smart-grids-banner

Smart Grids and Power Systems MSc

Smart Grids & Power Systems MSc is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge for a diverse range of careers in the field of Electrical Power Engineering and Smart Grid Operations.

Book your Postgraduate Open Day

Join us on Wednesday 17 April

Book now

Overview

Smart Grids & Power Systems MSc will give you an in-depth understanding of contemporary issues in electrical power systems and smart grid concepts and will develop your knowledge of experimental and computer modelling techniques for the design and operation of electrical smart grids. The course will enhance your understanding of the structure and operation of systems such as electricity transmission & distribution networks, renewable sources of energy, electricity markets, and will introduce you to advanced computational, mathematical, measurement and analysis tools and techniques, for intelligent data analysis in the field of smart grids. 

The course is informed by research from the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD) and the School of Computer Science so that you develop industry-relevant and up-to-date knowledge and expertise. 

This course is suitable for recent graduates in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and from related engineering and physical science backgrounds, and as well as professionals with relevant industry experience.

Key features

  • Be taught by experts. With more than 30-year’s research experience, our Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD) research and teaching staff provide you with a unique opportunity to learn from scientists actively involved in furthering knowledge and sharing expertise.
  • Access specialist facilities including a dedicated Smart Grid Laboratory designed for the study of core elements of the Electrical Power Grid, including Renewable Sources of Energy, and the Development of Electric Vehicle Components, as well as computer labs equipped with industry-standard Power System Analysis software.
  • Prepare for a career in, or take the first step in pursuing a PhD and an academic career in Electrical Smart Grids and Power Engineering.
  • Choose to undertake a year-long work placement*, gaining valuable experience to develop your practical and professional skills and enhance your employability.
  • Enjoy an international experience with DMU Global to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons.
  • Make the course fit around you, with full-time or part time study options available.

*Country restrictions apply

 

Scholarships:

DMU offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

International Scholarships

Find out about available scholarships and country specific fee discounts for international students. 

 

More courses like this

Energy and Sustainable Development MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert

Engineering Year Zero

News stories

New partnership between Leicester's unis offers students chance to improve skills for less

 

DMU has been shortlisted for the Postgraduate Award in the 2024 Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs), as voted for by students.

  • UK
  • EU/International

Programme code: H63071

Duration: One year full time.

Start Date: September

Fees and funding: 

2023/24 fees for UK students: £9,000.

2024/25 fees for UK students: £9,500.

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

 

Programme code: H63071

Duration: One year full time.

Start date: September

Fees and funding: 

2023/24 full-time tuition fees for EU and international students: £17,100 per year.

2024/25 full-time tuition fees for EU and international students: £17,600 per year.

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Entry criteria

You should have the equivalent of a British Honours degree (2:2 minimum) in an engineering-related subject.

We are happy to consider equivalent qualifications from anywhere in the world. 

If you have no formal academic qualifications but do have extensive industry experience, we will consider your application on an individual basis

UCAS tariff information

Students applying for courses starting in September will be made offers based on the latest UCAS Tariff

Interview: For applicants to the programme who fall below the standard entrance requirements but who otherwise meet the standard for the programme may be invited for a short interview to discuss their application as part of the admissions process.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

 
  • Engineering Business Environment and Research Methods – 30 credits
  • Data Analytics for Sustainable Energy Systems – 30 credits
  • Fuzzy Logic & Evolutionary Computing – 30 credits
  • Smart Grids: Modelling, Analysis & Operation – 30 credits
  • Individual Project – 60 credits

 

See detailed module descriptions


Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

 

The modules are delivered through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, and laboratories in a block-delivery mode. This ensures a good balance between theory and practice so that real world problems are better understood through an underpinning of strong theoretical and analytical knowledge translated into practical skills.

You will normally attend 16 hours of timetabled taught sessions each week for each module undertaken; the modules are taught sequentially in block-delivery mode over a period of 7 weeks for each module. You can expect to also undertake additional hours of independent study and assignments as required for each module.

 

 

 

Facilities and features

The Smart Grids & Sustainable Energy Laboratory 

The newly constructed SGSE Laboratory in the School of Engineering and Sustainable Development is a high-tech hub for teaching, research, and technology demonstration in the fields of smart grids and sustainable energy. 

The SGSE Laboratory features a Smart Grid Trainer and a Renewable Energy training toolkit – providing a technology testing and proving space for real-world experiments and practical energy projects. The Smart Grid Trainer kit includes components that emulate the operation of generating units such as Coal, Wind, Hydroelectric and Solar PV panels with lamps. The Kit includes units of major components of Transmission and Distribution network such as Energy Meters, Circuit Breakers, Protection & Synchronizing Relays, Transformers, Transmission Lines, Reactive Power Controller, Load Units, Capacitors and Busbars. The active components of the kit are controlled using a SCADA system on a PC through a Datahub unit. The kit also includes all the basic components of a Home Microgrid such as PV Simulator, Battery with inverter, Human Machine Interface and Active Load units. The Laboratory is also equipped with facilities for battery testing for Electric Vehicles on a prototype EV unit. 

The SGSE Laboratory is not only a catalyst for students to think creatively about some of the significant energy problems of the present and future, but also a hub for academic research into energy generation, low carbon transport, heating and light, energy storage and smart grids. 

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
placements-img-01

Placements

Students on this course will be eligible to undertake an optional placement year provided certain other conditions are satisfied. This is an opportunity to acquire valuable industry experience and develop key skills relevant to your field of study. This will help you understand a particular job or industry which will help define your career goals.

Support will be available from the faculty Placement Team in the form of guidance on searching for an appropriate industrial placement, CV writing, interview preparation, access to a range of employability skills workshops, employer presentations and 1:1 appointment. Support from a dedicated Placement Tutor will also be provided outside of your placement job. 

dmu-global-img-01

DMU Global

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

graduate-careers-img-01

Graduate careers

The series of specialist modules in this degree programme have been designed to include knowledge and skills required in the electrical power engineering sector. Students will have the ability to work in areas of generation, transmission and distribution of power; areas of smart grid design, research and development; electricity markets and active consumer participation; policy making and intelligent data analysis in the smart grid sector.

Graduate careers exist in the electricity sector and power system industries, consultancy firms, network operators, renewable energy companies, regulatory agencies and other power-sector related companies. 

Take your next steps