News Story

Sustainable Energy Degree a U.S. First

The Clark School has developed a new Master of Engineering program that will meet the emerging market demand for sustainable energy engineers and will also allow for accessible advanced education within the field by providing the entirety of the program completely online.

The new Master of Engineering in Sustainable Energy Engineering was developed by faculty from the departments of mechanical, nuclear, reliability, chemical & biomolecular, and systems engineering. It is offered on-campus and on-line through the Office of Advanced Engineering Education.

The curriculum is designed to cover core topics in Renewable Energy Applications, Energy Conversion for Stationary and Mobility Applications, Environmental Risk Analysis, Advanced Fuel Cells and Batteries, and Photovoltaics (Solar Energy). The student will then customize their educational experience according to their individual needs by selecting from three elective sets; Nuclear Engineering, Energy Systems, or Reliability Engineering.

Drawing upon the Clark School's strengths in energy engineering research through University of Maryland Energy Research Center (UMERC), the new program provides an immersive and collaborative learning experience that enables ambitious candidates from around the world to share experiences and know-how, while staying in constant touch with the school’s expert faculty.

"The advent of this program comes at a time when practicing engineers are needed in the rapidly developing field of Sustainable Energy Engineering," says Stephen Treado, adjunct faculty and associate coordinator, White House Task Force on Energy, Security and Climate Change. "The program allows engineers the opportunity to supplement and develop their current knowledge through a multi-disciplinary curriculum without ever needing to step foot on campus."

Students with in the program will receive instruction from the University’s foremost experts in the various areas of energy engineering as well as international experts from the public and private sectors.

The online Master of Engineering degree offers the same high level of education and training experienced by full-time, on-campus students. Delivering a truly interactive, virtual-classroom experience that allows for communication with faculty and other students and facilitates the formation of project groups, the online Master's program is structured so that what students learn can be immediately beneficial in the workplace.

October 1, 2008