Concentration in Energy Technologies and Sustainability

Engineering breakthroughs in energy and the environment will shape our future society. The Energy Technologies and Sustainability concentration is designed for undergraduate engineering students to acquire a fundamental understanding of the environmental impacts of various energy technologies and put them in a position to pursue a career in green technology. The diverse elective courses will include the analysis of recent environmental policy; the electro-chemistry of fuel cells and battery cells; the planning, operation and marketing of sustainable power systems; and the emergence of sustainable energy as the defining environmental challenge of our time. As the engineering discipline of energy and environment continues to grow, students with a specialized background in this concentration will be well-prepared for this emerging field.

The 12-credit concentration is available to students in any of the College of Engineering’s bachelor’s degree programs. The concentration is noted on students’ official transcripts and will prepare students for careers in clean energy, energy conversion and environmentally sustainable systems.

It is recommended that students interested in pursuing a Concentration in Energy Technologies and Sustainability declare their concentration as early as possible in their degree program in order to facilitate course planning, but in no case later than May 1 of a student’s junior year. Course requirements are found below,  in addition to details regarding the required experience component.

Concentration requirements:
1. A sequence of three courses (12 cr) consisting of one restricted elective course (4 cr) and two additional courses (12 cr) chosen from the lists below. The second restricted elective course may be taken as an additional course. Students are expected to obtain the necessary background (prerequisites or equivalents) to complete their concentration courses. Any course required (by name/course number) as part of the major (excluding Technical/Advanced/Electives) cannot be counted toward the three courses (12 cr) required to fulfill the concentration. Only one CAS EE course or ENG EK 335 from the list below can be used towards the concentration.

Restricted Elective (at least one; both can be taken):
ENG EK 408 – Introduction to Clean Energy and Storage Technologies
ENG EC 417 – Electric Energy Systems: Adapting to Renewable Resources

Additional Courses: (Choose remaining courses from the list below; no more than one CAS EE course or EK 335)
*CAS EE 250 – The Fate of Nations: Climate, Resources and Institutions
*CAS EE 304 / IR 304 – Environmentally Sustainable Development
*CAS EE 309 – Intermediate Environmental Analysis and Policy
*CAS EE 545 – Methods of Environmental Policy Analysis
ENG EK 335 – Introduction to Environmental Engineering
ENG ME 533 – Energy Conversion
ENG ME 535 / MS 535– Green Manufacturing
ENG EC 543 / ME 543 / SE 543 – Sustainable Power Systems: Planning, Operation and Markets
ENG ME 545 / MS 545 – Electrochemistry of Fuel Cells and Batteries
ENG EK 546 – Assessment of Sustainable Energy Technologies
ENG EC 573 / MS 573 – Solar Energy Systems
ENG EC 583 – Power Electronics for Energy Systems
*QST SI 453 – Strategies for Environmental Sustainability

Notes:
* CAS EE 250, 304, 309 and 545 and QST SI 453 cannot be used to satisfy a Technical/ Advanced/ Professional Elective.

2. Experiential Component:
Completion of a well-defined experiential component in the “energy” or “environmental” area. A senior design project, laboratory research, industrial internship or a directed study can satisfy this requirement. Prior to proposing an experiential component, the student must have completed one course from the list of restricted electives or additional courses. This requirement along with a proposal, must be approved by the Concentration Coordinator and the Experiential Component Approval form must be submitted to the Undergraduate Records Office. After its completion, a written summary of the experiential component must also be submitted for approval (see Experiential Component Approval form for more information).

Resources

Declaration
Experiential Component Proposal
Experiential Component Summary
Experiential Component Instructions
SARA Complaint Process

Also See: Clean Energy & Environmental Sustainability Initiative (CEESI)

Contact

Undergraduate Programs & Records Office: 617-353-6447 or engrec@bu.edu
Concentration Coordinator: Prof. Uday Pal (upal@bu.edu)