Decommissioning

This degree usually combines online assessment with written exams that you attend in person.

However, as a result of Covid-19, in-person exams will not take place until the September 2023 term at the earliest.

Until then, we’ll use alternative online assessments. These can include:

• coursework
• online quizzes
• timed online open-book assessments.

From September 2023 – return of in-person exams

From the September 2023 academic term onward, we may reintroduce in-person exams for some of the online courses that feature in this degree.

For these courses, you’ll be assessed via a mix of online assessment and in-person exams at the end of term.

We’ll keep you updated as to assessment method changes for these courses well in advance.

When in-person exams are reintroduced

You can take your exams:

• on campus at the University of Aberdeen
• at another university or exam centre that is closer to you
• at your local British Council Office.

We can help you find a convenient location for your exams. You then make the arrangements and book them yourself.

We contact you six to eight weeks before your exam date to confirm your chosen location. We recommend exploring your options well before then. If you need any help with this, get in touch with our friendly enquiry team.

Exam schedules

Exams usually take place at the end of each term, during our official exam periods:

• For the January term, exams usually run in early May.
• For the May term, exams usually run in early September.
• For the September term, exams usually run in early December.

Your precise exam dates will be made available nearer the time.

If you fail or miss an exam, you can resit it in the next exam period or during our summer resit period. This is usually at the end of June/start of July.

Exam support

If you have any disabled access or support needs for your exams, let us know as part of your online application. We will make sure the right support is in place for you. Find out about the wide range of exam support available.

You can contact a disability adviser anytime by emailing student.disability@abdn.ac.uk to discuss how we can help.

Exam costs

Sitting exams on campus at the University of Aberdeen is free.

Other universities, exam centres and British Council Offices may charge you for this service. This is an additional cost on top of your degree or course fee. You pay this fee to your chosen exam centre, not to us.

Hours for taught courses

If you plan to study part-time, we recommend you take no more than 30 credits per term. Students typically take one or two 15-credit short courses per term.

15 credits

• Around 150 hours of study and assessment time to complete.
• You’ll study 8 – 10 hours per week per term, plus more at assessment times.

30 credits

• Around 300 hours of study and assessment time to complete.
• You’ll study 15 – 20 hours per week per term, plus more at assessment times.

This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes.

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 will be some activities scheduled at a fixed time, such as online meetings with your tutor or assessments with deadlines. But otherwise, you can access and work through each course at your convenience.

Hours for 60-credit projects and dissertations

A 60-credit project or dissertation is around 600 hours of study time.

This is around one term of full-time study.

You can dedicate a full term to your project or dissertation and work on it full-time. Or you can complete it part-time, spreading the hours you dedicate to it over two terms.

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 to your course 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 course 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.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your tutors via MyAberdeen and email. 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 – including one-to-one advice sessions
• 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.

We’re a member of the Access scheme run by the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL).

Access study spaces, books and journals in your area

The SCONUL Access scheme allows you, as a University of Aberdeen student, to access books and resources at university libraries across the UK and Ireland, or visit them for a quiet place to study.

You’ll be able to use study spaces, books and journals at over 150 university libraries which belong to the scheme.

Find out about the SCONUL Access scheme for libraries.

Pay as you go allows you to spread payments over several terms.

When you pay

You make a payment before the start of each term.

How much you pay

You only pay for the credits you want to study in the upcoming term.

It’s up to you how many credits you take each term. This gives you control over your costs and your workload.

• Taking fewer credits will increase the length of your studies.

We break down the total cost of this qualification into cost per 15-credit course, project, and your dissertation.

This degree is delivered by four different academic schools. Each school sets its own fees, so course fees vary.

Costs for this degree, starting in academic year 2024/25

15-credit courses

• £1,290 – £1,480 in academic year 2024/25.
• £1,355 – £1,555 in academic year 2025/26.
• £1,425 – £1,635 in academic year 2026/27 (provisional).

15-credit project

• £840 in academic year 2024/25.
• £880 in academic year 2025/26.
• £925 in academic year 2026/27 (provisional).

Dissertation (60 credits)

• £3,360 in academic year 2024/25.
• £3,520 in academic year 2024/25.
• £3,700 in academic year 2026/27 (provisional).

Tuition fees typically rise a little each academic year and will rise by 5% for the 2025/26 academic year. Fees for 2026/27 are based on a further 5% increase, but are provisional and subject to change.

This is an example payment schedule for tuition fees. It’s based on a typical route through the degree.

You can take more or fewer credits per term than is shown in this example.

Term 1) September – December 2024 | Academic year 2024/25

• Take two 15-credit courses: Offshore Structures and Subsea Systems @£1,290 and Decommissioning of Offshore Installations: Regulatory Aspects @£1,290.
• Fee for term = £2,580.
• Payment due in September.

Term 2) January – April 2025

• Take two 15-credit courses: Marine Environmental Impact Assessment @£1,290 and Process Shut Down, Structural Decommissioning and Disposal @£1,290.
• Fee for term = £2,580.
• Payment due in January.

PgCert exit point

With 60 credits earned, you now have the option to exit with a PgCert.

Total fee for this route to your PgCert = £5,160.

Term 3) May – August 2025

• Summer break. There is no teaching in the first summer of your degree.
• No payment due.

Term 4) September – December 2025 | Academic year 2025/26

• Take two 15-credit courses: Well Plugging and Abandonment @£1,355 and Petroleum Economics and Project Evaluation @£1,555.
• Fee for term = £2,910.
• Payment due in September.

Term 5) January – April 2026

• Take one 15-credit project and one elective 15-credit course: Group Project in Comparative Assessment @£880 and Decommissioning of Offshore Installations: Commercial Aspects or Engineering Risk and Reliability Analysis @£1,355.
• Fee for term = £2,235.
• Payment due in January.

PgDip exit point

With 120 credits earned, you now have the option to exit with a PgDip.

Total fee for this route to your PgDip = £10,305.

Term 6) May – August 2026

• Embark on your 60-credit dissertation.
• Fee for dissertation = £3,520.
• Payment due in May.

Term 7) September – December 2026 | Academic year 2026/27

• Complete your dissertation.
• No further payment is due.

MSc complete

On passing your dissertation, you’ll have earned 180 credits and will be awarded an MSc.

Total fee for this route to your MSc = £13,825.

Exam fees

If your degree includes in-person exams, you may have to pay exam fees depending on where you sit your exams.

It’s free to sit exams on campus at the University of Aberdeen.

If you sit an exam at another university, exam centre or a British Council Office, they may charge you for this service. This is a fee that you pay directly to the service provider when booking your exam with them. It is not a fee you pay to us.

Learning resources

All essential lecture notes and resources are included in your tuition fee. They will be available online and you do not have to buy your own copies.

We also provide optional recommended reading lists. Many of these resources are available electronically through our library, although optional purchases may be required if you wish to read the full list.

Printing

You may want to set aside a small budget for printing, depending on how you like to work.

There are several ways you may be able to get help funding your studies:

• Employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors
• Student loans
• Scholarships – search our funding database for scholarships

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.

20% Alumni discount

You’re entitled to 20% off our postgraduate taught degrees and short courses if you have a degree from the University of Aberdeen. View Alumni discount details.

How discounts work

Discounts are applied during your application process. You can only use one discount per application.

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world.

See the minimum entry requirements above. If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check equivalent qualifications from your country.

Visa requirements

You do not need a visa to study online with us.

English language requirements

Teaching is delivered in English.

If English is not your first language, use our English requirements checklist to see if you need to provide evidence of your English language skills when you apply.

English language tests and scores

If you do need to provide English language test scores, these are the tests and minimum scores we accept for this course or degree.

These are our Postgraduate Standard requirements.

IELTS 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 International ESOL B2 Communicator (Written and Spoken)

• Overall High Pass
• 33 for listening, reading and speaking
• 38 for writing

PTE Academic (online test not accepted)

• 62 overall
• 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

For full information about language requirements, see our English Language Requirements page.

You apply through our online Applicant Portal. It allows you to upload relevant qualifications and documents.

Applying to the University of Aberdeen is always free.

What you need to apply for this degree

• Degree transcript
• Personal statement
• Degree certificate
• CV / Resume

Apply now

Start with our step-by-step guide. It explains degree transcripts, what to write in your personal statement and how to use our Applicant Portal.

Apply as early as you can. This is so we have time to review your application and get a decision to you. We also want to ensure you have time to enrol before teaching starts.

September 2024 intake

Teaching starts on 23 September 2024.

Application deadlines will be announced in due course.

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.