Power Systems Engineering

The U.S. electricity grid is poised for a dramatic transformation, enabled by Smart Grid technologies, to address national and worldwide existential necessities: meeting the increasing electric energy needs, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels, and thus restoring and boosting the economy.  The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) found that 1.5 million new jobs across the energy sector will need to be filled by 2030, with many of these positions paying 50 to 80 percent more than the average annual salary.  With an aging workforce and looming retirements, the power and energy industry continually faces a hiring gap and reports that they cannot find skilled workers to fill open positions. According to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 77% of energy companies find it difficult to hire qualified employees.

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department has been regularly teaching power systems-related courses, and this CUGS puts the existing ECE expertise and newly developed power systems courses together in one package, allowing students to gain meaningful backgrounds that will prepare them for a career in the power and energy area. It consists of four (4) undergraduate courses to provide graduates with a technical foundation in electric power systems focused on operating emerging systems, as described in the program curriculum below. Additionally, this CUGS also provides access for non-engineering students to Rowan Engineering’s signature hallmark, the Senior Engineering Clinic (2 credits, to be taken twice over two semesters, for a total of 4 credits, providing year-long project experience, counting as one of the electives for the CUGS), where students work on real-world power systems problems. 

Requires Courses (take the following two courses)

• ECE 09.408 Power Systems Engineering

• ECE 09.410 Alternate Energy Systems

Electives (Choose either two courses from Knowledge Area 1 (strongly recommended) OR choose one from Knowledge Area 1 and one from Knowledge Area 2)

Knowledge Area 1

• ECE 09.472 Smart Grid
• ECE 09.473 Smart Sensors
• ECE 09.415 Fundamentals of Emerging Electricity Market
• ECE 09.416 Power Electronics (coming soon)

Knowledge Area 2

• ECE 09.485 Introduction to Engineering Cyber Security
• ECE 09.432 Wireless Communications
• ECE 09.455 Machine Learning 
• ENGR 01.411 Engineering Optimization
• ENGR 01.403 Senior Engineering Clinic (must be taken twice for a total of 4 credits)♦

^♦ Must be enrolled in one of the specific sections of Senior Engineering Clinic that focuses on power systems related topics.

IMPORTANT: 

For students majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), at most two of the four courses taken for this CUGS may be counted towards major degree requirements. Hence, at least two (or more) of the courses taken for this CUGS will have to be taken in addition to regular degree requirements for the ECE major. Generally speaking, each CUGS requires at least two courses exclusively counted towards that CUGS and nothing else.

Non-ECE students who pursue this CUGS should follow the course double-counting policies of the department in which their major resides.