Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

This intensive four-year programme will train graduates to understand the complex, systemic, interdisciplinary challenges faced in achieving a resilient supply of energy to create a healthy and productive built environment. The programme will equip students with the research skills and multi-disciplinary credentials needed to be leaders in the field.

This will be achieved by immersion in a four-year PhD programme which includes a structured taught programme delivered by experts from UCL, Loughborough University and MaREI. This taught programme is supplemented by generic research skills training, and cohort-based learning comprising seminars, conferences, summer schools, workshops etc.

The programme will equip students with the state-of-the-art skills necessary to carry out their doctoral research project. The resulting PhD thesis, will provide a new contribution to knowledge, and contain original work worthy of peer-reviewed publication.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degrees

Doctoral Degree Characteristics Statement (QAA)

Credit Level Descriptors for Higher Education (SEEC)

Loughborough University Quadrennial Reviews

Research Council Mid-term Review

External Examiner Comments and Feedback

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

The creation, development and implementation of a significant programme of research concerned with the built environment, its energy demands and energy supply that will lead to new knowledge disseminated through the production of a PhD thesis.

This will be supported by:

• An understanding of the UK and European energy landscape and how energy and climate change challenges are interlinked through technical, environmental and behavioral factors.
• The acquisition of core skills in the areas of energy flexibility and resilience, technology and system performance and comfort, health and well-being.
• The acquisition of the research-specific skills that are needed to successfully complete the individually chosen doctoral level research programme.
• The assimilation of the generic skills needed to conduct ethical and safe research, to critically assess research findings, to effectively communicate research outcomes, and to convince others of its importance.

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

See above

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

See above

c. Key transferable skills:

See above

4. Programme structure

Students will follow an integrated, 4-year training programme shaped by three broad themes: energy flexibility and resilience; technology and system performance; and comfort, health and well-being. The programme is front loaded (Part R0) with compulsory taught courses which enable individuals from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds to understand the challenges associated with each theme. Research-specific training courses will provide thespecific skills needed to enable each student to succeed in their chosen research project. Generic skills training activities will equip students to deploy their research capabilities effectively. Each course will be delivered by academics drawn from the three partnering organisations.

The training and development undertaken in Part R0 will enable students to make an immediate start with their PhDs (Parts R1 to R3). Ongoing training in research-specific and generic skills will continue in Parts R1 and R2.

Part R0

Students will complete the following training courses.

Research-specific training courses assessed on a pass/fail/attendance basis

Students will undertake six compulsory, assessed training courses in year R0.

·         Energy resilience and the built environment

·         Energy systems: context, policy and society

·         Energy and buildings: physics and engineering

·         Socio-technical perspectives: theory and methods

·         Energy data and analysis

·         Energy and buildings modelling  

In addition, students will undertake PhD project-specific skills training R0.

Generic skills training activities assessed on an attendance basis

Participation in CDT workshops, seminars, conferences and the annual ERBE summer school and colloquium. Collaboration with industrial/stakeholder partners as appropriate.

Progression assessment

Part R0

Successful completion of the research-specific training courses and the generic skills training activities together with a pass in each of the compulsory courses with an aggregate mark that exceeds the required threshold. 

A c8000-word submission consisting of: a complete PhD research proposal, a PhD pilot study including an initial literature review.

Part R1

Research-specific training courses assessed on a pass/fail/attendance basis.

Project-specific skills training R1.

Generic skills training activities assessed on an attendance basis.

Participation in CDT workshops, seminars, conferences and the summer school and colloquium. Collaboration with industrial/stakeholder partners as appropriate.

Progression assessment

Students will complete a 2,000-word research report at the mid-way point of Part R1 and a satisfactory 10,000-word research report (end of Part report) towards the end of Part R1 in accordance with the provisions of Regulation XXVI.

Part R2

Research-specific training courses assessed on a pass/fail/attendance basis.

Project-specific skills training R2

Generic skills training activities assessed on an attendance basis.

Participation in CDT workshops, seminars, conferences and the summer school and colloquium. Collaboration with industrial/stakeholder partners as appropriate.

Students will complete a satisfactory 10,000-word research report (end of Part report) in accordance with the provisions of Regulation XXVI.

MPhil candidates: Submission of the MPhil thesis in accordance with the provisions of Regulation XXVI.

Part R3

Students will submit their PhD thesis (at the end of Part R3) in accordance with the provisions of Regulation XXVI. 

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

To progress from Part R0 to Part R1, from Part R1 to Part R2 and from Part R2 to Part R3 and to be eligible for an award, candidates must satisfy the assessment requirements set out in Regulation XXVI. Candidates must complete all the requirements for each Part outlined above in order to progress to the next Part. If an end of Part report does not meet the standards required for progression, candidates may undertake further work and resubmit the report on one occasion only in accordance with the provisions of Regulation XXVI.

The arrangements for revision of final theses which may be required are also set out in Regulation XXVI.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification

Not applicable.