For an MSc award you must successfully complete 120 credits of taught modules and a 60-credit master's research project.
Course structure
Core modules
Engineering Research Project
You investigate an area of engineering and work independently to a level recognised to be at the forefront of the discipline. The topic can be in the form of a research project or a design project. Key skills in research and in knowledge application and creation will be developed through keynote lectures and self-managed independent study. You are required to demonstrate the capacity for a comprehensive and objective analysis, and for developing innovative and constructive proposals for the solution to the project topic.
Global Oil and Gas Industry
This module equips you with the tools needed to solve the challenging and complex economic climate faced by the oil and gas industry globally. You investigate the applications of key management principles to oil and gas industry’s daily operations and productions. You also develop thorough knowledge of management skills needed to ensure that up and downstream operations management achieve best performance indicators. The module also explores alternative energy resources to plan for diversification. The overview of the industry and key players is intended to enable you to effectively manage foreseeable changes, opportunities and threats that dynamic government policies could provide.
Oil and Gas Economics and Contracts
You gain a detailed understanding of oil and gas economics as well as concepts related to asset and project assessment and valuation. The module explains the concept of international petroleum contracts of exploration and production companies such as concessions and production sharing contracts. It will also present comprehensive discussion on the corporate strategy, legal and taxation frameworks, fiscal terms, and production and cost profiles.
You explore the methods used in identifying the risks of a petroleum project and the application of risk management in mitigating the identified risks, through a field development plan for an oil and gas field using the evaluation of an investment opportunity for the given field.
Quality, Health, Safety and Environment
The module provides an understanding of the aims, responsibilities and means to achieve effective Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) management systems in Oil and Gas related organisations.
This module presents a number of core and specialist areas appropriate for effective management of QHSE in a successful oil and gas related organisation. Critical components of Safety Management (including a QHSE plan, process safety, hazard identification, safety auditing and managing risk) form a comprehensive part of the core study underpinning the total Safety Management System (SMS). Where appropriate, actual industry examples are used as case studies to enhance the students’ learning and to demonstrate the mechanisms used, and impact of, legal and administrative compliance. Further, the relevance of occupational health and safety and also sustainability in safety are discussed in terms of best industry practice.
The importance of implementing a Total Quality Management (TQM) system and the impact on the industry/organisation will be emphasised to students. Environmental drives and current issues, including an Environmental Impact Assessment will complete this part of the programme content.
Risk Management in Projects
We provide you with an advanced level of study in risk management in projects. You explore a range of tools and techniques used in risk identification, qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, risk-planning responses, PERT and risk monitoring. You learn about financial risk, project-appraisal methods and the application of a decision tree within a project.
You gain awareness of probability theory that represents the corner stone of risk management. Invited speakers from the industry give an overview of risk management in different projects; for example IT, finance, construction, and oil and gas. You work in groups on project case studies which apply risk management theory. In addition, you gain hands-on experience in applying the @RISK© tool to a variety of scenarios of risk factors. You develop a deep understanding of the systematic process of risk management and application of @RISK© software.
Supply Chain Management
This module demonstrates how to benchmark an organisation and introduces you to the concepts of key performance indicators, total quality management (TQM), six sigma, total productive maintenance (TPM) and supply chain management. You learn the manufacturing assessment methodology based on data provided in a benchmarking case study. Topics covered in TQM, TPM, and supply chain management enable you to plan activities, which improve quality programme maintenance planning and supply chain integration for an organisation and move that organisation towards sustainable competitive advantage.
Sustainability in Chemical Engineering
This module covers environmental assessments such as life cycle assessment, environmental impact assessment and environmental management system on environmental impacts from industrial and human activities. You also gain an understanding of sustainable engineering strategies such as clean technology and renewable energy to address current environmental issues.
