Power and Energy Systems Graduate Certificate

Power and Energy Systems Graduate Certificate

Description

UCCS Electrical and Computer Engineering Department offers a Certificate in Power and Energy Systems Engineering based on a set of four graduate courses. This certificate is for qualified professionals who want to advance their knowledge of the operation and design of electric power systems. It is also valuable for degree-seeking students looking to develop concentration that gives them an edge in their power engineering career path. The courses can constitute 40% of the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering. It can also be used in the Ph.D. in the Electrical Engineering degree program. Courses will begin with fundamental topics in power systems engineering, electric machines, and power electronics, then continue to cover more advanced topics, such as power system operation. Furthermore, electives will allow students to specialize in areas such as, battery management and control, or renewable energy and distributed generation.

Required Pre-requisite Knowledge for Admission
  • BSEE degree is required for regular entrance into the program. Other relevant knowledge 
  •  experience will be evaluated separately at the application point.

Note: Some of these courses may have prerequisites, and any comparable course from another ABET accredited university will suffice.

Courses

Core Courses:

  • ECE5162: Electric Machines: covers DC machines, AC Machines (Synchronous and Induction), Transformers and their equivalent circuit, induction generators, and vector control of induction motors.
  • ECE5910: Power Systems II: covers topics that include economic dispatch and unit commitment, power systems security, generation control including droop control. The use of PowerWorld Simulator, and IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimization Studio V12. 7.1 for computer- aided analysis and design is integrated into student assignments and/or projects.
  • ECE5955: Power Electronics: covers steady-state DC-DC converter modeling and analysis, switch realization, discontinuous conduction mode, and transformer-isolated converters. It also concentrates on the modeling and simulation of DC-DC converters using MATLAB, Simulink, and LTspice.

Elective Courses:

  • ECE5720: Battery Management and Control: The course covers design of battery management systems including safety considerations, architectures for modular design, and different methods for cell equalization. Algorithms for estimating state-of-charge and state-of-health will be studied in depth.
  • ECE5750: Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation: The course focuses on the most promising and growing renewable energy technologies such as wind, Solar Photovoltaic (PV). In addition, it covers the concept so distributed generation and their integration into microgrids (Microgrid optimization and simulation).
Course Requirements

12 credit hours (four courses) are required to complete the certificate. There are three required core courses (9 credits) and one elective course (3 credit hours).

Completion

Most students complete the program in just over a year by taking two courses per semester for two consecutive semesters. The required set of four courses must be completed in three years with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.