Admission and how to apply
Admission
Bachelor students:
The prerequisite for taking the semester programme or full year for bachelor students is two years of engineering studies including mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and 3D-modelling. Basic knowledge in Matlab is required. You should have completed at least 100 ECTS including all 1st year courses.
Master students:
The prerequisite for taking the semester programme or full year for master students is a degree in engineering which includes courses (modules) in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and programming of at least 5 ECTS for each of those. You should have completed your first year of a two-year master programme. If you are studying in an integrated master programme (4.5 to 5 years), you must be at least in the third year for taking the semester programme and in the final year to take the full year.
Admission to HVL
Western Norway is a region that is actively working towards the necessary energy transition in all parts of society and industry, to reach the climate goals set by the Paris Treaty in 2015. Join us at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences to learn about key energy technologies so that you, as an upcoming engineer, can be part of the transition that aims to leave a better world for future generations
The bachelor programme in energy technology at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences was established in 2004. It has proved to be an attractive study programme and was the best-liked energy programme among 2nd year students in Norway in 2019.
Both international bachelor and master students can take courses (modules) and write a thesis at the Department of Mechanical and Marine Engineering.
These are our offers to you as a student from abroad. All courses are taught in English.
Semester programme in energy technology for 3rd year bachelor students
The semester programme in energy technology is a suite of courses (modules) which address different energy technologies, energy carriers; as well as useful engineering knowledge. The courses are:
- MAS540 Ocean Renewable Energy (10 ECTS)
- MAS539 Hydrogen technology (10 ECTS)
- MAS311 Solar Technology and Design (5 ECTS)
- MAS308 Gas Technology (5 ECTS)
- MAS305 Computational Fluid Dynamics for Engineers (5 ECTS)
You can take any combination of these courses (modules) that totals 30 ECTS. Follow the links in the list to learn more about course contents, learning outcomes, mandatory course work, exams and recommended prior knowledge.
Full year in energy technology for 3rd year bachelor students
You can extend the semester programme mentioned above to a full year by working and writing your bachelor thesis at our department. Individual and group projects within energy technology are possible. The number of students that can be accepted into the full year may be limited by the supervision capacity at the department. The thesis will be based on a full semester’s workload of 30 ECTS (course code MAS358).
Semester programme in energy technology for master students
The semester programme for master students consists of the following three courses (modules) from our master programme in sustainable energy technology.
- MAS539 Hydrogen technology (10 ECTS)
- MAS540 Ocean Renewable Energy (10 ECTS)
- MAS550 Guided self-study (10 ECTS)
Within MAS550, you can work on an energy technology related topic of your choice under the guidance of a supervisor. This can be used as a lead-in to your master project in the following semester and may be a literature study, preliminary work in a laboratory, numerical modelling and simulations or a combination of these, for example. MAS550 is mandatory for every student who wants to start working on their master thesis the following semester.
Several new courses, like energy informatics (10 ECTS) and CFD for energy technology (10 ECTS), will be available from autumn 2024.
Full year in energy technology for master students
The semester programme for master students can be extended to a full year by working on a master thesis (30 ECTS) in the following semester. A prerequisite for writing the master thesis is that you are in the second year of your master studies and that you have successfully passed the course MAS550. The number of students that can be accepted into the full year may be limited by the supervision capacity at the department.
About the courses (modules)
The nearby sea is a place where energy can be harvested from wind, waves, and tidal currents. The course in renewable ocean energy dives deep into these energy forms and the technology for utilising them. Both modelling and experimental methods are used in the course. The latter are applied in our department’s very own 50 m wave and towing tank called MarinLab, where you can learn practically how to use a towing tank; which may even encompass tests on wind energy devices, investigating the stability of floating wind turbines at different wave states.
Students prepare an experiment in Marinlab.
Many current activities along the coast of Western Norway are related to hydrogen, both production and use, mainly in the maritime sector as well as the metallurgical industry. As a first, a hydrogen ferry will be put into regular service in early 2023. Plants for production and liquefaction of hydrogen are under development near Bergen with construction expected to start in the near future. The course in hydrogen technology is a thorough introduction to this energy carrier in general, with guest lecturers from the local industry keeping you up to date with the most recent developments in the field related to production, safety, transport and use.
Solar radiation is a relevant source of energy even at 60° North! Learn how to combine passive architectural measures and technologies such as solar cells and solar collectors to supply a building with energy. A central aspect in the solar technology course is how to integrate the harvesting of solar energy into the design of a building and not just connect different devices for providing electricity and heat. Guest lecturers from relevant companies give valuable insight in how to achieve this. A design project gives you the possibility to create a solution for a specific task by working as a team. You can get hands-on experience in our own solar energy lab just outside the main building.
The solar energy laboratory on the southern part of the campus in Bergen.
Natural gas will have a role as an energy carrier during the energy transition towards fossil-carbon-free fuels. Norway has large resources of natural gas and exports most of it to customers abroad. This course teaches you about properties, production, transport, and applications of natural gas as well as biogas. As excess wind and solar energy can be turned into synthetic fuels, your knowledge about natural gas will be valuable when synthetic methane produced from hydrogen and air-captured CO2 can provide a carbon neutral fuel for use with highly efficient gas turbines and other gas engines. Bergen has its own biogas plant where synthetic methane is produced from sewage sludge and organic waste to be used by buses providing public transport in the Bergen area.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a very useful numerical method within different fields of engineering, like wind and tidal energy, ventilation, heat and mass transfer etc. Building on your necessary prior knowledge in 3D-modelling and fluid mechanics, the course in CFD will give you the methods to be able to apply this tool to a variety of typical engineering challenges connected to fluid flow. CFD can be regarded as a method any mechanical, energy and ocean engineer should know about.