Join us online to study the integrity of offshore structures and materials.
Build your qualifications with a university that’s at the forefront of professional training for ambitious engineers.
You’ll gain fundamental knowledge and skills that you can apply to structural integrity assessments in a range of offshore settings, including:
- traditional energy applications
- offshore renewables
- ships
- submarines.
You’ll:
- study the design considerations for components used in offshore environments
- gain highly sought-after knowledge and expertise in materials selection, qualification, standards and testing
- learn from industry, with teaching supported by offshore companies operating in the North Sea and beyond.
Who is this offshore engineering course for?
This distance-learning offshore engineering course is designed for physical sciences or engineering graduates working in, or keen to move into, offshore sectors.
Build credits towards a Masters degree
This online course is part of:
You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards any of these MSc qualifications.
What you’ll study
As engineers, we use a lot of design codes and standards as guidelines, without necessarily understanding the theory behind them. This course will help you unpack and understand the theory behind guidelines for offshore structures and systems.
In this course, you’ll:
- study the design considerations for components to be used in offshore environments
- gain a detailed understanding of materials selection, qualification, standards and testing
- learn about failure and degradation issues in offshore environments
- examine the reasons for failure and how failure analysis is applied in the design process
- look at industry applications alongside your fundamental studies.
This online course focuses on offshore steel structures relating to traditional energy applications. But the fundamental knowledge you’ll gain can be applied to structural integrity assessments in a range of marine applications, including offshore renewables, ships, and submarines.
You’ll cover the following course syllabus:
- Principles of materials selection.
- Materials and component qualification: design standards and testing/acceptance regimes.
- Degradation processes: corrosion, erosion, stress corrosion.
- Failure processes: fracture and fatigue.
- Inspection techniques.
- Integrity management procedures.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to...
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Describe the principal materials used in offshore applications such as marine renewables and subsea extraction of oil and gas.
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Analyse the design and integrity issues associated with the use of materials in different offshore applications and environments.
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Learn to apply industrial standards to the selection of materials for offshore applications.
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Evaluate fundamental design and integrity-related problems, looking for defects, causes of degradation and failure, and understanding the potential consequences of failure.
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Understand the implications of material choices for testing and component acceptance.
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Apply common fault-finding techniques and integrity-management procedures.
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Contribute to detailed component design and integrity assessment for structures used in a marine environment.
Why study offshore engineering online with the University of Aberdeen?
Fits around full-time work
This course is designed to fit around work. With flexible hours and 24/7 study access.
Better connected
We’re actively connected with the offshore oil, gas and renewable energy industries – so you are too.
20% alumni discount
University of Aberdeen alumni get 20% off this online course.
How you’ll study
Online learning
Our distance-learning Offshore Structural Integrity course is delivered flexibly online. You can study with us anywhere in the world and manage your study hours to suit you.
Your teaching
This course is taught at Masters level.
Your training 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 resources at your fingertips, including:
- online lectures and tutorials
- reading materials
- discussion boards with colleagues and tutors
- the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library.
Your tutors
You’ll learn from a team of experienced engineers who have worked at high levels in industry. You’ll also learn from guest speakers from major companies operating in offshore sectors.
Industry input
This course benefits from an Industry Advisory Board. It constantly reviews your course content to ensure that you’re gaining the latest knowledge and are up to speed with emerging trends, technologies and career opportunities.
You’ll be assessed online. Assessment will take place throughout the teaching term.
Types of assessment for this course may include:
- coursework
- online quizzes
- timed online open-book assessments.
Assessment deadlines
Your assessments will have submission deadlines, either during or at the end of the course. Your course coordinator will let you know when your assessment deadlines are, so you can plan your study time accordingly.
The course totals approximately 150 hours of study and assessment time. That’s around 10 – 15 hours per week.
This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes. This includes time for independent study, as well as teaching and assessments.
You can largely set your own study hours each week to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study when it suits you.
Activities at fixed times
There may be some activities scheduled for fixed times. This could include coursework and assessments with deadlines, or online meetings with your tutor. Otherwise, you can access and work through the course at your convenience.
Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your course coordinator throughout your course. This could be by email, MyAberdeen, online call, or phone. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.
We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:
- Careers and Employability Service
- Disability support
- IT support
- Library support
- Student Support Service – help with finances, stress, wellbeing and non-academic issues
- Student Learning Service – study support, with advice sessions available via phone or Skype
- Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) – run by students for students
- Toolkit – clever apps and free training that can make your study life easier
Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.
Your course coordinator
Dr Amir Siddiq
A Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, Amir has over 15 years of research, teaching and management experience. His work has focused on multiscale mechanics of materials and the use of experimental and simulation techniques to improve advanced manufacturing processes.
View Amir’s profileWhere this will take you
Towards a Masters
You’ll earn 15 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards our:
Accredited Masters in Offshore Engineering
Join our accredited online MSc and gain the skills you need to work in a wide variety of roles in the offshore engineering sector, including marine renewables.
View MSc Offshore Engineering
Accredited Masters in Safety and Reliability Engineering
Become a world-class safety engineer, wherever you’re based, with this accredited online MSc. Train online with internationally experienced safety engineers and learn direct from industry.
View MSc Safety and Reliability Engineering
Accredited Masters in Subsea Engineering
Become a subsea engineer with our accredited online MSc. Train in the fundamental skills and technical knowledge demanded by the subsea sector today.
View MSc Subsea EngineeringBuild your learning
We offer a range of specialist online Engineering and technology courses you can use to build your skills.
Many carry credits you can build up into postgraduate qualifications, including Masters degrees:
Careers
As a graduate from any engineering or physical sciences background, this course will help prepare you for a career in the offshore sector.
Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Talk to your employer or institute to find out more.
Free career support
Access our free careers service while you study.
- 1:1 appointments
- CV checks
- Interview prep
- Job opportunities
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world.
This course has no formal entry requirements. You do not need to provide proof of your qualifications.
But you do need to check the entry guidance above to understand the level of teaching delivered, to decide if this course is right for you.
If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check the equivalent teaching level for your country.
Visa requirements
You do not need a student visa to study online with us.
English language requirements
Teaching is delivered in English.
You do not have to provide proof of your English language skills to join this course. But we want to make sure that you can use English well enough to study successfully.
Recommended level of English
For this course, we recommend the following level of English language proficiency.
These are our Postgraduate Standard requirements, and these are minimum scores.
IELTS Academic, IELTS UKVI Academic, and IELTS Online (not IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training)
- 6.5 overall
- 5.5 for listening, reading and speaking
- 6.0 for writing
TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition
- 90 overall
- 17 for listening
- 18 for reading
- 20 for speaking
- 21 for writing
- TOEFL DI code is 0818
Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency
- 176 overall
- 162 for listening, reading and speaking
- 169 for writing
LanguageCert Academic/LanguageCert Academic SELT
- 70 overall
- 60 for listening, reading and speaking
- 65 for writing
LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator (Written and Spoken) – Online / In-centre
- Overall High Pass
- 33 for listening, reading and speaking
- 38 for writing
Oxford ELLT Digital – English Language Level Test Online
- 7.0 overall
- 5.0 for listening, reading and speaking
- 6.0 for writing
PTE Academic (online test not accepted)
- 62 overall
- 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing
Duolingo – tests taken from 1 July 2024 onward
- 120 overall
- 95 for listening, reading and speaking
- 105 for writing
University of Aberdeen English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE)
- Pass
- Valid for one year. Refresher can be offered if out of date
Pre-sessional academic English preparation programmes undertaken at other UK universities
- Pass at an equivalent of 6.5 (C1)
- B2 in all four skills
- Certification must be within one year prior to the start of your course
For full information about language requirements, see our English Language Requirements page.
You will need access to:
A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either:
- Windows 10 or later
- macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.
Most teaching materials are smartphone- and tablet-friendly. But we recommend a proper laptop or desktop for completing assignments comfortably.
Reliable internet access
We recommend:
- a wired connection
- a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps so you can take part fully in live sessions.
Speakers or headphones
- We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
- A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one for some interactive sessions.
Software
We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.
If your course requires specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.
See our detailed IT requirements for more information.
When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.
But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.
Your most important commitment will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.
Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your studies each week:
- Be realistic
- Create a weekly schedule as a guide
If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.
Fee payment
Your course fee needs to be paid in full before you start your course.
We accept payment via Visa Debit, Visa Credit and Mastercard.
Ways to save
You may be able to get help funding this course via:
- discounts – if any discounts are available for this course, they’ll appear in the section below
- employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors.
Find out more about funding options.
Student card
All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.
This course has no formal entry requirements. You decide if it’s suitable for you.
The course is delivered at Masters level. At this level, you’d usually have at least:
- a 2:1 UK honours degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Physics, or
- three years’ relevant experience that supports this level of study.
Mathematical skills
This course includes significant mathematical content. Please review our mathematical skills document, which we’ve prepared to give you an indication of the level of mathematics you’ll require.
Apply for this course
