Minor in Sustainable Energy
Energy is now central to one of the preeminent challenges facing humanity: a sustainable human existence on the planet. The minor in Sustainable Energy allows students pursuing any undergraduate major at Boston University to complete a coherent suite of courses that exposes them to the interdisciplinary nature of energy studies. The curriculum includes the essentials of energy from the business, economics, policy, and engineering perspectives, as taught by faculty experts in those areas.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
Students will demonstrate an interdisciplinary understanding of sustainable energy systems, including the scientific and engineering principles of energy production and use, the economic and policy structures that shape energy markets, and the social and environmental dimensions of energy decisionmaking.
Skills
Students will apply analytical and problem-solving skills to evaluate sustainable energy challenges and solutions, using tools and methods from economics, policy analysis, and engineering to assess trade-offs and design evidence-based strategies for sustainable energy transitions.
Values
Students will articulate and defend the ethical and societal values underlying sustainable energy decisions, demonstrating awareness of equity, justice, and intergenerational responsibility in the pursuit of a sustainable human future.
Requirements
The minor consists of five courses (20 units), all of which must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Students minoring in Sustainable Energy, through coursework, will ordinarily satisfy BU Hub requirements in Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry, and Research & Information Literacy. The five courses comprise one required capstone course and four elective courses.
Capstone (1)
- QST SI 453 Strategies in Environmental Sustainability
Electives (4)
Students must include one course in each of the College of Engineering (ENG), the Questrom School of Business (QST), and the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS):
- CAS EE 150, 460, 519, 555; ENG EC 417, 583; ENG EC/ME/SE 533, 535, 543; ENG EC/MS 546, 573; ENG EK 225, 335, 408, 546; ENG ME 430, 545; QST SM 131, 132, QST FE 433; QST OM 451; QST SI 453, 480.
