Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Actuarial Science and Diploma in Industrial Training

at Heriot-Watt University - Edinburgh Campus United Kingdom

MSc Energy and Economics is an innovative, new degree programme grounded in the cutting-edge, globally recognised, economic research carried out by Heriot-Watt University on behalf of the energy sector.

This programme provides a detailed overview of current energy issues, teaching you to apply core tools of economic analysis to the conversion and use of energy resource.

You will develop a bespoke set of skills that will enable you to effectively measure and interpret the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the energy sector. You will also learn how to effectively analyse, appraise and design energy policy, systems and equipment from an economic perspective. You will gain highly-employable specialist knowledge that is crucial within the energy industry.

This Energy and Economics Master’s Degree will prepare you for a dynamic career as an energy consultant, or for a graduate job in energy economics across: business, government regulation and environmental NGOs.

The dual-focused programme is ideally suited to graduates with an engineering or strong analytical background in subjects such as mechanical engineering, mathematics or economics.

A graduate from the Master of Mathematics (MMath) degree will be able to communicate to specialist and non-specialist audiences and unambiguously demonstrate the ability to work professionally with a considerable degree of autonomy. They will also be well equipped to continue independent study in mathematics (e.g. PhD study), should they wish to do so.

Our BEng (Hons) Architectural Engineering covers a broad range of engineering-related disciplines including mechanics, construction, energy, thermal performance, water and wastewater, acoustics, and human behaviour.

The degree is designed to give you the knowledge and skills needed by industry to design buildings of the future that not only provide sustainable and low-energy built environments that have a positive influence on the health and wellbeing of the people who use them, but buildings that are also resilient and adaptable to future climate change. The later years of the degree focus on practical inter-disciplinary design and management skills, with an emphasis on your personal development as an architectural engineer within the professional environment.

Our architectural engineering degrees are supported by the Architectural Engineering Industrial Advisory Board, which includes representatives from major multi-national employers, ensuring our degrees are exactly what industry needs.

Heriot-Watt University ranked first in the UK for Physics in the National Student Survey 2020 (Overall Student Satisfaction). BSc Physics is accredited by the Institute of Physics and aims to bring this fascinating subject to life.

This physics degree covers subjects including dynamics, electromagnetism, photonics and optics and astrophysics. These areas lead onto the quantum world of subatomic particles, the fascinating nature of light and the challenging but wonderful fields of quantum physics and relativity. Mathematics and practical work play an important part throughout the course, and specialist courses provided a background in physical maths and lab skills for physics applications. In later years, the course offers more specialist topics, including laser physics, solid state physics, optoelectronic devices, nuclear physics and biophysics.

In Year 4, individual research projects in world leading research groups allow you to develop skills in advanced experimental design, modelling and computation. Throughout, the programme will also help with your practical abilities, initiative and teamwork. The Physics degree provides broad and comprehensive training in all aspects of physics and modern science, and is well suited to both non-academic careers and careers in research.

The programme combines core elements of Mathematics, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, Control Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Safety and Management. Successful completion of this programme will allow the graduate to become a productive graduate instrumentation and control engineer in their company.

Graduates' skillset:
The Instrumentation Measurement and Control Graduate Apprenticeship Programme aims to produce BEng (Hons) graduates who:

• Meet the educational base required by the Institute of Instrumentation, Measurement and Control for registration as an Incorporated Engineer;
• Have a good technical understanding of the essential facts across the discipline, but also an awareness of specialist application of technology;
• Are equipped with a sound basis in theoretical engineering principles and methods and their application;
• Are able to operate in team and multidisciplinary contexts;
• Have an appreciation of the wider societal and commercial influences on, and impact of, the discipline;
• Have problem-solving skills and the ability to apply such skills in developing innovative solutions to society's practical needs;
• Have developed the personal qualities and professional competencies of instrumentation and control engineers;
• Have been able to pursue their personal interests in depth in the context of the sponsoring company;
• Have the practical skills required specifically by instrumentation and control engineers and more widely by any numerate professional position.

The MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering is a 5-year programme, which shares a common structure with the BEng degree for the first 3 years. Students study a broad-based range of topics from low current electronics to high power systems. At the end of year 3, candidates are selected to progress to the MEng course for a further 2 years of study.

During the 4th and 5th years, technical studies are advanced to a Masters level and the syllabus is greatly extended in the area of engineering management. A six-month industrial placement takes place over summer, after 4th year, and runs until the end of the first semester of the final year.

The psychology component of the course (75% of the curriculum) covers the discipline’s main areas, namely social psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, biological psychology, individual differences, and research methods, and emphasises their application to various employment-related contexts. The management component (25%) of the course introduces (and allows specialism within) marketing, human resource management, finance, and management.

Teaching is mainly via lectures, but large numbers of tutorials mean that staff and students know one another well. Assessment features a mixture of coursework and examination.

In the first year of the BEng Engineering course you’ll have the chance to study a range of subjects. Beyond this, you’ll be able to focus on a particular area of expertise to work towards your Engineering degree.

From a wide choice of subjects, you’ll select eight courses to match your interests – usually choosing from two or three subject areas. On the BEng Engineering course, most students choose subjects in  Engineering.  All subjects include some form of industrial design,whether Mechanical, Electrical, Civil or Chemical Engineering.

The 2020 National Student Survey placed chemical engineering at Heriot-Watt as 1st in Scotland and 5th in the UK, based on students’ overall satisfaction with our programmes.

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 ranked Heriot-Watt University as 1st in Scotland and 4th in the UK for Chemical Engineering.

Our MEng in Chemical Engineering provides students with both the theory and practical application expected by industry. We have strong links with professional communities, allowing us to enhance the career prospects of our graduates.

Programme structure:
The MEng programme is a five-year degree which shares the same first four years with the BEng programme. You choose which route to follow at the end of your 4th year, giving you the flexibility to decide which degree best suits your career ambitions.

Our MEng programme gives you a sound understanding of both the chemical and process engineering fundamentals that you need to become a professional chartered engineer. In addition to a grounding in science, maths and engineering, our students acquire practical abilities that are highly sought after by industry.

The final year of the MEng programme offers a range of advanced courses to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of chemical and process engineering. Students study optional courses from a range of specialist engineering subjects along with an extensive research project. Final year MEng students also undertake a commercial tender-based exercise taking on the role of an engineering design house pitching for business to our industrial advisory board.

Our BEng (Hons) provides a broad-based education in electrical and electronic engineering. During the first three years students study topics from low current electronics to high power systems. In Year 4 you can choose from a set of specialist courses to complement your thesis topic selection.

Our teaching philosophy:
The philosophy behind all of our programmes is 'learning by doing'. Our programmes are designed to be practical and allow students to develop skills beyond traditional academic content.

Students work on both individual and group projects from the third year onwards, providing them with valuable hands-on experience. The projects challenge you to solve a real-life problem – such as the project in which our students helped design an electronic egg to monitor penguin incubation.