Ph.D. in Engineering - Energy Systems Emphasis

Overview

Providing sustainable energy for a rapidly growing world population is a grand challenge of the 21st century. Power generation and environmental emissions are a technical, social and political issue that affects economies and the environment on local, national and global scales. The Energy Systems program examines diverse technical, socio-political, and ecological dimensions of power generation and consumption including:

• Energy generation, storage, and conversion technologies;
• Impacts of energy and environmental policy on the power generation sector;
• Quantitative, qualitative, and descriptive models of energy flows and storages that illuminate the role of energy in the functionality of the biosphere and modern society;
• Ecological systems functionality and how this pertains to ecosystem health and ecological services provided to support humankind;and
• Interconnections with food and water systems.

The Energy Systems Emphasis Area stresses a holistic approach and offers exposure to many disciplines beyond engineering including natural and social sciences, public policy, and business. The curriculum is highly flexible and offers personalized plans of study.

Understanding that 21st-century engineers require more than technical knowledge, we equip students with an understanding of the social and economic impact of their work, the ability to communicate their ideas to a wide variety of people, the ability to work effectively in teams, and the skills to provide leadership in solving society’s greatest challenges. Our students are immersed in hands-on learning through design-based classroom and field experiences, undergraduate and graduate research, study abroad, co-ops, and internships. The UGA College of Engineering offers eight undergraduate and seven graduate degree programs. We also offer a variety of dual degrees and combined bachelor’s and master’s degrees.