MSc Engineering with Sustainability

As international concerns surrounding the undeniable impact of climate change on human life grow, nations have started setting targets to save the planet for this and future generations. This includes targets to mitigate the impact of climate change, reduce carbon emissions and encourage sustainable lifestyles. This module enables students to appraise challenges around climate, carbon and environment conscious communities.

This module develops the critical thinking skills required to evaluate and implement effective safe practices in the workplace. It is based on first principles so that application is relevant to a diverse range of situations at a global level for any type of organisation. You will develop skills to evaluate working practice, identify potential system failure and create robust preventive measures in a dynamic and rapidly changing working environment influenced by different contexts, including cultural and ethical interpretations.

Increasingly many organisations have recognised that the environment is not just a matter of legislative compliance, but also a management issue. As a student of this module, you will engage with a series of practical tools which can be used to manage environmental issues, within both the public and private sector.

Managing a project is like managing a micro-organisation: from handling budgets, managing people, leading change, analysing and treating risk to dealing with contractors, managing stakeholder expectations and overseeing all aspects of the project. This module uses various tools and techniques to help students understand what is happening in a project and ensure a quality product is developed, the service or process is delivered on time, in budget and to specification.

This module equips you with an understanding of the complex nature of leading and managing people when implementing and evaluating change in organisations. The relationship between task, people and technology will be analysed in the context of organisational change. Factors that necessitate change and the main indicators of change are critically analysed. Different approaches to leadership are examined, as are alternative models of organisational change.

This module helps to broaden and deepen the knowledge, understanding and skills of students covering a diverse range of technical subjects that support an organisation’s core activities, including those related to the essential features of a sustainable organisation. It enhances students’ analytical and decision-making skills, particularly in the context of sustainable development.

This module develops a student’s understanding of environmental modelling through investigations of climate change, environmental models and their implications. It aims to equip students with the basic principles of model-based approaches in environmental science, develops their critical understanding of the current basis of climate change predictions, and explores various scenarios to assess future impact on the world.

This module covers introductory aspects of the science, technology, socio−economic and environmental aspects of renewable energy production, with a particular emphasis on biofuels. It aims to provide an understanding of the key types of renewable energy and their production as well as the socio−economic and environmental aspects of their production and utilisation.

This module is designed to introduce you to research methods and statistical analysis. Theoretical approaches to research and statistical concepts are taught in online lectures with virtual lab sessions using both quantitative and qualitative techniques that allow you to put theory into practice.

This module is designed to enable you to develop a research proposal. The module will provide guidance on the essential steps in research proposal development including literature searching, research question setting, identifying objectives and proposing a research methodology. Proposal development will also consider project planning, risks and mitigation, and legal and ethical issues.

Through an independent research project, you will select, plan, conduct and write up a research-based investigation. The project will include the selection of appropriate research and experimental methods, the collection and analysis of data and information and the evaluation and communication of findings and require the synthesis of a solution appropriate to the project aims. You will produce an artefact to complement the write-up of your investigation.