Systems Engineering Adds Energy, Environment Option to Graduate Degrees
Boston University’s Division of Systems Engineering has added an Energy and Environmental Systems concentration option to its Master of Science (MS) and Master of Engineering (MEng) programs.
As part of the concentration, students have the option to focus their learning through a selection of courses such as Sustainable Power Systems, Solar Energy Systems, Clean Technology Business Models, and Energy and Environmental Economics. Systems master’s degree students may also choose one of the existing concentrations, including: Computational and Systems Biology; Control Systems; Network Systems; Financial Engineering; Production and Service Systems; and Operations Research.
“The new Energy and Environmental Systems concentration gives students an edge in a critically important global societal, business and technology arena. Combined with the tools and techniques of a systems engineer, these skills are a strategic combination for a student to have,” says Hua Wang (ME), associate head of the Division of Systems Engineering.
“This new concentration leverages exciting research and industry projects here at BU – smart grid, fuel cells, photo-voltaics, ocean wave energy, and smart lighting, to name just a few,” says Michael Caramanis (ME/SE), co-director of the BU Clean Energy Initiative and principle investigator of a $2 Million National Science Foundation grant in area of smart grid. “But moreover, it combines key engineering skills with access to interrelated disciplines in management, policy, environmental science and economics, giving students a holistic education that uniquely positions them to address critical challenges of the 21st century.”
This new concentration is another step forward in the College’s efforts to provide customizable degree options which meet the varied interests and career aspirations of students. The College has been steadily increasing the robustness of its graduate programs. For example, six new MEng degrees in computer, electrical, manufacturing and mechanical engineering; materials science and engineering; and photonics were added in fall 2011 to complement the existing MEng programs in biomedical and systems engineering.
