compulsory modules

Principles of Renewable Energy Technologies

Module Leader
  • Dr Ying Jiang
Aim

    An understanding of the principles of renewable energy technologies is key to understanding the technological basis of the systems and applications, particularly with regards to the overall energy mix of a specific country. The module provides the fundamentals of the renewable energy technologies and their impact on global and national energy system. The purpose of this module is to introduce the basis for assessment of the performances of solar technologies (thermal and PV), onshore wind, biomass and waste technologies, and geothermal technologies.
Syllabus
    • Solar energy technologies, including photovoltaic and concentrated solar power [CSP];
      • Definition of solar radiation fundamentals and models of solar radiation
    • Biochemical sources of energy
      • Anaerobic digestion
      • Landfill gas
      • Waste and biomass
    • Onshore and offshore wind energy: fundamentals of wind turbines and placement.
    • Geothermal Systems (including ground-source heat pumps)
    • Wave and tidal energy technologies
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Articulate the fundamental principles, terminology and key issues related to the major onshore and offshore renewable energy technologies.
  • Critically compare the challenges for the development and operation of the major technologies, including government regulation and policy.
  • Identify gaps in the knowledge and discuss potential opportunities for further development, including technology and economic potential.

Post-Generation Engineering in Renewable Energy

Module Leader
  • Dr Jerry Luo
Aim
    To provide a fundamental understanding of energy storage and distribution after generation of renewable energy, and provide the students with knowledge in designing and analysing post-generation infrastructure through case studies of latest technology development in renewable energy storage, distribution and applications.
Syllabus

    1. Overview of energy storage and distribution for post-generation in renewable energy systems

    2. Energy storage technologies and materials

    • Thermal energy storage
    • Mechanical energy storage
    • Electromagnetic energy storage
    • Hydrogen storage

    3. Electrical energy storage technologies

    • Electrochemical energy storage
    • Principles determining the voltages and capacities of electrochemical cells
    • Materials and designs of electrochemical cells
    • Lead-acid and lithium batteries
    • Batteries for medium- to large-scale applications

    4. Sustainable management in energy systems

    • Monitoring and management of waste from energy generation
    • Management in energy distribution

    5. Electrical power management and control in energy storage and distribution

    • Control and automation of power systems
    • Transmission
    • Smart grids
    • Micro-grids integrated electric network

    6.    Case studies on the applications of energy storage and distribution, including smart grids, smart meters, energy management, and advanced battery technologies.

    • Smart grid for renewable energy systems
    • The energy generation, storage and distribution of PV systems
    • Internet of things (IoT) for smart energy systems
Intended learning outcomes
  • Critically evaluate the key benefits and challenges of energy storage and distribution networks in renewable energy.
  • Identify the appropriate energy storage and distribution methods for different types of renewable energy systems.
  • Analyse the main configurations and components in energy storage and distribution networks for renewable energy systems.
  • Justify the importance of materials, control, integration and information management issues in post-generation of renewable energy.
  • Appraise future technology trends in sustainability and assess associated opportunities and challenges.

Risk and Reliability Engineering

Module Leader
  • Dr Mahmood Shafiee
Aim
    To introduce the principles of risk and reliability engineering and associated tools and methods to solve relevant engineering problems in industry.
Syllabus
    • Introduction and fundamentals of risk management and reliability engineering.
    • Failure distributions: how to analysis and interpret failure data, introduce the most commonly used discrete and continuous failure distributions (e.g. Poisson, Exponential, Weibull and Normal).
    • Risk management process: hazard identification, assessment, evaluation and mitigation (risk acceptance, reduction, ignorance, transfer).
    • Risk assessment techniques: risk matrix, Pareto analysis, fault tree analysis (FTA), event tree analysis (ETA), failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA), hazard and operability study (HAZOP).
    • Reliability and availability analysis: system duty cycle, breakdown/shudown, MTTF/MTBF/MTTR, survival, failure/hazard rate.
    • Reliability analysis techniques: reliability block diagram (RBD), minimal cut-set (MCS), series and parallel configurations, k-out-of-n systems, active and passive redundancies.  
    • Introduction to structural reliability analysis: stress strength interference and limit state function, first-order / second-order reliability method (FORM/SORM), Damage accumulation and modelling of time-dependent reliability.
    • Identification of the role of inspection and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in risk reduction and reliability improvement.
    • Introduction to maintainability and its various measures
    • Workshops and case studies: Work in groups to determine the risk and reliability of subsea production systems, power distribution networks, wind turbines, gas turbines, etc. 
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Identify and analyse the concepts and principals of risk and reliability engineering and their potential applications to different engineering problems;
  • Assess and analyse appropriate approaches to the collection and interpretation of data in the application of risk and reliability engineering methods;
  • Evaluate and select appropriate techniques and tools for qualitative and quantitative risk analysis and reliability assessment;
  • Analyse and evaluate failure distributions, failure likelihood and potential consequences, and develop solutions for control/mitigation of risks.

Engineering Stress Analysis: Theory and Simulations

Module Leader
  • Dr Ali Mehmanparast
Aim
    This module brings together theoretical and computational stress analysis through Finite Element simulations, allowing students to appreciate how the two disciplines interact in practice and what their strengths and limitations are. The examination of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for various practical applications (e.g. engineering components, composite structures, rotating disks, cracked geometries) in conjunction with relevant case studies will allow students to combine theoretical understanding with practical experience in order to develop their skills to model and analyse complex engineering problems.
Syllabus
    • Stress Analysis: Introduction to stress analysis of components and structures, Ductile and brittle materials, Tensile data analysis, Material properties, Isotropic/kinematic hardening, Dynamic strain aging, Complex stress and strain, Stress and strain transformation, Principal stresses, Maximum shear stress, Mohr’s circle, Constitutive stress-strain equations, Fracture and yield criteria, Constraint and triaxiality effects, Plane stress and plane strain conditions, Thin walled cylinder theory, Thick walled cylinder theory (Lame Equations), Compound cylinders, Plastic deformation of cylinders, Introduction to computational stress analysis.
    • Finite Element Analysis: Introduction to FEA, Types of elements, Integration points, Meshing, Mesh convergence, Visualisation, Results interpretation, Beam structures under static and dynamic loading, stress concentration in steel and composite plates, tubular assemblies, 2D and 3D modelling of solid structures, axisymmetry and symmetry boundary conditions, CS1: Stress and strain variation in a pressure vessel subjected to different loading conditions, CS2: Prediction and validation of the stress and strain fields ahead of the crack tip. (case studies are indicative).
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Develop a strong foundation on stress analysis and demonstrate the ability to analyse a range of structural problems.
  • Explain the fundamentals of Finite Element Analysis, be able to evaluate methodologies applied to the analysis of structural members (beams, plates, shells, struts), and critically evaluate the applicability and limitations of the methods and the ability to make use of original thought and judgement when approaching structural analysis.
  • Provide an in-depth explanation of current practice through case studies of engineering problems.
  • Use the most widely applied commercial finite element software package (ABAQUS) and some of its advanced functionalities.
  • Evaluate the importance of mesh sensitivity in finite element simulations.

Management for Technology

Aim
    The importance of technology leadership in driving the technical aspects of an organisations products, innovation, programmes, operations and strategy is paramount, especially in today’s turbulent commercial environment with its unprecedented pace of technological development. Demand for ever more complex products and services has become the norm.  The challenge for today’s manager is to deal with uncertainty, to allow technological innovation and change to flourish but also to remain within planned parameters of performance.  Many organisations engaged with technological innovation struggle to find engineers with the right skills.  Specifically, engineers have extensive subject/discipline knowledge but do not understand management processes in organisational context.  In addition, STEM graduates often lack interpersonal skills.
Syllabus
    • Engineers and Technologists in organisations: The role of organisations and the challenges facing engineers and technologies.
    • People management: Understanding you. Understanding other people. Working in teams. Dealing with conflicts.
    • The Business Environment: Understanding the business environment; identifying key trends and their implications for the organisation.
    • Strategy and Marketing: Developing effective strategies; Focusing on the customer; building competitive advantage; The role of strategic assets.
    • Finance: Profit and loss accounts. Balance sheets. Cash flow forecasting.Project appraisal.
    • New product development: Commercialising technology. Market drivers. Time to market. Focusing technology. Concerns.
    • Business game: Working in teams (companies), students will set up and run a technology company and make decisions on investment, R&D funding, operations, marketing and sales strategy.
    • Negotiation: Preparation for Negotiations. Negotiation process. Win-Win solutions.
    • Presentation skills: Understanding your audience. Focusing your message. Successful presentations. Getting your message across.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Recognise the importance of teamwork in the performance and success of organisations with particular reference to commercialising technological innovation.
  • Operate as an effective team member, recognising the contribution of individuals within the team, and capable of developing team working skills in themselves and others to improve the overall performance of a team.
  • Compare and evaluate the impact of the key functional areas (strategy, marketing and finance) on the commercial performance of an organisation, relevant to the manufacture of a product or provision of a technical service.
  • Design and deliver an effective presentation that justifies and supports any decisions or recommendations made
  • Argue and defend their judgements through constructive communication and negotiating skills.

Energy Systems Case Studies

Module Leader
  • Dr Stuart Wagland
Aim
    The module aims to provide the students with a deep understanding of the truly multidisciplinary nature of a real industrial project.  Using a relevant case study, the scientific and technical concepts learned during the previous modules will be brought together and used to execute the analysis of the case study.
Syllabus
    • Work flow definition: setting up the single aspects to be considered, the logical order, and the interfaces.
    • Design of an appropriate analysis toolkit specific to the case study
    • Development of a management or maintenance framework for the case study
    • Multi-criteria decision analysis [MDCA] applied to energy technologies to identify the best available technology. 
    • Energy technologies and systems: understanding the development and scaling/design of the technologies by applying an understanding of the available resources in the assigned location;
    • Public engagement strategies and the planning process involved in developing energy technologies.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Critically evaluate available technological options, and select the most appropriate method for determining the best available technology [BAT] for the specific case study;
  • Demonstrate the ability to work as part of a group to achieve the stated requirements of the module brief;
  • Demonstrate the ability to organise the single-discipline activities in a logical workflow, and to define the interfaces between them, designing an overall multidisciplinary approach for the specific case study.

Health Safety Security and Environment

Module Leader
  • Dr Gill Drew
Aim
    Health, safety, security and the environment are all key considerations when working in the offshore and renewable energy sectors. These 4 topics are also broad and cover many aspects.  Within the scope of a single module, it is not possible to cover all 4 aspects in depth. The module is therefore designed to provide students with the competencies to assess and evaluate the relevant international standards as well as the legislation and regulatory requirements. There is a strong focus on the use of case studies to provide examples of how standards and legislation are implemented in practice.
Syllabus
    • Introduction to the International Standards associated with HSSE, including the ISO 14000 family 
    • Environmental legislation and voluntary standards.
    • Environmental impacts and prevention
    • Occupational health and safety legislation and duty of care
    • Human reliability analysis and accident causation: Major accident sequences, risk perception and control of risk human reliability assessment tools, HEART and THERP.
    • Offshore safety case and formal safety assessments: regulatory regime,  safety case requirements, types of study, scenario development, examples of use of QRA methods, consequence analysis, vulnerability of essential systems, smoke and gas ingress, evacuation escape and rescue and typical output.
    • Review of major offshore accidents: Sea Gem, Alexander Keilland, Star Canopus and Piper Alpha disaster. 
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Critique the ISO standards relevant to occupational health, safety and the environment, within the context of offshore and renewable energy.
  • Differentiate between voluntary requirements and legal or regulatory requirements for health and safety, and the environment
  • Evaluate the likely environmental impacts resulting from offshore and renewable energy industries
  • Design an appropriate health and safety policy for a particular offshore environment or renewable energy technology 

Advanced Maintenance Engineering and Asset Management

Module Leader
  • Dr Mahmood Shafiee
Aim
    To provide the knowledge and skills necessary to design advanced maintenance, monitoring and asset management strategies for complex engineering systems through the lifecycle.
Syllabus
    • Introduction: Asset management, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), asset productivity.
    • Asset integrity: Asset integrity management (AIM), Risk-based integrity, through-life engineering.
    • Maintenance engineering: Maintenance regimes, reactive vs. proactive maintenance; Age and block maintenance, reliability-centred maintenance (RCM), risk-based maintenance (RBM), total productive maintenance (TPM), world-class maintenance (WCMain).
    • Fault diagnosis and prognosis: Fault detection and failure location; root-cause analysis (RCA), Common-cause analysis (CCA), Condition-based maintenance (CBM), predictive maintenance (PdM), prognostics.
    • Maintenance modelling, planning, scheduling, and optimization.
    • Reliability data analysis: types and sources of reliability data, data collection, data cleansing, data accuracy and precision, model fitting, big-data, incomplete data, redundant data, not-detailed data.
    • Applications of Monte-Carlo Simulation (MCS) and Bayesian Network (BN) in system reliability and availability assessment.
    • Probability of failure, Cost of failure, and risk of failure in networked infrastructures.
    • System’s life-cycle: Life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis, whole-life costing, how to identify cost drivers of system operation.
    • Robotic and autonomous maintenance; overview of the capabilities and limitations of commercially available aerial and underwater remote and autonomous systems, and how these systems are integrated in the overall maintenance strategy.
    • Reliability of condition monitoring technologies and sensors, Probability of Detection (POD) and Probability of Sizing (POS).
    • Decommissioning vs. life extension.
    • Warranty and service contracts analysis: guarantees, warranties, extended warranties, service contracts, and maintenance outsourcing with several examples from different industries.
    • Workshops and case studies: Work in groups to analyse the reliability, availability and maintainability of various offshore systems and components.
Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Identify and recognise the asset management best practices and advanced maintenance strategies for engineering systems in different industries.
  • Analyse key and fundamental aspects of system’s life-cycle and understand the financial implications involved with assessing the maintenance and risk factors.
  • Differentiate between classical maintenance strategies (run-to-failure, time-based) and novel maintenance strategies (e.g. risk/reliability centred maintenance, predictive and diagnostic maintenance, predictive maintenance) and evaluate their main advantages and limitations
  • Determine the concept and utilise applications of Monte-Carlo Simulation (MSC), Bayesian Network (BN) in system reliability and availability assessment.
  • Evaluate the capabilities and limitations of robotic and autonomous maintenance systems, and outline the future trends and impacts on the maintenance strategy
  • Design an appropriate maintenance strategy for complex engineering systems, detailing how the strategy is embedded throughout the asset life-cycle.

Teaching team

You will be taught by industry-active research academics from Cranfield with an established track record, supported by visiting lecturers from industry. To ensure the programme is aligned to industry needs, the course is directed by its own Industrial Advisory Committee. Dr Mahmood Shafiee (Course director) Professor Phil Hart

Mahmood Shafiee

Dr Mahmood Shafiee

Director of MSc Course in Renewable Energy / Senior Lecturer in Risk and Reliability Engineering
Gill Drew

Dr Gill Drew

Lecturer in Environmental Management
Philip Longhurst

Professor Philip Longhurst

Professor
Jerry Luo

Dr Jerry Luo

Lecturer in Energy Storage and Harvesting
Ying Jiang

Dr Ying Jiang

Lecturer in Bioenergy
Stuart Wagland

Dr Stuart Wagland

Senior Lecturer in Energy and Environmental Chemistry
Ali Mehmanparast

Dr Ali Mehmanparast

Senior Lecturer in Structural Integrity
Patrick Verdin

Dr Patrick Verdin

Lecturer in Energy Fluid Dynamics
Imma Bortone

Dr Imma Bortone

Lecturer in Fluid Flow and Environmental Engineering
Peter Clough

Dr Peter Clough

Lecturer in Energy Engineering
Stephen Carver

Mr Stephen Carver

Senior Lecturer in Project & Programme Management

Fees and funding

European Union students applying for university places in the 2018 to 2019 academic year will still have access to student funding support. Please see the UK Government’s announcement (21 April 2017).

Cranfield University welcomes applications from students from all over the world for our postgraduate programmes. The Home/EU student fees listed continue to apply to EU students.

MSc Full-time £10,250
MSc Part-time £1,635 *
PgDip Full-time £8,200
PgDip Part-time £1,635 *
PgCert Full-time £4,510
PgCert Part-time £1,635 *
  • * This course has an annual registration fee and a fee per taught module. The fee quoted above is the annual registration fee and this amount will be invoiced annually. The fee for each taught module is £1,340 and this amount will be payable on attendance. The course consists of a number of taught modules with each module usually worth 10 credits. MSc and PgDip awards consist of 8 taught modules and PgCert awards consist of 6 taught modules. Where a module is worth either 5 credits or 20 credits then the module fee will be adjusted accordingly (so a 5 credit module fee will be halved and a 20 credit module fee will be doubled).
  • ** Fees can be paid in full up front, or in equal annual instalments. Students who complete their course before the initial end date will be invoiced the outstanding fee balance and must pay in full prior to graduation.

Fee notes:

  • The fees outlined apply to all students whose initial date of registration falls on or between 1 August 2019 and 31 July 2020.
  • All students pay the tuition fee set by the University for the full duration of their registration period agreed at their initial registration.
  • A deposit may be payable, depending on your course.
  • Additional fees for extensions to the agreed registration period may be charged.
  • Fee eligibility at the Home/EU rate is determined with reference to UK Government regulations. As a guiding principle, EU nationals (including UK) who are ordinarily resident in the EU pay Home/EU tuition fees, all other students (including those from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) pay Overseas fees.

MSc Full-time £20,500
MSc Part-time £20,500 **
PgDip Full-time £16,605
PgDip Part-time £16,605 **
PgCert Full-time £8,300
PgCert Part-time £8,300 **
  • * This course has an annual registration fee and a fee per taught module. The fee quoted above is the annual registration fee and this amount will be invoiced annually. The fee for each taught module is £1,340 and this amount will be payable on attendance. The course consists of a number of taught modules with each module usually worth 10 credits. MSc and PgDip awards consist of 8 taught modules and PgCert awards consist of 6 taught modules. Where a module is worth either 5 credits or 20 credits then the module fee will be adjusted accordingly (so a 5 credit module fee will be halved and a 20 credit module fee will be doubled).
  • ** Fees can be paid in full up front, or in equal annual instalments. Students who complete their course before the initial end date will be invoiced the outstanding fee balance and must pay in full prior to graduation.

Fee notes:

  • The fees outlined apply to all students whose initial date of registration falls on or between 1 August 2019 and 31 July 2020.
  • All students pay the tuition fee set by the University for the full duration of their registration period agreed at their initial registration.
  • A deposit may be payable, depending on your course.
  • Additional fees for extensions to the agreed registration period may be charged.
  • Fee eligibility at the Home/EU rate is determined with reference to UK Government regulations. As a guiding principle, EU nationals (including UK) who are ordinarily resident in the EU pay Home/EU tuition fees, all other students (including those from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) pay Overseas fees.

Funding Opportunities

To help students in finding and securing appropriate funding we have created a funding finder where you can search for suitable sources of funding by filtering the results to suit your needs. Visit the funding finder.

GREAT China Scholarship
The GREAT Cranfield University Scholarship China is jointly funded by Cranfield University and the British Council. Two scholarships of £11,000 each for Chinese students are available.

The Cranfield Scholarship

We have a limited number of scholarships available for candidates from around the world. Scholarships are awarded to applicants who show both aptitude and ability for the subject they are applying. Find out more about the Cranfield Scholarship

Masters Loan from Student Finance England

A Masters Loan is now available for UK and EU applicants to help you pay for your Master’s course. You can apply for a loan at GOV.UK

Santander Scholarship

The Santander Scholarship at Cranfield University is worth £4,000 towards tuition fees for full-time master's courses. The scholarship is open to female students from the UK.

Commonwealth Scholarships for Developing Countries

Students from developing countries who would not otherwise be able to study in the UK can apply for a Commonwealth Scholarship which includes tuition fees, travel and monthly stipend for Master’s study.

Future Finance Student Loans

Cranfield University has partnered with Future Finance as an alternative source of funding for our students with loans of up to £40,000 available.

Chevening Scholarships

Chevening Scholarships are awarded to outstanding emerging leaders to pursue a one-year master’s at Cranfield university. The scholarship includes tuition fees, travel and monthly stipend for Master’s study.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

Students from developing countries who would not otherwise be able to study in the UK can apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship which includes tuition fees, travel and monthly stipend for Master’s study, jointly supported by Cranfield University.

Cranfield Postgraduate Loan Scheme (CPLS)

The Cranfield Postgraduate Loan Scheme (CPLS) is a funding programme providing affordable tuition fee and maintenance loans for full-time UK/EU students studying technology-based Masters courses.

Institution of Mechanical Engineers Postgraduate Masters Scholarship

IMechE is offering a number of postgraduate research Scholarships worth up to £6,500 to graduates with a 2:1 honours IMechE accredited BEng(Hons) degree to allow them to undertake an IMechE accredited Masters degree.

IGEM Postgraduate Masters Scholarship
The Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) is offering postgraduate Masters Scholarships worth £6,500 to those studying an Engineering Council accredited degree.

GREAT India Scholarship
The GREAT Cranfield University Scholarship India is jointly funded by Cranfield University and the British Council. The scholarship covers full tuition fees for outstanding Indian students.

Lendwise Postgraduate Student Loan
The Lendwise Postgraduate Student Loan provides tuition fee and maintenance loans of between £5,000 and £100,000 for eligible applicants studying at Cranfield University.

Scottish Power Masters Scholarship
The scholarship covers tuition fees and living costs for postgraduate students in engineering, renewable energy, environmental science, cyber security and related fields.

The TAQA Arabia International Scholarship 

The TAQA Arabia International Scholarship for Egyptian students will go towards funding the studies of 1 master’s degree student per year in the field of renewable energy. The TAQA scholarship covers both tuition fees and living expenses.

Delta Foundation Chevening Scholarships Taiwan

The Chevening/Delta Environmental Scholarship Scheme is designed to promote environmental awareness and increase future activity to tackle environmental issues, in particular climate change, by offering two joint scholarships for students from Taiwan.


Entry requirements

A first or second class UK Honours degree (or equivalent) in a related science or engineering discipline. Other recognised professional qualifications or several years relevant industrial experience may be accepted as equivalent; subject to approval by the Course Director.

Applicants who do not fulfil the standard entry requirements can apply for the Pre-Masters programme, successful completion of which will qualify them for entry to this course for a second year of study.

English Language

If you are an international student you will need to provide evidence that you have achieved a satisfactory test result in an English qualification. Our minimum requirements are as follows:

In addition to these minimum scores you are also expected to achieve a balanced score across all elements of the test. We reserve the right to reject any test score if any one element of the test score is too low.

We can only accept tests taken within two years of your registration date (with the exception of Cambridge English tests which have no expiry date).

Students requiring a Tier 4 (General) visa must ensure they can meet the English language requirements set out by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and we recommend booking a IELTS for UKVI test.

Applicants who do not already meet the English language entry requirement for their chosen Cranfield course can apply to attend one of our Presessional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. We offer Winter/Spring and Summer programmes each year to offer holders.

How to apply

Online application form. UK students are normally expected to attend an interview and financial support is best discussed at this time. Overseas and EU students may be interviewed by telephone.

Apply Now