Postgraduate Programme Specification for MSc Renewable Energy and the Built Environment

The programme examines the theory and practice of renewable energy technologies with special reference to the built environment. It ranges from the political, economic and social background of energy issues, including global examination of energy provision and consumption and climate change to local environmental considerations. The theory and practice of renewable energies are examined through both practical work and the lecture programme enabling students to critically analyse the benefits and drawbacks of renewable energy systems.

This programme, which concentrates on a wide range of current Environmental and Renewable Energy issues, is run by the Centre for Alternative Technology, CAT (Europe's leading Eco centre) in the Graduate School of the Environment and validated for full MSc status by the University of East London, (UEL) with students being registered at UEL for the duration of their studies. The programme offers a unique combination of design, evaluation and practical experience that will equip students with skills that are becoming increasingly sought after in all areas of professional practice. All through the programme students are made aware of the relationship between the supply of renewable energy and the demand made by buildings

The programme runs as a series of 15, 30 or 60 credit modules which all take place at CAT.

The programme is intended to cater for those with an engineering background. Students are admitted in accordance with the admission requirements in the programme specification (www.uel.ac.uk/cite/programmes/postgraduate.htm). For acceptance onto the programme the following requirements apply:-

• First degree with an appropriate technical background
• Students who do not possess formal qualifications but who can demonstrate that they have gained appropriate knowledge and skills equivalent to degree standard and that they will benefit from and contribute to the programme, may be accepted. Students may be admitted with advanced standing through the recognition of credit or the accreditation of experiential or certificated learning according to the University of East London Accreditation of (Experiential) Learning (A(E)L) policy.
• A student may gain admission to a programme, with advanced standing, with up to half of the credits associated with the award being achieved through accredited experiential learning, or up two thirds through accredited certificated learning. (Where a combination of experiential and certificated learning is involved up to one half of the credits for the award may be achieved through accredited experiential learning with further credits being achieved through accredited certificated learning up to a maximum of two thirds of the credits for the award).
• All students are expected to be interviewed which may take place by telephone
• The University and CAT are strongly committed to widening participation and equal opportunity for all.
• You must be able to understand and express yourself in both written and spoken English and some evidence e.g. TOEFL at 550 or an IELTS score of 6.0 will be required.

Application to this programme can only be made on line at www.cat.org.uk/graduateschool

The programme is delivered by staff from CAT and specialist visitors from the profession, and runs as a series of ten five-day residential events, which all take place at CAT. This brings the advantage of combining an academic programme with the practical application of research and development that has established CAT as Europe's leading Eco-centre.

The programme comprises of a total of 11 modules. Most modules are 15 credits; some are 30 credits. Each 15 credit module is a five-day residential teaching event which takes place every month except May and July at CAT; 30 credit modules consist of two of these five day sessions. The thesis is a 60 credit module. There are a number of options available ie modules that run at the same time and students choose which to follow.

After acquiring 120 credits from the available teaching modules and associated coursework, students are eligible for a Postgraduate Diploma; those who wish to obtain an MSc then complete the Thesis Module which is the culmination of the work done on the programme. A formal start to the thesis is made around the sixth module.

Formal tutorials are available at CAT; others by E mail.

Modules consist of lectures, seminars, presentations and practical studies. Learning is delivered through a combination of formal and informal methods. Students benefit from access to in-house computing facilities and web based support at CAT. CAT are currently developing the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education, this facility will provide fully equipped workshops, dedicated library space and increased student accommodation and is due for completion in Spring 2008.

Assessment is through coursework, which builds to form the students’ academic portfolio, culminating in a thesis. The coursework aims to test that the Learning Outcomes have been met and takes various forms: an essay or report on a subject chosen from the module material, a presentation of the essay topic and a write up of the practical work done on the module. The essay or report is handed in at the next attended module, the presentation occurs at appropriate times, the practical write-up must be handed in at the end of the module attended. There are no closed book examinations.

The programme is suitable for those students with an interest in developing expertise in an area of renewable energy. The part played by renewable energy in the wider environmental agenda and resource management is rapidly increasing in importance and skill shortages are being reported with increasing specialist knowledge required. There is an increasing public concern over the problem of climate change resulting from increasing increase in the consumption of fossil fuels. One of the best solutions to this problem is the development of renewable energy technology and in particular how this can be integrated with buildings. The escalating nature of climate change makes need for renewable energy urgent but expertise in this area is not able to meet this need. This programme is being developed to meet the specific demands of the industry in its quest to provide much needed expertise in this important area.

The Thesis (of 14,000 words) gives the student an opportunity to apply the discipline and skills of the programme to an individually selected research topic, requiring a measure of original development, providing a vehicle for conducting an in-depth investigation, analysis and critical review of relevant material. The thesis is the culmination of work done on the programme and is considered to be of prime importance. The process of producing the thesis consists of a number of Thesis Workshop day long events which consist of research methods, aspects of structure and organisation etc.
After attendance at the appropriate Thesis Workshop, students are encouraged to attend informal thesis discussions which take place every module. These consist of a number of students and staff with initial ideas for an individual thesis subject being discussed and commented on. At the sixth attended modules students are requested to make a formal presentation of their final thesis proposal. This is registered by the thesis coordinator who then allocates an appropriate supervisor and continues to track the student performance until hand in. All students are encouraged to produce a publishable paper based on the thesis material.
The thesis is read by two members of staff and the external examiner.

There is a significant skill shortage in the area of renewable energy, particularly where it relates to the built environment. There are significant employment opportunities in Local Government, Private Industry, Architectural Practices, NGO's associated with the Environment, and in Private Practice. The many skills acquired and areas considered during this programme are excellent preparation for work in any of the above areas.

All students studying this programme are allocated to a Seminar Group of about 10 - 15 students and are supported by a personal tutor who is responsible for providing advice and guidance throughout their term of study. All seminars and tutorials take place within seminar groups. Support is also given during specific stages of progression, such as research methods for the thesis, as well as extra support for those that require it such as English / study skills and IT training. Small group teaching is acknowledged as being beneficial to students as it allows for individual attention and enables peer review and group discussion.