Energy and Sustainability Engineering
The MESE curriculum was designed in consultation with industry leaders to achieve three core outcomes:
In addition to coursework taught by expert Penn faculty, students have access to the full spectrum of Penn resources, from free access to an array of tools and equipment at the Engineering Studios to energy and climate policy speaker series and events at the Perry World House and Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.
Career planning workshops and advising opportunities exclusively for MESE help students to strategically plan their coursework, extracurricular activities, and summer internships or co-ops for optimal professional development. Guest lectures and seminars connect students with industry leaders for mentorship and career opportunities.
To earn the MESE degree, students must complete ten credit units of graduate-level coursework. Of these, six must be engineering courses.
All students take ENGR 5215 – Energy and Sustainability: Science, Engineering, and Technology during the first semester of the program. This is an overview course designed to teach foundational skills and knowledge in energy and sustainability, and to help students hone their interests for the rest of the program. In addition to technical skills, it emphasizes real-world applications, communication and teamwork skills, and professional development for energy and sustainability leadership.
All students must complete one credit unit of experiential work. For most students, this will take the form of ENGR 5020 – Engineering Sustainability at Penn, a project-based capstone course involving authentic campus and community sustainability projects completed in the last semester of the program. However, students may instead complete one credit of graduate-level independent study in a research lab at Penn if the project is related to energy and sustainability. Finally, students may participate in an internship or other outside experience in hands-on energy and sustainability work that does not carry course credit. In that case, students must take an additional elective course.
There are four available concentrations:
Each student selects one concentration, taking three courses in that category and one course in each of the other categories. Finally, students take two free elective courses, subject to advisor approval.
There are multiple relevant graduate certificate programs available for MESE students to pursue. With careful course selection, some are achievable without going beyond the required 10 credit unit minimum.
At least one in each category. Choose one concentration by taking three courses in a category.
The final two courses are electives. The course plan must include 10 CU at or above the 5000 level, six of which must be engineering courses. The below list of electives are pre-approved; additional courses may be approved by the advisor.
Because of the customizability of the MESE curriculum, there are countless ways to satisfy the degree requirements. The following are example degree paths intended to illustrate several possible trajectories for students with a variety of background and interests.
Courses fulfilling the core requirements are indicated in bold, while those counted towards the concentration are in italics. Courses outside the program being used as electives are shown in grey; some students choose to take more than the required number of courses within the breadth categories and therefore have fewer than two electives.
Prospective student A has a physics undergraduate degree, works part time for PECO, and is interested in electricity sources and systems. She selects a Concentration in Clean Energy Technology.
Prospective student B has a chemical engineering undergraduate degree and is interested in battery technology. He selects a Concentration in Clean Energy Technology.
Prospective student C has a chemistry undergraduate degree and is interested in energy policy. At Penn, he pursues a dual major master’s degree between CBE and MESE with a Concentration in Society and Policy.
Prospective student D is a Penn CBE undergraduate and completes her undergraduate and accelerated MESE degrees in eight semesters. She selects a Concentration in Clean Energy Technology. Courses counted only towards the undergraduate degree are not shown.
Prospective student E is a Penn electrical engineering undergraduate student interested in data center sustainability. She completes her undergraduate degree and accelerated MESE degree in nine semesters, with a Concentration in Clean Energy Technology. Courses counted only towards the undergraduate degree are not shown.
