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Advanced Propulsion MSc

London, Stratford (UCL East)

Join this one-year Master's to help to shape ‘the clean economy’ as an engineer specialising in batteries, fuel cells and electric machines. You'll graduate with the skills to develop and deploy the newest advanced propulsion technologies – skills that are desperately needed to electrify our automotive, marine and air transport industries, and help us reach net zero.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£20,500
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£39,800
Duration
1 calendar year
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in relevant subject from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


The urgent need to move to a cleaner economy and electrify transport has created a skills gap, and increasing demand for highly-skilled engineers with expertise in this critical area.

This MSc will equip you with the multidisciplinary skills to help fill this gap. You'll develop the expertise to tackle pressing manufacturing, scientific, engineering and commercial challenges.

On this course, you'll build specialist skills in developing batteries, fuel cells and electric machines on an industrial scale. You'll also test and apply your knowledge in an interdisciplinary design project and research project, which will be undertaken alongside PhD and post-doctoral researchers in our world-leading laboratories.

You'll have the opportunity to specialise in 1 of 3 routes – materials, electrochemical power sources, or systems – depending on your area of interest.

Based at our new UCL East campus, you will have access to shared labs and workshops that facilitate collaboration. You'll join a thriving and growing community of researchers, with close ties to industrial research and networks. 

Who this course is for

This programme is ideal for you if you have a first degree in an engineering, chemistry, or physics field, or have relevant work experience you want to build on to further your career. 

This MSc has been designed with strong guidance from industry, so we are particularly keen to hear from applicants with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities:

  • Get a postgraduate degree from a top-ranked university. UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025), providing you with a prestigious qualification that is highly regarded by employers worldwide. 
  • Study at UCL Chemical Engineering, ranked 20th in the world (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024) and internationally renowned for its research into electrochemical materials and devices, and pack, stack and vehicle engineering and innovation. 
  • Benefit from a programme developed by globally renowned academics with close ties to industrial research to maximise the relevance to future employers.
  • Learn from experts in UCL’s Electrochemical Innovation and Advanced Propulsion Labs, with specialist expertise across all areas of advanced propulsion, with a particular focus on batteries, fuel cells and electric machines.
  • Consider the broader technical, commercial and ethical challenges in the electrification of propulsion technology for cars, aerospace and marine applications.
  • Gain hands-on experience of using large-scale fabrication and testing equipment.
  • Link the fundamental science in lectures with practical challenges explored in lab settings.
  • Develop the conceptual and core technical, transferable and translational skills to build a stand-out career in advanced propulsion.
  • Study in the world's best city for university students (QS Best Student Cities 2024). Our new UCL East campus is designed to promote interdisciplinary thinking and ground-breaking innovation.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

On the Advanced Propulsion MSc, you'll gain in-depth knowledge of the fundamental science and engineering which governs the development of advanced propulsion technologies. You'll also learn how to apply this knowledge to solve real-world problems, considering the advantages and disadvantages of materials, devices, and approaches to solve open-ended problems. 

What's more, you'll learn to interrogate challenges independently and as part of a team.

Employability

Given the industrial focus of this programme, graduates of this MSc are likely to be in high demand due to their breadth of expertise, numerical ability and problem-solving skills.  

This degree will set you up for a career in sustainability, working on batteries, fuel cells, and electrical machines. You could go onto work in UK-based start-ups, SMEs and large companies involved in the sector, as well as international automotive and energy companies. You will also be well equipped to go on to doctoral research.

Networking

You will have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate and build professional contacts as part of your Master’s. 

  • Take part in events hosted by UCL Careers to get 1-2-1 support, and enhance your CV writing and interview skills. 
  • Take part in regular seminars, to hear from expert academic speakers from different universities around the world talking about topical research issues, and network afterwards.
  • Access support from UCL’s Advanced Propulsion Lab with taking up a career in the sector. UCL alumni, together with the department’s links with industrial groups, provide an excellent source of leads. 
  • Gain exposure to a range of potential career paths, thanks to the programme’s multidisciplinary content, the research-intensive nature of the department and our close links with industry.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, individual and group coursework, as well as hands-on experience with relevant tools and and engagement with researchers in academia and industry.

This programme is assessed via examinations (short-answer and multiple-choice questions), presentations, essays, coursework, and a research project. Please note that assessment will vary according to the module choices of the student.

Research projects are provided to extend knowledge and understanding of the topics studied and to encourage critical thinking. Creativity and innovation are encouraged.

On this programme, you can expect approximately 13-18 hours of contact hours a week. The exact number of contact hours and composition varies throughout the terms depending on the module choices of the student. Some modules may have content online on Moodle (which you can study at your own pace), which complement weekly face-to-face sessions on campus. These sessions are a chance to talk to your lecturers and ask questions.

All teaching sessions take place Monday – Friday 9am to 6pm. Wednesday afternoons are normally kept free. There may be additional events, such as careers sessions, which may take place outside of these hours.

This is a full-time course, which means students should expect a weekly working schedule of approximately 35-40 hours a week divided between contact hours, self-directed learning, and preparing for assessments.

Modules

The modules in Term 1 provide you with an understanding of the requirements for electrifying automotive, marine and air transport, with a focus on the underlying material challenges and electrochemical/electrical systems engineering.  

You will also learn how market and regulatory forces affect deployment of new technologies. 

In Term 1 you will also be exposed to practical laboratory training and concepts of research design and research methods which will underpin the research project. You will receive hands-on training in electrochemical and electromechanical methods, in conjunction with learning the intricacies of common characterisation techniques. 

The modules in Term 2 allow for specialisation in one of the 3 routes: Materials, Electrochemical Power Sources or Systems. These modules involve taught lectures, interactive coursework and guest lectures delivered by leading external academics and/or industrialists. You will also undertake a group Design Project alongside site visits to academic and/or industrial facilities as you widen your network and grasp an understanding of how academic and industrial development occur in reality. 

In Term 3, you will focus exclusively on the Advanced Propulsion Research Project where you will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge in the practical, research setting of the APL, working on a project which may be laboratory- and/or computationally-based. 

Overall, you will take 8 modules, including 3 optional modules. Three routes are available for students wishing to specialise in Materials, Electrochemical Power Sources or Systems. To invoke a given route, 2 of 3 optional modules should be taken from that route.

The route modules are as follows:

  • Electrochemical Materials (Materials route)
  • Structural Materials (Materials route)
  • Electrochemistry (Electrochemical Power Sources route)
  • Pack Engineering (Electrochemical Power Sources route)
  • Advanced Electrical Machines (Systems route)
  • Power Electronics, Drives and Hybridisation (Systems route)

Compulsory modules







Optional modules












Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Advanced Propulsion.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £20,500
Tuition fees (2025/26) £39,800

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Students may be required to cover costs of printing of final project reports and/or posters, as well as for minor laboratory equipment such as a laboratory logbook.  Indicative prices for printing can be found here and UCL poster printing prices can be found here. Typically, laboratory logbooks can be purchased for approximately £2-£5.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

Current funding opportunities offered by the Chemical Engineering department can be found on the bursaries and scholarships page of the Chemical Engineering website.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

UCL East London Scholarship

Deadline: 26 June 2025
Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study advanced propulsion at graduate level
  • why you want to study these topics at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic, professional, and personal background meets the demands of this programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering

pg-chemeng@ucl.ac.uk

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