Energy Systems Engineering

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
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What our lecturers say What our students say

Entry Points (2020)

502

Course Overview

Energy Systems Engineering is a multidisciplinary programme that aims to meet the current and growing challenge of dwindling fossil fuel resources and the critical demand for alternative, renewable energy sources as a national, Europe-wide and global priority. The programme covers fundamental engineering knowledge and skills in such areas as energy generation, conversion, electrical power systems and energy management (buildings, transport, industry, etc.), along with modules on energy sources, energy policy, economics and associated environmental issues.

The programme will provide you with the skills to develop as a professional engineer who specialises in dealing with the breadth of energy systems used to generate, convert, transmit and manage energy throughout multiple networks, including electrical power, fuel, IT, water, transport and cities. Optional modules will provide you with a technical focus on different sectors of the industry. The early years of the programme will cover the fundamental sciences and mathematics, along with introductory modules on energy systems and sources. Multidisciplinary energy systems design projects will be supported by advanced modules in engineering design, analysis and information technology.

Electronics and Computing Engineering is a course that aims to integrate two separate engineering fields to meet the joint demands made by the electronics and computer industries in today's world. This programme combines coursework in different aspects of both fields over four years, with an emphasis on the design of computing systems. Electronics and computers, and their joint applications, are playing an ever-increasing role in our lives as Information Communications Technology (ICT), with everything from consumer goods to space shuttles using electronic hardware (circuits) and computer software integrated together. The increased use of ICT in every aspect of our lives ensures the continued relevance of this area of engineering.

Companies who design integrated electronics and computer systems require engineers who possess the software skills to complement traditional electronic hardware skills. The Electronic and Computing Engineering degree programme has been developed in response to these industry demads to develop students' hardware and software engineering skills in an integrated way and the analytical powers to apply them jointly.

Graduates of this course are ideally placed to pursue their specialism in ICT, which has wide applicability both nationally, with many indigenous technology companies and the multinational sector, and internationally. With the exponential development of ICT technologies worldwide, graduates will be at the forefront of people being employed in this area.

Integrated Masters (ME) and Work placement

All students registering for an engineering degree at NUI Galway will be enrolled on an integrated five year programme; a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) (four years, Level 8) + a Master of Engineering (ME) (one year, Level 9). Upon successful completion of the five years of study, graduates will have the educational qualifications required for progression to Chartered Engineer. Students registering for an engineering degree at NUI Galway in 2019 will make a decision at the beginning of 3rd Year to either remain on the BE+ME pathway (five years) or exit with a BE (four years). Students on the BE+ME pathway will avail of advanced engineering modules, a substantial research and development project, and a work placement of eight months duration during the 4th Year. For students exiting with a BE, the work placement (eight months) will occur during 3rd Year. Read more about Engineering work placements.

Accreditation

All Engineering Degrees at NUI Galway are professionally accredited by the statutory professional body, Engineers Ireland. This “Accreditation” means that the degree has been assessed and approved to meet the educational requirements for professional Engineers.

Under an international agreement (Washingon Accord), any Degree accredited by the National professional body (Engineers Ireland) is recognized internationally. So having an “Accredited” degree means that employers outside of Ireland can (1) understand the quality/education achieved by a graduate and (2) know that it is equivalent to their own Education system/standards, and (3) can offer appropriate employment on this basis. For example, certain functions (sign off on large civil engineering construction projects) can only be carried out by a chartered engineer.
Engineers Ireland changed the criteria for Accreditation in 2012, and now require a Masters (Level 9) qualification as the education standard required for Registered Professional Titles of Chartered Engineer* (prior to this, a Level 8 degree was required). The changes were implemented because the standard European engineering qualification (degree or diplome) is at level 9, and European industry maintains a strict differentiation between those engineers qualified at level 9 and those qualified at level 8. Any graduate interested in working in Europe/Worldwide is now strongly advised to get an accredited level 9 award.
Engineers Ireland accreditation can be obtained at the following levels:
o Level 8: 4-year honours degree – associate engineer
o Level 9: 5-year masters degree – chartered engineer

*A Chartered Engineer is the highest professional education standard in Engineering. A chartered Engineer is competent (because of their education and training) to assume personal responsibility for the development and application ofengineering in research, design, construction, manufacturing, superintending, managing and in the education of the engineer. His/her work is predominantly intellectual and varied and not of a routine mental or physical character. It requires the exercise of original thought and judgement and the ability to supervise the technical and administrative work of others.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e., Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint), Agricultural Science or Computer Science) or Technology, and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes

Additional Requirements

Students must obtain a minimum of Grade H4 in the Higher Level Leaving Certificate paper in Mathematics or, alternatively places available (which may vary in number year to year) may be allocated to those candidates who have achieved the points requirement for the programme that year, who satisfy the general requirements for Matriculation in the College of Engineering and Informatics and who attain a Pass in the Engineering Maths Qualifying Examination. The places available will be allocated in strict order of merit based points attained in the Leaving Certificate. Due to capacity constraints, not all candidates who achieve a pass in the examination may receive an offer.

For A-Levels: A minimum of Grade C in Mathematics is required.

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2021

A Level Grades (2020)

nuigalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY413

Course code

Course Outline

Year 5 optional

At the School of Engineering we are focused on ensuring that you will be educated to the highest standards, and will have the necessary qualifications to avail of all of the professional opportunities presented to you, both in Ireland and across the world. You will be enrolled on an integrated five year programme; a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) (four years, Level 8) + a Master of Engineering (ME) (one year, Level 9). Students on the BE+ME pathway will avail of advanced engineering modules, a substantial research and development project, and a work placement. Upon successful completion of the five years of study, graduates will have the educational qualifications required for progression to Chartered Engineer. Full information on the optional 5^th Year is provided at www.nuigalway.ie/courses/taught-postgraduate-courses/energy-systems-engineering.html

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Required CH140: Engineering Chemistry - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required EI140: Fundamentals of Engineering - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required CT1110: Engineering Computing I - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required EI160: Engineering Graphics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required MA140: Engineering Calculus - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required MP120: Engineering Mechanics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PH140: Engineering Physics - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required EI150: Engineering Design - 10 Credits - Semester 2
Required CT1111: Engineering Computing II - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required MM140: Engineering Mathematical Methods - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Year 3 (60 Credits)

Year 4 (60 Credits)

Further Education

Upon completion of the undergraduate degree, suitably qualified students have the option to enrol and continue their studies to Masters or PhD level.

Students can advance to Masters level (ME) through our one year taught Masters programme (September-June) that builds on the successful completion of their undergraduate programme, subject to a sufficient standard (2nd Class Honours minimum). This programme is an integrated follow-on to the BE programme and is designed to meet Engineers Ireland’s criterion for Level 9 degrees, providing graduates with a route to Chartered Engineering status that will be recognised worldwide.

Masters degree education is becoming increasingly the norm internationally in Engineering, and this programme strengthens the ability of our graduates to compete nationally and internationally at the highest level for employment in industry and other sectors of the economy.

In PhD research, as well as Masters research projects, students tackle the big questions around energy in both Irish and international contexts. Topics include biomass, combustion, wave energy, and energy efficiency.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Energy Systems Engineering prepares students for career opportunities in fields related to the generation, conversion, transmission and use of energy and in the design of sustainable and advanced energy technologies, the operation of power generation systems, the development of energy-efficient products and processes, manufacturing, the construction of power plants and renewable energy systems, the design and operation of smart energy management systems, consultancy, the design of efficient and sustainable buildings, power distribution, transport, environmental protection, and research.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,492 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Tuition

€4,268 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Student levy

€224 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Non EU

€22,750 p.a. 2021/22

EU Fees 2020/21:
- Tuition: may be paid by the Irish Government on your behalf if you qualify for free tuition fees see - free fee initiative.
- Student Contribution: €3,000 - payable by all students but may by paid by SUSI if you apply and are deemed eligible for a means tested SUSI grant.
- Student Levy: €224 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.

Find out More

Energy Systems Engineering
T 353 (0)91 492 664
F 353 (0)91 750 558
E energyeng@nuigalway.ie
www.nuigalway.ie/engineering-informatics

What Employers Say

Majella Henchion, BE MSc | Networks Programme Owner, ESB

As a major employer of graduates from NUI Galway’s Energy Systems, Mechanical, Civil and Electrical/Electronic Engineering programmes, ESB welcomes the establishment of NUI Galway’s integrated five-year Accredited Master of Engineering degrees. We see great value in the additional educational attainment in and of itself but also as a key step in progression towards Chartership which is important for our Engineers because of the critical infrastructural nature of our work and the general management capability Chartership represents. ESB also welcomes the positioning of the work placement programme between the fourth and fifth years of study as it will enable the students to be given greater responsibility and experience a greater range of ESB’s work in the energy sector. We believe the movement of the industry placement makes it of greater value to the student, the undergraduate employer and to any post-graduate employer of that engineer.

Declan Costello | Senior R&D Manager, Medtronic

Medtronic welcomes the expansion of the NUI Galway Engineering programs to an integrated five-year Accredited Master of Engineering degree. Medtronic already employs a large number of NUI Galway Engineering graduates and the move to a five-year program aligns with international best practice, provides a more highly educated talent pool and facilitates an extended work placement which is hugely beneficial to both the company and the student.