CU Boulder offers a number of energy education programs.
Masters of the Environment (MENV)--
Specialization in Renewable and Sustainable Energy
The Masters of the Environment (MENV) Graduate degree with Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder is an innovative, interdisciplinary professional master’s degree that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to address the complex environmental challenges of the 21st Century. This 17-month, immersive, cohort-based graduate program builds students into leaders in a wide range of careers in conservation, consulting, energy, natural resources, planning, policy, sustainability, and more.
The Renewable and Sustainable Energy specialization is intended for those interested in energy policy or wanting a career in the energy sector, including in both renewable and conventional energy. The track provides a pragmatic, rigorous, and interdisciplinary understanding of energy from three perspectives: science and technology, policy, and business. All MENV students complete a 12-month Capstone Project with a partner organization in the private, public, or non-profit sector.
Business and Law Degree Programs
Colorado Law and the Leeds School of Business both offer specialized curricula related to sustainable energy.
Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law
For more than half a century, environmental and natural resources law has been a key part of the Colorado Law curriculum. The school’s commitment to teaching and research in these areas complements the school’s physical location in the Rocky Mountain West—a region defined by its vast natural resources, public lands and parks, and many American Indian reservations. Ranked consistently among the very best in the nation, Colorado Law’s Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources Program is one of the strongest and deepest programs of its kind.
MBA Sustainability
CU's Leeds School of Business is ranked among the top 30 Global Green MBA Programs in the world for the quality of sustainability education. The Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, the Center for Education on Social Responsibility (CESR), and the CU Real Estate Center collaborate to enable Leeds MBA students to create a portfolio of sustainability-focused courses. The courses offered within the MBA curriculum can be supplemented by additional courses offered by other graduate programs on campus, and can be combined to produce a strong emphasis in sustainable business practices.
Master of Engineering in Engineering Management
The Master of Engineering is an excellentalternative to an MBA for engineers, scientists, and technical professionals who want to move into management. The Program facilitates technically minded people to learn and practice data-driven management, develop leadership capabilities, and apply proven principles for business performance improvement. The core curriculum addresses the business basics of project management, finance and accounting, quality management and leadership. Specialty areas provide in-depth skills in areas such as leadership, project management, commercialization, quality sciences and research methods.
Undergraduate Engineering Programs
CU Boulder offers a variety of technically-oriented undergraduate programs for students with an interest in the engineering of renewable and sustainable energy systems.
Energy Engineering Minor
This minor consists of a selection of technical energy courses, an energy policy course, and an interdisciplinary projects course, which is comprised of students who are enrolled in the minor and is focused on the design and analysis of energy technologies from a technical, economic, and policy perspective.
Graduate Engineering Programs
CU Boulder offers a variety of technically-oriented graduate programs for students with an interest in the engineering of renewable and sustainable energy systems as well as chemical and biological engineering related to renewable energy materials and renewable fuels.
Chemical and Biological Engineering Department (ChBE)
ChBE is one of the top research departments in the nation and maintains sophisticated facilities to support research endeavors. Although research in the department spans many diverse fields, there is a particular emphasis on research in biological engineering, functional materials, and renewable energy. The ChBE Department has an active program in renewable energy research. Studies range from the production and utilization of hydrogen to materials for photovoltaics to biorefining and biofuels research. A number of efforts focus on developing catalysts for converting water to hydrogen and CO2 into fuels such as CO and methanol. Another area of focus is the study of novel photovoltaic materials and structures involving organic, inorganic and hybrid structures for efficient solar energy harvesting.
Building Systems Engineering Program
CU’s Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) Department offers graduate degrees in building systems engineering. The Building Systems Engineering Program (BSP) focuses on the design and operation of buildings to provide a comfortable, healthy, and productive indoor environment with minimal energy and environmental impact. The program is open to students in all engineering disciplines, as well as exceptional students in architecture, science, and mathematics.
Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering Department (ECEN)
The ECEN department offers several graduate programs that allow for a focus on energy. For example, students can engage with the Colorado Power Electronics Center (CoPEC). COPEC research and education programs are focused on smart power electronics for energy efficiency and renewable energy applications and systems. CoPEC maintains a tradition of innovative design-oriented and application-focused research and education in power electronics and integrated circuit design. Our capabilities and emphases that combine power electronics with analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits design give us a unique capability among university research groups in the nation.
Mechanical Engineering Department
CU’s Mechanical Engineering Department offers several graduate-level program related to energy. These include:
Professional Master’s Program in Next Generation Power and Energy Systems
With rapid energy sector transformation from the integration of wind and solar energy, as well as electric vehicles bringing new opportunities for power and energy systems engineers, the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering is expanding its professional course offerings to include a new track as part of our Master of Science (MS) degree — starting in fall 2020 — for students with bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering or related engineering or scientific backgrounds.
CU’s new master’s program helps engineers and decision makers prepare for this next generation — with deep foundational knowledge, modern technical skillsets, and the ability to effectively participate in multidisciplinary teams to solve new challenges. Adjoint professors from NREL teach program courses with CU faculty to bring practical industry knowledge to classroom discussions.
Professional Master’s Program in Power Electronics
Power electronics is a key enabling technology in essentially all electronic systems and is increasingly important in the grid interface of renewable energy sources and in efficient electrical loads. The necessity for power electronics technology in these rapidly expanding areas creates an increasing need for design engineers equipped with knowledge and skills to actively participate in multidisciplinary teams.
This Professional Master's Program offers an MS degree through the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. Through flexible core course options and electives, students enrolled in this program pursue a 30-credit hour MS degree. A 9-credit hour professional certificate is also available.
Materials for Energy track in Materials Science and Engineering Program (MSE)
The Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) program is an interdisciplinary program with participating faculty in nine departments across the UC Boulder campus. The Materials for Energy graduate track provides a rigorous education in materials science and engineering and the fundamental physics, engineering, chemistry and biology that underlie MSE. Educational goals are achieved through both coursework and training in cross-disciplinary research supervised by one or more science and engineering faculty members.