The degree is designed for students wishing to develop an advanced knowledge in energy management, regulatory agencies, stakeholder engagement, and NGO/policy advisory roles. This programme will provide students with the ability to analyse energy political and legal issues and also give them knowledge about energy economics. Courses offered involve the politics of energy and of electricity market reform; how economics and legal issues affect political and commercial decisions in energy; how the law affects the oil and gas industry; commercial domestic and international political regulation of energy markets; the politics and law of renewable energy; international energy security issues such as oil crises, and the law and politics of climate change. Efforts will be made as far as is practicable to furnish opportunities for direct engagement through work experience or collaboration in writing dissertation projects with the energy industry. The Programme will equip students with an in-depth, all round ability to analyse energy issues and enable them more easily to find employment in an energy-related activity. This will be done in the setting of the key centre – Aberdeen - of the energy industry in the UK. The degree works both as stand-alone programme for students wishing to enhance their knowledge of this area to an advanced level, as well as providing the necessary foundation for students wishing to pursue a PhD in the social sciences.

This programme will enable students to be plausible candidates to work in various aspects of the energy industry. This includes careers involving planning, work on legal aspects of energy, involvement in organisation of projects, project evaluation, policy research and guidance, provision of energy services and administration. This can be in a number of types of energy organisation ranging from the major utilities and energy companies through to independent companies, local government and national government and pressure groups and policy foundations interested in energy issues. Of course the masters degree will also help students to enter careers outside of the energy industry as well.