After my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, I was very clear that I wanted to specialise in the energy field and so a master’s degree was the best option.
The energy field intrigued me as I wanted to use my education to try and solve one of the biggest problems the planet is facing right now: the energy crisis. The University of Manchester was one of the very few universities to offer a tailor-made energy specialization course for chemical engineers, and so I didn’t look back.
The Subsurface Energy Engineering Masters Programme offers a fascinating integrated taught and research curriculum in the context of energy and utilisation of subsurface systems to achieve cleaner and more sustainable energy.
Research studies show that global demand for energy will increase 25% by 2050. To meet this demand while addressing the global warming challenge by moving towards cleaner energy, multi-dimensional societal, engineering-focused, managerial, and political efforts are needed. It is expected that two-thirds of the global energy to be covered by renewable sources by 2050. However, the transition from fossil fuels to the renewable energy requires an integrated sustainable utilisation of existing energy sources including conventional fossil fuels and development of new technologies for decarbonisation and clean energy.
Geosystems in this context play a critical role as they not only offer sources of fossil fuels (oil and gas) but also renewable energy (e.g., geothermal energy) and capacity for decarbonisation (geological CO2 sequestration). The MSc Subsurface Energy Engineering - jointly developed in collaboration with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences - will give a unique opportunity to students - with a prior qualification in engineering - to learn engineering and modelling skills required such as subsurface characterisation, rock and fluid physics, multiphase flow and transport in subsurface system, reservoir modelling and simulations, and reservoir fluid thermodynamics. Students will acquire a deep and systematic conceptual understanding and practical engineering skills needed for diverse industrial applications such as reservoir engineering, geothermal engineering and carbon sequestration. Additionally, the programme offers unique opportunities to talented students to work with the industry during the MSc research.
Upper second (2.1) class honours degree in engineering subjects (chemical, civil, mechanical, petroleum engineering), or in geological sciences (geology, geophysics, petroleum geology, petrophysics, hydrogeology) with an evident background in engineering mathematics. Relevant industrial experience may also be considered alongside a previous degree.