The name of the course is Subsea Control and this course is a foundation course.
We give a broad overview of the methods and the technologies used to control the operation
of Subsea systems. Therefore it's quite important from the point of view of anybody who works
in subsea technology to have a good apprehension of this technology, and also because it's
seen as a bit of a magic art, we try in this course to make it simple, to break it down
into simple terms, and make everybody understand the aspects involved in controlling subsea
operations. This course is traditionally for people who have an Engineering Degree, and
as part of our MSc programmes we usually enrol students with a mechanical, civil, or naval
engineering degree. However the nature of the course is such that the course is suitable
for Electrical Engineers as well, so for anybody with an engineering degree who is in the subsea
industry or wants to enter this industry, this is a suitable course to have a good awareness
of subsea control technologies. Aberdeen is the oil and gas excellence centre of this
country and of Europe, and additionally we have a lot of companies surrounding the University
and supporting the course. For this particular course we have excellent guest speakers from
the best industries linked to control technologies. For example Aker solutions is contributing
a lot to this course but also others, and for this support that we receive on the course
I think Aberdeen is actually the best place to study subsea control systems. The students
enrolling in the course will get an overview of all aspects of subsea control technology,
then they're going to get an introduction into electrical power and more detailed aspects
of the subsea equipment. Both top sites and subsea will be presented and additional lectures
will cover issues such as control fluids, subsea standards and guidelines, communications
and the transmission of communications through fibre optic cables. More specialised issues
like obsolescence and future technologies will also be covered in the course. Students
who enrol in this course will get a good overview of subsea control technologies, which will
help them in different ways. They could be able to get a job in a specialist area as
part of the subsea industry, if this is what they’re interested in. Another way that
they can help people is if there are involved in the industry but they're not specialised
in controls, to have a good idea of the interface of their job with control systems, and of
course other people can do this course as part of their MSc if they want to enrol in
an MSc after completion of this course and get their Certificate in Subsea Engineering.
The course is taught in weekly 3 hour components: a 2 hour lecture and a 1 hour tutorial. It’s
assessed with an exam at the end of the term which counts for 80% of the course, and 1
assignment with 2 different parts counting for 20%. All lectures are uploaded online
so students, whether on campus or online, can access materials 24/7, throughout the
term. There are also discussion boards where students can ask questions, interact with
their peers or with their lecturers to get answers or additional knowledge. This is a
15 credit course which means that there's about 10 to 15 hours weekly study expected
from the students. That’s including their time to view the lectures online, to rehearse
the tutorials and also to do the continuous assessment part of their study.