Overview

This course covers topics such as mineral deposit studies, petroleum geology, minerals engineering, accounting, mathematical techniques in finance, and project management.

This degree is run jointly by the Department of Earth Science and Engineering and Imperial College Business School.

It covers mineral deposit studies, resource evaluation, basic petroleum engineering and petroleum geology, minerals engineering and extractive metallurgy, accounting, mathematical techniques in finance, project appraisal and finance, project management, and markets and supplies.

The programme:

• produces graduates equipped to pursue careers in the technical and financial appraisal of natural energy and mineral resource projects;
• offers traditional minerals-related training directly applicable to a career in the minerals industry;
• introduces key technical and geological concepts relevant to petroleum projects;
• enhances career opportunities in the financial services and petroleum industries;
• provides the basis for an understanding of quantitative finance, accounting and strategic management within the context of technical principles that apply specifically to mineral and energy projects;
• responds to the importance of the City of London as a global centre for mining and energy finance by providing knowledge of corporate finance, equity markets, debt finance, metals markets and associated derivative markets;
• provides training in financial modelling, financial engineering and the techniques of risk modelling;
• enhances entrepreneurial skills;
• provides the skills needed to undertake independent research projects both in industry and in a university environment.

Structure

Modules shown are for the current academic year, and are subject to change depending on your year of entry.

The course is intensive and runs for almost a full year, starting in early October and finishing in mid-September.

It comprises formal classroom-based teaching with practical classes and seminars in the autumn and spring terms.

Focus areas are:

• Cash flow modelling
• Mineral deposits studies
• Petroleum engineering
• Petroleum geology
• Accounting
• Mathematical techniques in finance
• Resource evaluation
• Metals and energy project appraisal and finance
• Management of projects, markets and supplies
• Minerals engineering
• Extraction metallurgy
• Quantitative finance and strategic management

If you have a background in mathematics, you will be required to follow a European language option. If you would benefit from supportive teaching in mathematical techniques, this will be offered as an alternative.

In March, you will join the Centre for Professional Development's module on mineral project appraisal and finance, which provides an executive overview of many key technical and financial issues covered by the MSc course. This enables you to understand how different components of the course interrelate and obtain independent perspectives of the relevance of what you have covered from the other delegates.

An excursion of at least 10 days to a region of active mining, downstream metal and mineral processing, and energy development will be arranged for the third and fourth weeks of the summer term. This is a key component of the degree course, providing first-hand experience of all aspects of the extraction industry. It also reinforces the practical application of the theoretical material covered in the first two terms.

You will be prepared for the planning and execution of your research project by classroom training in advanced techniques and developments in finance, science and engineering, and by your independent excursion report. During the formal teaching programme, you will be encouraged to identify topics of particular interest with a view to developing the basis for your dissertation.

Contacts with professionals working in metals, energy and financial organisations through the excursion and the continuing professional development module also provide opportunities for you to secure internships in the mining, oil and gas sector or the investment banking community, which can help with the generation of your research project. Work on the research project is undertaken between July and September.

Tuition fees and funding

The level of tuition fees you pay is based on your fee status, which we assess based on UK government legislation.

For more information on the funding opportunities that are available, please visit our Fees and Funding website.

Admissions

We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.

For advice on the requirements for the qualifications listed here please contact the Department (details at the bottom of this page).

We also accept a wide range of international qualifications. If the requirements for your qualifications are not listed here, please see our academic requirements by country page for guidance on which qualifications we accept.

Further information