Marine Renewables

Three great reasons to consider this course



Renewable energy is paramount to a sustainable, secure and cost effective energy supply.



Graduates of this programme will be involved in the transition to renewable energy from a predominately fossil fuel driven energy supply.



This programme will provide graduates with the appropriate research skills pertinent to the domain of marine renewable energy.



Course Summary

The MSc in Marine Renewables is a one-year full-time level 9 programme aimed at students who wish to develop their research and innovation skills through a structured programme of study. The modules taken as part of the MSc in Marine Renewables offer a structured approach to learning discipline-specific renewable energy material, paramount to marine renewable energy, to complement the research work. Furthermore, a focus is placed on applying theoretical and practical knowledge to real challenges within the marine renewable energy industry. A student undertaking this programme will not have very many timetabled hours but instead will receive support and guidance from an expert supervisor.



The aim of the MSc in Marine Renewables is to produce graduates with an advanced level of theoretical and practical knowledge, with a highly developed research capability and innovation skills to enable their professional development as leaders in the marine renewable energy industry.



Students undertaking the MSc in Marine Renewables programme will undertake a substantial research project. In the Research Project module, the student will implement appropriate research techniques to address/solve a chosen marine renewable energy-related problem.



Four modules, aimed at providing the student with specialist knowledge, are undertaken along with the Research Project module.

Semester 1

Water Power 1

Energy Policy and Economics



Semester 2

Ocean Energy

Power Systems Integration of Renewables



Semester 3

Research Project (Commences in Semester 1)

Candidates must hold a Level 8 Honours Degree in Engineering, or in the Physico-Chemical Sciences. The award must be Honours 2.1 or above. Science disciplines are restricted to: Experimental Physics, Applied Physics, Physical Chemistry, Materials Science, General Chemistry, Building Services, Telecommunications or similar.



The equivalent of the above, as determined by international comparisons and/or Institute policy.



International candidates must have a good working knowledge of the English language at IELTS level 6.5 or equivalent. Where an applicant demonstrates evidence of having attained his/her Bachelor's Degree through instruction in the English language, a grade of 6.0 may be accepted for admission to the programme.

1 year full-time.



Delivery Method: Blended

The MSc in Marine Renewables offers graduates the opportunity to undertake advanced research degrees in Research Institutions in Ireland (including DkIT) and further afield.



The Research Office at Dundalk Institute of Technology facilitates graduate studies through the DCU/DkIT graduate school.



Marine Renewables, which comprises wave and tidal energy, is an emerging area of renewable energy which has yet to develop its full potential. The industry is still very much at a development stage, hence research-based programmes are particularly suited to the area.



Ireland is particularly well placed, based on geographical location, to be at the forefront of the future ocean energy industry. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has estimated that there is a theoretical wave resource of 525 TWh per year, and a theoretical tidal energy resource of 230 TWh per year in Irish waters. While the practical resource is lower (currently estimated at 21 TWh for wave energy and approximately 1 TWh for tidal energy), the available resource represents a sizable fraction of the total electrical energy requirement for Ireland.