Do you have an undergraduate degree in Chemistry or a substantive element within the subject and are you wondering what to study next to get into a specialised field? An oil and gas chemist is a highly skilled, highly paid professional with a vital impact on the world's energy industry production both now and in the future. You would not only look at the production side of energy exploration but you are looking at bioremediation, analysis, flow risk, natural gas and in depth analysis to ensure that energy producers supply the correct quality constantly.
You also get involved in corrosion prevention in terms of facilities and development of a new supply of chemical products to ensure improved production and remediation techniques are applied. This is a highly skilled profession with international applications across global facilities often working within interdisciplinary teams. The programme draws on expertise at Aberdeen which has been known for its energy production since the 1970s. This has allowed for both strong academic rigour and industry input to develop a consistently high standard of industry relevant vocational advanced degrees specifically for the oil and gas industry. Programmes are run from the university or online from Aberdeen where it is possible to do this. Aberdeen, Scotland is located at the heart of the European oil and gas industry and on a par with Houston, Texas in terms of knowledge and skills in the city.
The programme addresses a growing need for environmental responsibility looking at production and refining materials, energetics and environmental impact remediation in a constantly evolving oil and gas environment and within a constantly changing regulatory environment internationally.
Semester 1
Semester 2
Semester 3
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
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Find out more from the programme page
*Please be advised that some programmes have different tuition fees from those listed above and that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page and the latest postgraduate opportunities
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You may be interested in:
With an emphasis on the application of knowledge and skills to real-world challenges, the course is designed for graduates looking to prepare themselves for a career in the biotechnology field, as well as for those in relevant employment. You will be able to use our excellent laboratories, such as analytical and fermentation facilities (plus a molecular biology research laboratory), to carry out advanced studies in applied microbiology and related aspects of biotechnology. You will gain experience of applying up-to-date scientific knowledge in these areas to industrial situations and the analysis of environmental problems. Through a substantial research project, you will develop high-level skills in cutting-edge technologies, strengthen your problem-solving abilities and study a topic of your choice in greater depth. This modular course incorporates methods of sampling, analysis and data handling, investigation management, critical appraisal of literature, and the communication of scientific ideas.
Typical modules may include:
Career paths vary from technical to managerial in the areas of general microbiology, environmental science, medical science and biotechnology (including pharmaceuticals). Many students progress to postgraduate research at academic or private sector institutions or embark on science teaching careers.
The Faculty of Engineering and Science offers advanced research training opportunities across a broad range of subject areas, including chemical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, environmental and sports sciences. The research activities within the Department are supported by state of the art analytical and computer facilities.
Upon acceptance to a programme, students normally register initially for an MPhil, and at the end of the first year, the student is examined by viva voce for consideration for transfer to PhD. Upon completion of the Doctoral training, students are ideally equipped to work in an academic or industrial research environment.
Recent research project topics include:
The programme is designed collaboratively between four of our departments, offering a variety of choice:
The NRI is a unique multi-disciplinary academic centre within the university. It has an established reputation for delivering high quality research, advice, teaching and training in support of global food security, sustainable development and poverty reduction. NRI projects include partnerships with the UK Government's Department for International Development and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Medway School of Pharmacy is a unique collaboration between the University of Greenwich and Kent University. It offers specialist teaching in pharmacy, pharmacology, physiology and chemistry. Because of its close knit and well supported approach, it scores consistently high marks in the National Student Survey each year.
In our Life and Sports Science department you can specialise in a range of topics, such as medical biochemistry, medical physiology or sports science (with professional football coaching), depending on your interest. Some subjects, like biomedical sciences, are vocational and accredited by professional bodies, while subjects like biological sciences provide entry to teaching and research.
Teaching in this department is underpinned by exciting, world-class research activities in all areas. The department has strong research and enterprise interests in medicinal chemistry, analytical chemistry, metabonomics, bioactive materials, chemometrics, land remediation, geographical information systems and environmental conservation and chemistry.
The Medway campus is only an hour from central London, based on the Kent coast in a county known as the Garden of England. It's two stops away from Europe by train, and less than an hour from the local and global pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Aesica. There are several hospitals locally for NHS-based placements and a wide range of private and research laboratories such as those found in Kent Science Park. We create opportunities for students to engage with these organisations.
You can also explore the areas of outstanding natural beauty such as Darland Banks, preserved by the Kent Wildlife Trust, and Cliffe Pools, protected by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Medway is an excellent place to study biology.
The aims of the programme are to:
Students are assessed through their thesis and an oral examination.
Graduates from this programme can pursue careers in industry, government and academia.
We invite proposals for MPhil and PhD research projects in our three main research areas of biodiversity and conservation, agri-environment, and microbiology. Our Biology PhD students play a very important role in our active research portfolio.
We supervise MPhil and PhD students whose interests match the expertise in these areas of biology:
Our Ecology and Conservation Research Group works to understand patterns observed in nature - species and habitats. This often includes anthropogenic effects.
We collaborate with a variety of organisations concerned with species and habitat conservation, including statutory responsibility. We work with research partners and conservation practitioners from the UK and across the globe.
Our research covers:
-Genetics
-Conservation
-Human-wildlife interactions
-Ecology
The Biological, clinical and environmental systems modelling group focuses on analysing the structure and dynamics of complex biological and clinical systems. We have a specific interest in investigating spatially and temporally heterogeneous processes in biology. We are driven by practical problem solving through the use of modelling.
We conduct research on organisms and processes of commercial and environmental importance. Our experimental approaches include:
-Genomics
-Molecular biology
-Biochemistry
-Physiology
Some examples of the commercial applications we develop include:
-Natural products discovery
-Creation of novel antimicrobials and biopesticides
-Sustainable methods of reducing food spoilage
-Microbes involved in biofuel production
-Uses of microbes in bioremediation of polluted environments
We invite you to propose your own research topic, or you can follow one of the projects suggested on the School of Biology website. If you wish to develop your own research topic, you are recommended to contact a potential supervisor at the School of Biology to develop your ideas, before submitting your formal application via the Applicant Portal.
You will benefit from two supervisors from our research community. You are encouraged to present your research results at our annual Postgraduate conference. You'll also benefit from training in a wide range of transferable skills, such as statistics and web design, through the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE) Graduate School.
The School of Biology has good contacts with industry and hosts seminars and workshops, some of which are attended by visiting professors from industry. Biology students have the opportunity to participate at national and international conferences and to supplement their income by undertaking undergraduate laboratory demonstrating.
Chemistry research at Swansea University is vibrant and covers a wide range of research areas and interests, and will be growing at a fast pace over the next 2-3 years. It is focused on 4 themes: Energy, Health, New and Advanced Molecules and Materials, and Water and the Environment. These research initiatives transcend the traditional discipline boundaries, integrate the core areas of inorganic, organic, physical and analytical chemistries and intersect with other scientific disciplines, engineering and medicine.
The new Department of Chemistry has excellent, purpose-built modern laboratories and has access to a diverse type of laboratories research infrastructures to develop its research. For example, high-quality, high-impact chemistry research is already taking place in World Class Centres based in Swansea such as The Centre for NanoHealth, The Institute of Mass Spectrometry, The Institute of Life Sciences, The Energy Safety Research Institute, Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Centre, The Centre for Water Advanced Technologies and Environmental Research and The Materials Research Centre. The integration of the new Chemistry Department with Engineering, the Medical School and other departments in the College of Science provides an environment of research excellence and allows our chemistry students and research staff to invent, innovate and develop products in a way that is best suited to research in the 21st century and the need to generate disruptive, step-change advances with impact on current global challenges.
Energy: One of the key areas where advances in chemistry will be needed is in providing solutions to the global energy challenge. Chemistry research in Swansea University is participating in fundamental and applied research initiatives focused on:
Health: Chemistry research provides new routes to more effective, cheaper and less toxic therapies and to non-invasive disease detection and diagnosis tools – a requirement to transform the entire landscape of drug discovery, development and healthcare, which is unaffordable and needs to benefit more patients. The chemistry research laboratories for this theme are adjacent to Swansea Medical School – which ranked 1st in the UK for research environment, and 2nd for overall research quality in the REF 2014.
Current chemistry research includes:
New and Advanced Molecules and Materials: There is major interest in synthesing, designing and controllling molecular and macromolecular assemblies at multiple length scales. In Swansea this research involves use of:
Water and the Environment: Chemistry at Swansea university has a strong profile in the development of analytical tools for measuring environmental impact, environmental impact assessment of polymer-based materials through their lifetime (including the effects of recycling and biopolymers), technologies for the efficient removal of environmentally harmful materials (and thus reduced emissions per output of discharge), membrane technologies and new methodologies for desalination, and for dewatering and killing pathogens for sanitation applications and the use of new molecules and materials for photocatalytic water splitting and development of self-propelled micro and nanomotor systems for environmental remediation. In collaboration with the Biocontrol and Natural Products (BANP) group in the Department of Biosciences, there is also growing research interest around the characterisation and application of natural products, in particular those derived from fungi and microalgae, to provide therapeutics and nutraceuticals and to act as agents for biocontrol and bioremediation.
Our new state-of-the-art teaching laboratories are being built as part of a multi-million pound investment to create a chemistry hub for the high quality Chemical Sciences research being carried out across the Colleges of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
A chemistry qualification opens the door to a wide range of careers options, both in and out of the lab. There are endless interesting and rewarding science-based jobs available – these can be in research, outdoors or in other industries you might not have thought of. Please visit the Royal Society of Chemistry website for details.
Find out more about the huge range of jobs in chemistry by exploring the job profiles on the Royal Society of Chemistry website (eg Cancer Researcher, Flavourist & Innovation Director, Chief Chemist, Sustainability Manager, Fragrance Chemist, Household Goods Senior Scientist, Analytical Scientist, and many more).
