Pursuant to Act 367 of March 18, 2015 on Universities (the University Act) with subsequent changes, the following curriculum for the Master of Science programme in Sustainable Energy Engineering is stipulated. The programme also follows the Joint Programme Regulations and the Examination Policies and Procedures for the Faculty of Engineering and Science.
The Master of Science programme in Sustainable Energy Engineering is a two-year education which contains in total two specialisations in the areas of thermal and offshore engineering
The programme gives a possibility to obtain advanced skills within areas as for instance efficient use of energy, renewables, control engineering and energy production and distribution technology.
The Master’s programme is organised in accordance with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s Order no. 1328 of November 15, 2016 on Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes at Universities (the Ministerial Order of the Study Programmes) and Ministerial Order no. 1062 of June 30, 2016 on University Examinations (the Examination Order). Further reference is made to Ministerial Order no. 258 of March 18, 2015 (the Admission Order) and Ministerial Order no. 114 of February 3, 2015 (the Grading Scale Order).
The programme is offered in Esbjerg.
The Master’s programme falls under The Faculty of Engineering and Science, Aalborg University.
The Master’s programme falls under Study Board of Build, Energy, Electronics and Mechanics in Esbjerg
The Master's programme is affiliated to the nationwide engineering examiners corps: Ingeniøruddannelsernes landsdækkende censorkorps.
Applicants with a legal claim to admission:
Applicants with the following degree are entitled to admission to the Master of Science programme in Sustainable Energy Engineering:
Applicants without legal claim to admission:
Students with another Bachelor’s degree may, upon application to the Study Board of Energy, be admitted after a specific academic assessment if the applicant is considered having comparable educational prerequisites. The University can stipulate requirements concerning conducting additional exams prior to the start of study.
The Master’s programme entitles the graduate to the Danish designation Civilingeniør, cand.polyt. i bæredygtig energiteknik. The English designation is: Master of Science (MSc) in Engineering (Sustainable Energy Engineering).
The designation is applied with one of the following titles:
The Master of Science programme is a 2-year, research-based, full-time study programme taught in English. The programme is set to 120 ECTS credits.
The Study Board can approve successfully completed (passed) programme elements from other Master’s programmes in lieu of programme elements in this programme (credit transfer). The Study Board can also approve successfully completed (passed) programme elements from another Danish programme or a programme outside of Denmark at the same level in lieu of programme elements within this curriculum. Decisions on credit transfer are made by the Study Board based on an academic assessment. See the Joint Programme Regulations for the rules on credit transfer.
In exceptional circumstances, the Study Board study can grant exemption from those parts of the curriculum that are not stipulated by law or ministerial order. Exemption regarding an examination applies to the immediate examination.
The rules for examinations are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures published by the faculty on their website.
In the assessment of all written work, regardless of the language it is written in, weight is also given to the student's formulation and spelling ability, in addition to the academic content. Orthographic and grammatical correctness as well as stylistic proficiency are taken as a basis for the evaluation of language performance. Language performance must always be included as an independent dimension of the total evaluation. However, no examination can be assessed as ‘Pass’ on the basis of good language performance alone; similarly, an examination normally cannot be assessed as ‘Fail’ on the basis of poor language performance alone.
The Study Board can grant exemption from this in special cases (e.g., dyslexia or a native language other than Danish).
The Master’s Thesis must include an English summary (or another foreign language: French, Spanish or German upon approval by the Study Board). If the project is written in English, the summary must be in Danish (The Study Board can grant exemption from this). The summary must be at least 1 page and not more than 2 pages (this is not included in any fixed minimum and maximum number of pages per student). The summary is included in the evaluation of the project as a whole.
It is assumed that the student can read academic texts in modern English and use reference works, etc., in other European languages.
The following competence profile will appear on the diploma:
A Candidatus graduate has the following competency profile:
A Candidatus graduate has competencies that have been acquired via a course of study that has taken place in a research environment.
A Candidatus graduate is qualified for employment on the labour market based on his or her academic discipline as well as for further research (PhD programmes). A Candidatus graduate has, compared to a Bachelor, developed his or her academic knowledge and independence so as to be able to apply scientific theory and method on an independent basis within both an academic and a professional context.
The graduate of the Master of Science programme has the following qualifications:
Knowledge
In addition, students have the following knowledge:
Skills
In addition, the different specialisations have the following skills:
Competences
The programme is structured in modules and organised as a problem based study. A module is a programme element or a group of programme elements, which aim(s) to give students a set of professional skills within a fixed time frame specified in ECTS credits, and concluded with one or more examinations within the specific exam periods. Examination formats are defined in the curriculum.
The programme is based on a combination of academic, problem oriented and interdisciplinary approaches and organised on the following types of instruction that combine skills and reflection:
1st to 4th semesters of the programmes are taught in English and projects are to be written in English.
The structure of the Master of Science study programme is shown in the following figure
Background (Objective of 1st semester)
The objective of the 1st semester at the Master of Science study programme in Sustainable Energy Engineering is to prepare the students to follow one of the two specialisations offered:
To qualify for the 1st semester of the Master of Science study programme in Sustainable Energy Engineering, 4 routes are approved for students who have followed the Bachelor’s study programme in Energy Engineering at Aalborg University:
For students with a bachelor’s degree from another university an introductory 1st semester is mandatory (called INTRO semester), in which a basic course is taught to familiarize the students with Problem Based Learning, besides the engineering courses belonging to the specialisation. Furthermore, an extra course in Control Theory and Matlab is held for the intro semester students.
Content (Project work on 1st semester)
For all students
1st semester contains engineering subjects (courses and project work) in the area of the chosen specialisation.
For students with a Bachelor’s Degree from Aalborg University
The students are required to acquire knowledge about scientific English, and the project work will be documented by a scientific paper, a summary report, a poster and a presentation at a conference, all in English.
For Students with a Bachelor’s Degree from another university (INTRO semester)
Here the focus is on the problem based, project organised learning method used at Aalborg University. The students will write a project report documenting their project work. The students must attend “Project Based Learning and Project Management” to gain knowledge about the problem based teaching method used at Aalborg University.
All modules are assessed through individual grading according to the 7-point grading scale or Passed/Not passed. All modules are assessed by external assessment (an external examiner) or by internal assessment (an additional examiner or no additional examiner).
INTRO modules: For international students only.
3rd semester: The student may follow a relevant study as a guest student (30 ECTS) at another university in Denmark or abroad, see details in Moodle. However the student’s special preferences for the semester must be approved by the Study Board in advance.
Instead of doing the project work and the elective courses, the student can do project work in a company as an individual or as a part of a group. See details in Moodle. However the student’s special preferences for the semester must be approved by the Study Board in advance.
Offered as:
1-professional | |||||
Specialisation:
Offshore Energy Systems | |||||
Module name | Course type | ECTS | Applied grading scale | Evaluation method | Assessment method |
1 Semester
| |||||
Modelling and Identification of Offshore Systems | Project | 15 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Problem Based Project Organised Learning in Modelling and Identification of Offshore Systems (INTRO) | Project | 10 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam based on a project |
System Identification and Diagnosis | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Fluid and Water Wave Dynamics | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written or oral exam |
Probability Theory, Stochastic Processes and Applied Statistics | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written or oral exam |
Control Theory and MATLAB (INTRO) | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written exam |
2 Semester
| |||||
Dynamic Control of Offshore Electrical Systems | Project | 15 | 7-point grading scale | External examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Offshore Energy System Technology | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Control and Surveillance of Processes and Systems | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Dynamic Modelling of Electrical Machines and Control Systems | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written exam |
3 Semester
| |||||
Advanced Control of Offshore Energy Systems | Project | 20 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Voluntary Traineeship | Project | 30 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam based on a project |
4 Semester
| |||||
Master’s Thesis | Project | 30 | 7-point grading scale | External examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Master’s Thesis | Project | 50 | 7-point grading scale | External examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Offered as:
1-professional | |||||
Specialisation:
Process Engineering and Combustion Technology | |||||
Module name | Course type | ECTS | Applied grading scale | Evaluation method | Assessment method |
1 Semester
| |||||
Fluid Mechanical Analysis Methods | Project | 15 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Problem Based Project organised Learning in Combustion Technology (INTRO) | Project | 10 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Multiphase Flow | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Fluid Mechanics and Compressible Flow | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Probability Theory, Stochastic Processes and Applied Statistics | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written or oral exam |
Control Theory and MATLAB (INTRO) | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written exam |
2 Semester
| |||||
Combustion and/or Process Systems | Project | 15 | 7-point grading scale | External examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Process Simulation | Course | 5 | Passed/Not Passed | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Combustion Technology and Chemical Reactors | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Optimisation Theory and Reliability | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written exam |
3 Semester
| |||||
Advanced Combustion and Process Systems | Project | 20 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Voluntary Traineeship | Project | 30 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam based on a project |
4 Semester
| |||||
Master’s Thesis | Project | 30 | 7-point grading scale | External examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Master’s Thesis | Project | 50 | 7-point grading scale | External examination | Oral exam based on a project |
Elective courses on 3rd semester MSc
In addition to the project work, the students should choose 10 ECTS courses on the 3rd semester MSc. The Study Board of Energy offers a portfolio of various, elective courses covering the technical aspects for the thermal, electrical, mechatronic and offshore specialisations with reference to well-defined research programmes which reflect the current research focus of the Department of Energy Technology. Each year the Study Board of Energy selects a number of the courses below to be announced as the year’s elective courses (6 to 10). Based on the number of students assigned to each of these courses, 2 to 6 courses will be taught covering broadly all specialisations.
The elective courses approved by the Study Board of Energy are given in the following overview.
Courses from other specialisations at Aalborg University or from other universities might be relevant too. Nevertheless, the courses must be approved by the Study Board of Energy in advance.
Module name | Course type | ECTS | Applied grading scale | Evaluation Method | Assessment method |
Advanced Analysis of Thermal Machines | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Advanced Modelling and Control of Voltage Source Converters | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Analysis of Advanced Thermal Process Systems | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Battery Energy Storage Systems | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Biomass Conversion and Biofuels | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Biomass Gasification, Combustion and their Advanced Modelling | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Control of Grid Connected Photovoltaic and Wind Turbine Systems | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Electrochemical Modelling of Fuel Cells, Electrolysers and Batteries | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Energy Conversion and Storage in Future Energy Systems | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Fault Tolerant Control | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written exam |
Future Power System in Denmark | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Modern Electrical Drives | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Modern Power Electronic Devices and their Models | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Non-linear Control and Multi-body Systems | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written or oral exam |
System Identification and Diagnosis | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Oral exam |
Test and Validation | Course | 5 | Passed/Not Passed | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
Wind Power System and Renewable Energy Grid Integration | Course | 5 | 7-point grading scale | Internal examination | Written and oral exam |
"System Identification and Diagnosis" is taught to the 1st semester MSc students at the Offshore Energy Systems specialisation and therefore 3rd semester MSc students of the Offshore Energy Systems specialisation cannot elect the module as an elective module .
All students, who have not participated in Aalborg University’s PBL introductory course during their Bachelor’s degree, must attend the introductory course “Problem-based Learning and Project Management”. The introductory course must be approved before the student can participate in the project exam. For further information, please see the School of Engineering and Science’s website on Problem Based Learning and Project Management.
The current version of the study curriculum is published on the Aalborg University website for study curricula.
Additional information about semester descriptions is available in Moodle which is the school room for School of Engineering and Science (SES). Moodle provides study-related information, i.e. course descriptions, course literature, timetables and information about activities and events.
The curriculum is approved by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Science and enters into force as of September 2017 for all new, enrolled students.
Students who wish to complete their studies under the previous curriculum from 2012 must conclude their education by the summer examination period 2018 at the latest, since examinations under the previous curriculum are not offered after that date.
Minor editorial changes have been made in connection with the digitisation of the study curriculum.