Master´s Degree in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

2023/2024 · 60 credits

What you learn

This master's degree offers the possibility of acquiring the necessary knowledge and experience on the definition, design, exploitation and management of renewable energies with a minimum impact and guaranteeing sustainable development. Knowledge will be acquired on energy auditing, energy rating of buildings, bioclimatic architecture, definition of intelligent and sustainable buildings, BIM, installation legislation, electricity markets and pricing, micro-grids, smart grids, electric mobility, among others.

In addition, the necessary capacities will be provided to carry out energy policies, investment analyzes and, of course, all the management of projects based on energy efficiency or renewable energies from a sustainable point of view. To ensure being able to compete in the current and future labor market in this thriving and growing field of professional activity.

Graduates will be able to:

  • Advise, guide and offer optimal solutions to optimize resources and achieve efficiency and energy use in any sector.
  • Evaluate the application of emerging technologies in the field of energy and the environment under criteria such as efficiency, sustainability or cooperation.
  • Continue their research training and write a doctoral thesis.

Generic skills

The skills acquired by completing these studies revolve around energy efficiency and use in a broad sense, but those related to:

  • Energy audits and certifications.
  • Analysis and design of harvesting systems with multiple technologies.
  • Analysis of energy consumption and its associated costs.
  • Application of current legislation and regulations applicable to the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector.

Professional and academic career

The energy efficiency market is very broad and covers different sectors:

  • Industry.
  • Transport.
  • Edification.
  • Public services.
  • Residential and tertiary equipment.
  • Agriculture.
  • Transformation of energy.

The prospects for action in the coming years and the potential for energy savings that are managed will lead to a growing incorporation of professionals who meet the needs of these sectors.

The main services offered by energy efficiency professionals are:

  • Contract optimization.
  • Energy audits.
  • Outsourcing of energy management.
  • Energy management systems.
  • Energy service companies.
  • Energy rehabilitation.
  • High energy efficiency building.
  • Urban mobility planning.
  • Urban transport planning.
  • Home automation.

In addition, Royal Decree 56/2016, of February 12, allows students of this master's degree to be accredited as energy service providers.

Companies and institutions involved

There are educational collaboration agreements with more than 80 companies, among which are: Alcoa, Endesa generación S.A., Ferrovial, Gamesa, Gas natural SDG S.A., Navantia, Red eléctrica, Reganosa, SunFields Europe...

Planning for teaching

This degree has both face-to-face and non-face-to-face modalities.

The distribution of subjects throughout the course is as follows:

  • First semester.
    • 6 compulsory subjects and 1 elective are taught to choose between the 2 offered.
  • Second semester.
    • 6 electives are taught to choose from the 12 offered.
    • The Company Internships and the Master's Thesis will be carried out.

Study structure

The masters are organized by modules. Click on a module for more information.

  Guide Type QTR. credits
Energy Efficiency Certification Compulsory 1st 4.5 ECTS
Solar Systems Compulsory 1st 4.5 ECTS
Cogeneration and Biomass Systems Compulsory 1st 4.5 ECTS
Energy Politics and Investments Analysis Compulsory 1st 4.5 ECTS
Wind, Hydraulic and Marine Systems Compulsory 1st 4.5 ECTS
Smart and Sustainable Facilities and Buildings Compulsory 1st 4.5 ECTS
  Guide Type QTR. credits
Work Placement Compulsory 2nd 3 ECTS
  Guide Type QTR. credits
Master`s Dissertation Compulsory 2nd 9 ECTS

 BOE with syllabus (PDF)

Teachers

The study is taught by the following teachers:

The masters are organized by modules. Click on a module for more information.

Student mobility

UDC holds student mobility agreements with universities and other third-level institutions across four continents. Students are offered several opportunities each year to apply to study abroad in one of these centres (for a single term or for a whole year), with the guarantee that all credits obtained will be duly recognised in their academic record upon their return.

For each round of applications, the University publishes the list of exchange options available to students and, where relevant, the specific conditions associated with each. Students may also apply to the University for funding for international work experience placements and internships.

Work experience placements are accredited in the student's academic record and the European diploma supplement. Students are free to decide in which host company or academic institution within the EHEA they wish to carry out their placement. To assist them in their search, the University has created an online noticeboard with jobs postings and other news.

Work-study placements in A Coruña are arranged by the International Relations Office (ORI) of the UDC in collaboration with the international relations coordinators in the student’s home university. The general entry criteria, rights and obligations of students, and admission and acceptance procedures for the programme, are regulated by the UDC Mobility Policy.

Particular centre actions

Based on the agreement signed between the University of Coruña (UDC) and the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), the Master's program offers the possibility of obtaining the double degree of:

  • Máster en Aprovechamiento Energético y Sostenibilidad por la UDC.
  • Mestrado em Energias Renováveis e Eficiência Energética por el IPB.

To obtain the double degree, it is necessary to take part of the credits at the UDC and the other part at the IPB.

UDC students who come from an official degree in the Engineering and Architecture branch of knowledge or the Science branch of knowledge must take 30 ECTS from the Master's Degree in Energy Use and Sustainability at the UDC and will travel to the IPB to study the 42 ECTS corresponding to the subject of “Dissertação; Project Work; Estagio” do Mestrado em Energias Renováveis e Eficiência Energética, of which 9 ECTS will correspond to the Master's Thesis at the UDC.

The stay at the IPB can be done in two different modalities: