Overview
Our Sustainable Electrical Power MSc degree has been designed to equip you with advanced knowledge of sustainable electrical power and energy generation systems.
You will gain the skills and knowledge to lead teams which will operate, control, design, regulate and manage the power systems and networks of the future.
You’ll develop the ability to critically evaluate methodologies, analytical procedures and research methods in renewable energy sources; the design of stand-alone, grid connected and hybrid sustainable electrical power systems; power system engineering; power electronics for power quality and grid integration; and regulatory frameworks for power systems and electricity markets.
You’ll have access to our high-performance technical laboratories for the testing of power and control systems. The latest industry standard simulation software is available for you to use in grid computing facilities to investigate and design sustainable electrical power systems.
During your studies, there are site visits to National Grid substations and control centres, and power stations. You will benefit from guest lectures delivered by experts from the electricity industry, and take part in conferences where you’ll deliver poster presentations on your research work.
At the end their final year, engineering and maths students are invited to showcase their project work at Brunel Engineers +, an event that both celebrates their achievements and gives them the chance to network with industry figures and employers. This video shows some of the projects exhibited at the 2024 Brunel Engineers + event, with explanations by the students themselves.
Our MSc sustainable electrical power degree is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Energy Institute (EI) on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer. These two professional bodies ensure that your degree meets the academic requirement to qualify as a professional engineer. It can be studied full-time over one year or part-time over two years.
Dean’s International Scholarship: This course is eligible for a £2,000 fee waiver, per academic year, subject to availability. This Scholarship is for full-time international students only. Find out more.
British Council Scholarship for Women in STEM: In partnership with the British Council, we are offering five fully-funded scholarships for female students from the Americas region (eligible countries only). The deadline to apply for this scholarship is 7 April 2023 at 11.59pam – find out more.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
The course is delivered in intensive, block mode. You’ll take the taught modules in the first two terms with block teaching of four weeks in each term. Then you’ll spend four months working on your dissertation. The dissertation is a significant research investigation into a current challenging area related to sustainable electrical power. You’ll have the option to do an industry-based dissertation.
Compulsory
- Energy Economics and Power MarketsThe main aims of this module are to develop the students ability to critically assess different models and theories associated with power markets, to recognise and resolve technical, economical and regulatory issues associated with the design and operation of electricity markets and evaluate various trading strategies, and to understand environmental consequences of the electrical energy supply and transmission.
- Power System Analysis and SecurityThe main aims of this module are to develop the students ability to critically assess different models and theories associated with power system analysis, and to recognise and resolve power system security design issues.
- Power System Stability and ControlThe main aims of this module are to develop the students ability to critically assess different theories and techniques associated with power stability and control, and to recognise and resolve power system stability and control issues.
- SEP WorkshopThis module aims to allow students to gain practical experience in order to familiarise themselves with fundamental principles of sustainable electrical power, and to reinforce theoretical aspects of the course through practical applications.
- Sustainable Power GenerationThis module aims to critically analyse and assess sustainable power generation technologies, and to produce full technical and economic evaluation of sustainable generation technologies.
- Engineering Ethics and SustainabilityThis module aim to enable Engineering students to deal with legal, social, ethical and environmental issues and apply professional codes of conduct. Indicative content: Ethics and Legal Aspects, Risk and environment management systems, Risk Assessment and engineering failure methods and sustainability.
- Project and DissertationThis module aims to provide experience in defining and organising, executing and evaluating a substantial individual in-depth investigation into a topic related to the appropriate wireless and computer communication networks and presenting the information in the form of a dissertation.
- Smart Grid Operation and ManagementThe main aims of this module are to teach the students how to: 1. critically analyse and assess smart grid operation and management objectives and functionality; 2. Evaluate and review methodologies and algorithmic structures for operational control of sustainable electrical power systems.
Optional
- Power Electronics and DrivesThe aims of this module are to develop students’ ability to: 1. critically analyse and design advanced power electronic circuits; 2. incorporate state-of-the-art power electronic circuits in electric vehicle machines and drives.
- Advanced Vehicular Systems TechnologyThe aim of this module is to: 1. provide students with up-to-date knowledge in advanced vehicular technology; 2. develop knowledge and understanding of vehicular technologies with which enables inter- and intra- vehicle communications, and battery management.; 3. for students to be aware of relevant technical standards related to electric vehicle systems development.
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Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
A sustainable electrical power degree from Brunel will equip you with advanced knowledge of sustainable electrical power and energy generation systems. Sustainable energy is a vital, growing sector and you’ll graduate with the skills to work on a vast range of modern projects in the sustainable electricity industry.
You’ll benefit from our links with major employers including Centrica, EDF Energy, GE Energy, National Grid and UK Power Networks.
UK entry requirements
- A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree, or equivalent internationally recognised qualification, in Electrical Power Engineering; Electrical or Electronic Engineering; or a closely related subject. Applicants with other qualifications and/or experience will be considered on an individual basis.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6 (min 5.5 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all sub scores)
- BrunELT: 58% (min 55% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 77 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£13,750 full-time
£6,875 part-time
International
£25,000 full-time
£12,500 part-time
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
All lecture-based modules will be held on campus, allowing you to work with both staff and other students on practical applications.
All laboratory classes will be held on campus. You will have the opportunity to perform experiments and other hands-on practical activities in the College’s labs and workshop spaces. Small group project work will also be carried out in person on campus, supported by regular on-campus interactive discussion sessions (workshops).
You will need to come onto campus on most days to participate in all the teaching activities.
The online Wiseflow platform will be used for submitting written course work. All exams will be run in-person on campus. Other forms of assessment, such as presentations, are also expected to be run on campus.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Our sustainable electrical power degree is delivered by an expert team of multidisciplinary academic staff. Many are world-renowned researchers and they feed their active research into the course. There will also be guest lectures from our industry partners, site visits to power plants, and networking at conferences with key industry specialists.
Study will combine lectures, seminars, workshop sessions, computer simulation, self-study, and individual and group project work.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Your progress will be assessed via assignments, presentations, technical analytical reports, group reports, exams and your dissertation.
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.