Join our short course route webinar
Interested in taking the short course route to a Masters or postgraduate qualification?
Join our online Postgraduate Virtual Open Day on Thursday 15 May.
We’ll be hosting two live webinars there, explaining how the short course route works and answering all your questions. See you there!
- Morning webinar: 10.50am (BST)
- Evening webinar: 5.50pm (BST)
Earn your Masters in Subsurface Energy Engineering, 100% online.
Develop the advanced skills in energy engineering, geo-energy resources and storage that you need to work with subsurface energy systems.
In this flexible online degree, you’ll cover the engineering processes and technologies used in subsurface energy projects, and learn to address the challenges related to the use and reuse of resources gathered from these environments.
You’ll access advanced training in the design and use of subsurface resources, in conjunction with low-carbon energy sources, to achieve a sustainable energy future.
With expert guidance from academics, engineers, and industry, you’ll cover:
- the fundamentals of fluid transport processes in subsurface media, with applications to Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), hydrogen storage, geothermal resources, and other low-carbon energy systems
- how to apply the latest computational and modelling techniques to analyse and evaluate the subsurface for energy-related purposes
- key techniques required for energy and material conservation, and
- management systems related to the environment, geo-energy, safety, and life-cycle assessment.
Prepare for careers in a range of sectors
You’ll graduate ready to work in the sustainable energy sector, but also in related areas including petroleum engineering, contaminant transport, geo-energy, and environmental engineering.
Interdisciplinary learning
In this interdisciplinary degree, you’ll take in aspects of chemical and petroleum engineering, geology, chemistry, and the economics of subsurface energy systems, giving you a broad overview of the industry.
A unique syllabus
Uniquely, you’ll also cover the important area of sustainable mining for critical energy transition metals, including copper, lithium and zinc, as well as the subsequent processing, recycling and reuse of these materials.
Exceptional expertise
This MSc builds on the University of Aberdeen’s long track record of teaching and research in energy. Your learning draws on much of the ground-breaking research being conducted within our Centre for Energy Transition (CET), in geothermal energy, CCUS, and materials critical for the energy transition.
Who can join this online MSc in Subsurface Energy Engineering?
This distance-learning degree is for people who want to work in subsurface energy generation and storage.
It’s ideally suited to:
- engineering or geology graduates who want to focus their careers on engineering aspects of subsurface energy systems and renewable energy generation, and
- existing experienced engineers looking to upskill or reskill for careers in the sustainable energy sector.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for MSc Subsurface Energy Engineering
Earn a respected Masters degree
You’ll earn the same globally recognised Masters degree online as you would on campus.
Train with energy transition experts
Learn with a university leading the way in renewables, carbon capture, fuel cells, digitalisation and more.
Over 525 years of excellence
Graduate from the fifth-oldest university in the English-speaking world, founded in 1495.
By the end of this degree, you’ll be able to...
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Demonstrate advanced knowledge of subsurface energy systems, including COâ‚‚/hydrogen storage and geothermal resources.
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Understand the principal theories of the flow of gases and liquids in subsurface, pipelines, and surface processes.
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Analyse challenges related to energy storage and subsurface flow systems.
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Design relevant processes for energy storage and subsurface flow systems.
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Use life-cycle assessment and efficiency evaluation to analyse the sustainability of subsurface energy processes.
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Apply a range of standards and specialised techniques to solve problems and design subsurface energy processes.
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Implement creativity in solving engineering problems, alongside testing/de-risking and decision-making approaches.
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Develop numerical models to simulate subsurface energy systems and analyse their performance.
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Evaluate engineering problems related to subsurface energy systems and analyse solutions, taking into account economics and sustainability.
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Communicate and use soft skills in delivering complex outcomes to a range of audiences through presentations and report writing.
What you’ll study
You can choose to study for a:
- Masters (180 credits)
- exit early with a Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- exit early with a Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits), or
- start with one of the short courses that make up this degree (15 credits).
You can build your way to a qualification one short course at a time.
Try our degree scheduler
Choose your courses
See all the courses that are part of this degree and choose what you want to study.
Manage your study schedule
Control the pace and cost of your degree. Decide how much you want to study each term.
Save to your wishlist
Save your schedule to your wishlist so you can view and edit anytime.
How you’ll study
Online learning
This distance-learning Masters in Subsurface Energy Engineering is delivered flexibly, 100% online.
You can learn with us anywhere, no student visa required, and manage your study hours to suit you.
Your teaching
Teaching is delivered through MyAberdeen, our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It holds all the materials, tools and support you’ll need in your studies. Take a look around MyAberdeen.
You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of online resources available, including:
- recorded video lectures
- slide shows
- reading materials
- live online sessions
- discussion boards with your tutors and peers
- online access to our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library.
Live online sessions
Some of the courses that are part of this degree may feature some live online sessions to assist you with your learning. All live sessions will be recorded, so you can view these at your convenience if you are not able to attend live.
Your tutors
This online degree is delivered jointly by our School of Engineering and our School of Geosciences.
You’ll learn from highly research-active lecturers who, in partnership with industry, have designed this degree to ensure you study the latest technologies and thinking in the field.
Much of your syllabus is informed by research being carried out at our interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Transition.
Your support team
Our friendly team are here to answer any queries you have before, during and after your studies.
Dr Amin Sharifi
Amin is the degree coordinator. He’ll be on hand to answer questions about degree content before you start and to help you throughout your studies.
Lyn Magee
Lyn is part of the School’s administration team. She’ll be there throughout your studies to answer any of your non-academic queries.
Get in touch
The online education team is here to answer any questions you have right now about this qualification, or about studying online.
Ask us a questionWhere this will take you
Earn the same MSc qualification online as you would on campus
You’ll graduate with a respected MSc in Subsurface Energy Engineering from the University of Aberdeen, one of the UK’s six ancient universities.
You’ll receive exactly the same degree qualification online as you would on campus. Your degree title will not mention online or distance learning.
Your MSc qualification will be recognised by industry and educational institutions around the world, opening up international opportunities.
Careers in Subsurface Energy
You’ll graduate from this MSc ready to work in various areas related to energy extraction and storage, including:
- hydrogen transportation and storage
- the geothermal industry
- carbon capture and storage
- geo-energy engineering
- nuclear waste storage, and
- critical materials for the energy transition.
Transferable skills
The skills-based approach of this degree means you’ll also develop transferable skills for complementary roles within:
- the wider energy sector
- the oil and gas industry
- data analytics and policy
- government agencies and regulating bodies
- non-government organisations (NGOs), and
- academia.
Subsurface energy industry growth
The UK government’s Energy White Paper states that 220,000 positions will be required to support the energy transition in the UK alone over the next 10 years.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been recognised as a critical technology by the UK government and is central to its Net Zero Strategy.
According to a report by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the UK has an estimated total carbon storage capacity of 78 gigatons, one of the largest in Europe and enough to hold two centuries’ worth of the UK’s current emissions.
The same report states that CCS could be worth £20bn to the offshore oil and gas supply chain in the next 10 years, and £100bn by 2050.
The growth of clean energy technologies is also creating a rapidly increasing demand for critical minerals, including copper, silicon, zinc, manganese, and rare earth minerals, with subsurface engineering skills required to harness these.
Lifelong career support
Our career support doesn’t stop when you graduate.
You have access to our free careers service while you study, and beyond.
- 1:1 appointments
- CV checks
- Interview prep
- Job opportunities
Fees and funding
Master of Science
180 credits
£15,030
This indicative cost is based on 180 credits of study over three years, starting in September 2025.
The fee quoted above is based on you starting your studies with us in the 2025/26 academic year.
Our indicative cost includes a 5% fee rise each year.
Pay as you go
This is a pay-as-you-go qualification.
You do not have to pay the full tuition fee upfront.
You can spread the cost and pay as you go, term by term.
How it works
- You decide how many credits to study for each term.
- At the start of term, you pay only for the credits you’re taking that term.
- This gives you control over your costs and workload for each term of your qualification.
Your personalised cost breakdown
Use the degree scheduler to plan your studies and see your cost breakdown, term by term.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for flexible online engineering degrees
Earn as you learn
We fit around full-time work, so you can build qualifications while you keep earning a salary.
20% alumni discount
University of Aberdeen alumni receive 20% off fees for this online degree.
You’re in expert hands
We’ve been training world-class engineers for over 100 years and delivering online learning for decades.
Entry requirements
MSc, PgDip, PgCert
- A 2:2 UK honours degree (or equivalent) in any branch of Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or Geosciences.
Short course route to online MSc Subsurface Energy Engineering
If you prefer to start with a short course, you may be able to use our online short courses as a route into this degree.
Find out about our short course route to entryApply for this programme
- Start month
- September or January
- Indicative cost
- £15,030
This indicative cost is based on 180 credits of study over three years, starting in September 2025.
Apply via our Applicant Portal
