Masters degrees in Engineering Geology equip postgraduates with the skills to develop and implement engineering techniques to geological structures and processes.
Related subjects include Civil Engineering and Geological Engineering. Entry requirements normally include an appropriate undergraduate degree such as Geology or Civil Engineering.
If have an engineering, science or mathematics degree and you are considering work in the oil and gas industry worldwide Petroleum Engineering can provide you with a wide range of knowledge and skills within the upstream oil and gas extraction area. The programme mainly focuses on the skills you need to extract oil which can be the initial geoscience knowledge through to core analysis and reservoir engineering. Within reservoir and well engineering there are several areas of analysis, testing and development you then specialise in. This ensures you have a very robust approach to offshore production with the type of advanced skills to problem solve and troubleshoot different situations.
The programme also develops your skills in formation evaluation, simulation, and appraisal plus safe production and enhancing the recovery of hydrocarbon oil and gas. This programme is highly regarded in the industry internationally and it is recognised by all major players in the oil and gas industry. Careers can be anything from Drilling, Operations, Piping Specification, Production, Reservoir, Subsurface and Wellhead Engineer. The degree hold accreditation from the Energy Institute and Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
This programme is relevant for any oil and gas professional or professional interested in working in the industry worldwide. It is taught by world renowned international experts from the industry, researching and teaching the skills and knowledge necessary. Aberdeen is seen as the oil and gas European capital of the industry with major FTSE 100 multinationals located in the city.
Semester 1
Semester 2
Semester 3
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
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Find out more about fees on the programme page
*Please be advised 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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Find out more about living in Aberdeen and living costs
Other engineering disciplines you may be interested in:
This is a highly specialised area of oil and gas engineering in which you learn the discipline and wider areas that feed into it. You are taught by industry respected researchers and academics who have followed the oil and gas industry since the 1970s and its inception in Aberdeen city. Aberdeen is at the heart of the oil and gas industry in Europe and is known worldwide as a major energy hub.
Reservoir Engineering is a highly specialised but essential part of upstream oil and gas extraction process. It requires detailed knowledge of geology, performance and management of reserves. Often these reserves are deep in oceans or land and in very difficult and hard to reach locations with complex geology so it is essential to have a high degree of skills and knowledge to understand how best these reserves can be tapped into in critically sensitive environments.
There is a recognised, global shortage of practitioners in the area of reservoir engineering which is addressed by the programme. You study a wide spectrum of reservoir phenomena, and to evaluate them in the context of petroleum engineering and cognate areas of petroleum Geoscience, within the economic context of the hydrocarbon industry. You have employment options worldwide in the oil and gas industry with plenty of options to travel to growth markets and untapped areas of reserves within multinationals and consultancies.
Semester 1
Semester 2
Semester 3
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
Find out about international fees:
Find out more about fees on the programme page
*Please be advised that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page and the latest postgraduate opportunities
Find out more about:
Find out more about living in Aberdeen and living costs
Other engineering disciplines you may be interested in:
Join us for our Master Open Day to find out more about our courses.
Please note: From 23 May 2017 we are not making any further offers on this course (starting in September) due to a high demand. However, you can still submit an application for review. If you meet the usual entry requirements, we will hold your application until we can assess whether further places can be offered. This will likely be the end of July-early August 2017 when we can be more confident of numbers. Please contact our [email protected] if you have any questions.
This course provides concentrated one-year training in engineering geology and related geotechnical subjects to prepare you for professional practice in engineering geology and geotechnical engineering.
It gives you a grounding in the application of geological principles to a wide range of fields appropriate to civil and mining engineering.
Studying engineering geology will provide you with excellent job opportunities as a result of high calibre academic training, as well as the development of strong skills in terms of both critical and independent thought and team work.
Most of our graduates join environmental consulting companies and consulting engineers, while others go on to PhD studies.
Engineering Geologists
Engineering Geologists are found worldwide working on a wide range of problems, from foundation and mine design to the assessment of seismic and landslide risk.
Their understanding of how groundwater and pollutants travel through the ground may impact on the safe design and construction of excavations and waste disposal sites.
They use geological and geomorphological mapping to identify geological hazards and allow for safe development. Their understanding of the ground and how it responds to static and dynamic loads can influence safe and sustainable siting and design of engineering structures.
It is vital that we design and build in a manner which is safe, environmentally friendly, cost effective and sensitive to climate change.
Engineering geologists, with a unique understanding of the ground, and a broad appreciation of rates of geological processes over engineering time, are intimately involved in this process.
Course highlights:
Benefit from our strong connections with industry:
When you choose a degree with accredited status, you can be assured that the teaching is of the highest standard. The quality and relevance of our teaching has been recognised by an independent body of academics and industrialists through our Geological Society of London Professional Accreditation.
If you have an appropriate degree, our Geological Society accreditation will reduce the amount of experience required for you to reach Chartered Geologist (CGeol) status, an important career step in Geoscience.
Our designation as a “Technical MSc” through Engineering Council means that if you have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng(Hons) or an Accredited IEng (Full) BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree, the degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). In addition the degree is also an accredited European Engineering degree.
The University of British Columbia Geological Engineering programme is a postgraduate course awarding a research-based Master of Applied Science or a taught Master of Engineering.
Students complete training and research projects according to their qualification pathway.
The Geological Engineering Program is intended for students interested in the application of earth sciences principles to engineering problems. While most geological engineering degree programs are based in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, students may also base their studies in allied Applied Science departments such as Civil or Mining Engineering. The program is highly interdisciplinary and draws upon courses, laboratories, and faculty members from the departments of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering, Forestry, Geography, and others. Graduate students are often co-supervised by faculty members from different departments.
Geological engineering faculty members in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences have research interests in the following general areas:
- landslides, debris flows, engineering geology, slope stability
- groundwater hydrology, groundwater contamination and remediation, reactive transport modeling, environmental geochemistry
- rock engineering, rock slopes, and tunneling
Other research areas include geotechnical engineering, environmental geology, engineering geology, economic geology, and applied geophysics. The specific fields of study may involve geomorphology and terrain analysis, groundwater hydrology, natural hazards, slope stability, petroleum and coal geology, coalbed methane, mineral prospecting and valuation, and other similar subjects. Students are encouraged to consult individual faculty members for information about current research areas.
Admission to graduate studies in geological engineering is open only to students with an undergraduate degree in engineering or, at the discretion of the program director, to students with sufficient engineering work experience.
- Degree: Master of Applied Science (research-based), Master of Engineering (course-based, 1 year)
- Specialization: Geological Engineering
- Subject: Engineering
- Mode of delivery: On campus
- Faculty: Faculty of Science
The following postgraduate funding may be available to study Geological Engineering at the University of British Columbia.
This full time 12 month intensive programme is designed to provide advanced specialised training for earth science graduates, leading to excellent employment opportunities in the extractive industry. It is suitable for those who already have an honours degree in geology, mining/minerals engineering or a related subject.
You will attain a comprehensive understanding of the role of a geoscientist working in the mining industry. New skills include underground geological and geotechnical mapping, surveying, mineral exploration, ore microscopy, ore deposit modelling and mine planning. In-depth coverage of mineral resource estimation and grade control, mineral extraction and management, mining law and the environmental impact of mining, enable skills in quantifying the economic value of an ore body and assessing its potential for exploitation to be attained. There is emphasis on acquiring knowledge of the geological characteristics and genesis, methods of exploration, extraction and processing techniques of the major types of metalliferous ore deposit, bulk commodities and industrial minerals.
Taught modules are presented over two semesters and individual projects are undertaken throughout the summer vacation, often as industrial placements with a mining/exploration company. Recent projects have been carried out in all major mining countries on six continents, including Australia, Tanzania, Mongolia, Chile as well as in the UK.
You will study 180 credits to obtain an MSc and 120 credits for a PgDip
The compulsory modules can include;
Some examples of the optional modules are;
The modules listed here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand
Formal teaching ends in late April/May with a field excursion to examine the geology and visit mines in an area of the world famous for its mining activity. Extensive use is made of Camborne School of Mines' underground mine facilities, laboratories, mineral processing pilot plant, and the superb field geology and extractive industry operations in South West England.
The MSc in Petroleum Engineering is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to tackle the oil and gas industry’s most challenging problems. Upon graduating students will be able to understand, frame and solve the most complex of upstream problems in today’s petroleum industry.
These courses provide specialist education tailored to the requirements of the upstream petroleum industry. The relevance of this education, combined with careful selection of candidates, has encouraged oil and oilfield service companies to target Heriot-Watt for recruitment of graduates since 1976.
The Petroleum Engineering degree is delivered by the Institute of Petroleum Engineering, a world-leading Institute committed to delivering research and training programmes that meet the needs of the international petroleum industry. Students have been attending the Institute of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University to study for the MSc programme in Petroleum Engineering since 1975.
The MSc in Petroleum Engineering is a programme of lectures and project work, encompassing a wide range of petroleum engineering fundamentals, relevant to the current petroleum engineering industry.
Project work provides an opportunity for ideas and methods, assimilated through lectures and tutorials, to be applied to real field evaluation and development design problems. The courses on this programme are applied in nature and have been specifically designed so that our students are technically well prepared for, and have a sound knowledge of, the industry.
If your first language is not English, or your first degree was not taught in English, we’ll need to see evidence of your English language ability. The minimum requirement for English language is IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.
We offer a range of English language courses
Geotechnical engineering examines the engineering behaviour of earth materials and is relevant to all engineering and construction practices that are concerned with the ground on both a surface level and within it. Geotechnical engineers investigate the ground and measure the chemical properties, evaluate the stability of the area and design earthworks and structure foundations enabling projects to take place.
The programme is multi-disciplinary in nature, and provides students with the knowledge of rock engineering, site investigation, data capture and data analysis required to understand the issues facing engineers excavating increasingly ambitious and complex underground spaces. This course is relevant to students entering or working in a range of engineering careers within the construction, environmental and extractive industries.
Featured content draws upon the unique expertise of the Camborne School of Mines, with strengths in the areas of rock mechanics and underground excavation, as well as specialist knowledge of working in extreme conditions and with high-stress or difficult ground.
Delivered by staff with strong research interests directly related to the topics covered, modules involve a broad range of activities and teaching delivery methods. This includes workshops using the latest industry relevant computational tools, practical activities and group and individual exercises.
In support of this research-led teaching, key experts from the extractive and construction industry will provide topical insight to the state of the industry and clarify the context for the theory covered in the lectures.
Please note constituent modules and pathways may be updated, deleted or replaced in future years as a consequence of programme development. Details at any time may be obtained from the programme website.
Optional modules include;
Teaching and assessment
The programme is delivered through a mix of lectures, workshops, tutorials, practical activities, case studies, industry visits, computer simulations, project work and a dissertation. The taught part of the programme is structured into two semesters. Field visits and practical field-based assignments are used, where appropriate, to emphasise key areas within each module.
A research- and practice-led culture
We believe every student benefits from being taught by experts active in research and practice. You will discuss the very latest ideas, research discoveries and new technologies in seminars and in the field and you will become actively involved in a research project yourself. All our academic staff are active in internationally-recognised scientific research across a wide range of topics.
Students are encouraged to undertake projects directly linked with industry, which may result in industrial placements for their project period.
Mining is an fascinating, global industry that is essential to societal progression. It provides the materials for production and is a leading industry in terms of technological innovation. This MSc is ideal for engineering and geologists already in employment that are looking for skills and knowledge enhancement. In addition, it is also suitable for geology and engineering graduates that wish to specialise in the following areas: mine, general management and excavation (geotechnics and tunnelling).
Students will learn specialist analytical, design and management skills that are relevant to industry. In addition, this programme also has excellent links with both the local and international minerals industry, which is reflected in its mix of UK and international students, and project-work is often centered around a company or business.
This programme is taught by the internationally established and world-class Camborne School of Mines (CSM), a combined mining school and geoscience department. This degree is professionally accredited under licence from the Engineering Council, as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng (Hons) undergraduate first degree. Visit the Accreditation tab for further information.
You can either study the course full time over a year or part-time over 3 years.
The compulsory modules can include;
Some examples of the optional modules are;
The modules listed here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand. For up to date information please see the website.
The taught part of the programme is structured into two terms. Field visits and practical field-based assignments are used, where appropriate, to emphasise key areas within each module.
For the award of the Masters (MSc), you must pass four modules and complete a project and dissertation. To obtain a Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip), you must pass two modules and a project with dissertation.
Students are encouraged to undertake projects directly linked with industry, which may result in industrial placements for their project period.
The internationally recognised Camborne School of Mines offers a Mining Professional Programme, comprising of a suite of courses for international mining staff giving an insight into every part of the mining business.
You will start by getting a flexible, industry-relevant immersion into the mining value chain and this can be followed by more detailed study of Mining Engineering: an integrated postgraduate programme delivered by mining experts and aligned with industry needs.
This is the future of mining education; industry aligned courses, learning while you work, forming interdisciplinary industry wide professional networks and exposure to diverse international mining practices.
Open to experienced mining industry staff; even without degrees but with appropriate experience, the course opens up the entire mining value chain, from finance, mineral deposit geology and exploration through mining and mineral processing methods to environmental & social impacts and mine closure.
The overall aim is to equip students with the business knowledge of the entire mining pipeline and the technical knowledge to support career progression in the area of mining operations. Students will gain interdisciplinary mine-site problem solving, and critical industry insight.
The programme is suitable for mining, engineering and geology graduates currently employed in the minerals industry, and other commercial and technical mining staff with suitable experience. The course cohort will ideally comprise those with widely differing roles across the mining industry. The blended learning approach allows these industry staff to undertake accredited educational studies while maintaining their industry work roles.
In addition to gaining the headline qualification, the programme will also deliver the following unique benefits:
• The course is particularly designed for those currently working in industry
• Establishing networks with industry professionals and across specialisms
• Opportunity to view world class mines during the mine study tour
• A value chain view of the mining industry
• Industry focused using real world case studies and examples
• Involves both technical and professional skills development
Diverse course delivery methods and assessment types are utilized to develop well-rounded Mining Professionals with broad industry knowledge.
Exploration geology is concerned with the location of ore and other materials found within the earth. Their work is essential to energy and production industries as it acts as a starting point for extraction.
This MSc will equip students with specialist, essential knowledge and skills that are required when exploring and evaluating new mineral deposits around the world. As major orebodies are exhausted, the search for viable deposits in more complex geological terrains and in remote regions has intensified, creating a need for trained geologists able to carry out mineral exploration in varied environments.
The collection, interpretation and reporting of geoscientific data is the major focus of this course; based around a robust understanding of current theories for orebody genesis, exploration techniques and the application of industry-leading software. You will have the opportunity to gain experience in acquiring, synthesising and critically evaluating data from a range of remote sensing, geophysical, geochemical and drill hole sources. The programme provides pathways to careers in the national and international exploration and mining sectors as well as important transferable skills used in the broader geotechnical, site investigation and environmental industries.
Please note constituent modules and pathways may be updated, deleted or replaced in future years as a consequence of programme development. Details at any time may be obtained from the programme website.
The programme is delivered through a mix of lectures, workshops, tutorials, practical activities, case studies, industry visits, computer simulations, project work and a dissertation.
On this MSc programme you will receive a great deal of practical experience of working within the minerals industry. The programme aims to produce high-quality graduates who can enjoy high employment rates and easy transition into further PhD study. Emphasis remains on applied teaching and research relevant to careers in the earth resources and renewables sectors. Field visits and practical field-based assignments are used, where appropriate, to emphasise key areas within each module.
You will spend a significant proportion of your time in the field during the autumn term. Over the Easter period you are required to participate in an international field trip to visit mines and exploration projects in Scandinavia. This trip will prepare you to undertake typical greenfields and brownfields exploration work, including boulder tracing, stream sediment sampling and glacial till investigations, and link the results back to exploration targeting and existing operating mines.
From May to September you will undertake a major research project, usually in association with a mining/exploration company, and present a dissertation. Recent projects have been carried out in West Africa, Canada and Europe.
Examples of recent mineral exploration research projects
Climate change and the need to manage diminishing fossil fuel reserves are, today, two of the biggest challenges facing the planet.
In order to secure the future for ourselves and generations to follow, it is widely accepted that we must act now to reduce energy consumption, switch to renewable energy sources and substantially cut greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.
To do this, the renewables sector requires Renewable Energy Engineers with the right multidisciplinary skillset to pioneer the design, building and management of its infrastructure.
Drawing upon our particular research strengths in marine, solar and wind based generation alongside specialist modules in energy storage, this programme prepares you for a career in a variety of energy-related roles across the sector.
Our wide-ranging expertise in renewable and energy engineering is reflected by the broad array of modules offered as part of this degree, allowing graduates from a multitude of first degree backgrounds to adjust their learning towards personal interests and career aspirations.
Please note constituent modules and pathways may be updated, deleted or replaced in future years as a consequence of programme development. Details at any time may be obtained from the programme website.
The programme is delivered through a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials, industrial presentations, case studies, industry visits, computer simulations, project work and a dissertation.
The programme will have particular value in developing transferable skills development including management skills, communication skills, computational techniques, data handling and analysis, problem solving, decision making and research methodology. Many of these skills will be addressed within an industrial and commercial context.
You will be allocated a Personal Tutor who is available for advice and support throughout your studies, along with support and mentoring from graduates who are now placed in industry. There is also a Postgraduate Tutor available to help with further guidance and advice.
We believe every student benefits from being taught by experts active in research and practice. You will discuss the very latest ideas, research discoveries and new technologies in seminars and in the field and you will become actively involved in a research project yourself. All our academic staff are active in internationally-recognised scientific research across a wide range of topics.
The MSc in Renewable Energy Engineering has been designed to include the knowledge and skills that potential employers in the energy sector have told us they require.
The UK’s commitment to expansion of renewable energy is likely to mean a high level of investment in the sector in the next decade. The adoption of the UK’s microgeneration tariff in 2009, the Green Deal in 2013, the phased adoption of the Renewable Heat Incentive from 2011-2014 and introduction of Contracts for Difference in 2014, suggests continued strong support for rapid expansion of renewable energy in the UK.
Internationally, many other countries are making similar investments with major industrial nations including the US, India and China investing heavily in renewable generation. This investment will create broad opportunities for those seeking to work in the sector, both nationally and internationally.
