UNLV SEPA

Solar & Renewable Energy Certificate

The School of Environmental and Public Affairs offers a Graduate Certificate in Solar and Renewable (SRE) Energy. The SRE Certificate is designed for individuals already in possession of either a baccalaureate degree or a graduate degree.  More specifically, the SRE Certificate provides a specialized qualification for career professionals in the energy industry, professionals from other fields and individuals with baccalaureate degrees seeking entry into the renewable energy field, or currently enrolled graduate students seeking an additional specialization. This SRE Certificate is designed to:

• Provide an interdisciplinary approach to SRE grounded in the three critical pillars of policy and governance, technology and physical science, and the built environment.
• Develop within students the intellectual and problem-solving foundation for a successful professional career in the SRE field.
• Improve the overall effectiveness of the solar and renewable energy sector in Nevada and the Western U.S.

Admissions

Curriculum

Students are required to complete six courses comprising 18 credits of graduate work. All students must take a three course (9 credit hours) core, along with three additional courses selected from six available areas of emphasis. In order to assure exposure to a broad range of topics, concepts, and theories relevant to Solar and Renewable Energy, the general rule is that students cannot choose more than one of their three electives from any of the single “groups,” or emphasis areas listed below. All such combinations of electives must be reviewed and approved by the SRE Certificate governing Advisory Committee.
The Certificate program requires:

1. ECG 450/650 – Introduction to Solar and Renewable Energy Utilization I (3 credits)
   
2. ENV 702 – Environmental Problem Solving (3 credits) or ENV 720 – Natural Resource Valuation (3 credits)
   
3. CEM 480/680 – Sustainable Construction (3 credits) or ABS 642 – Solar Energy Applications in Architecture (3 credits)

Plus a total of three electives from the following 6 areas of emphasis:

Energy Policy, Economics and Law

• ENV 611 – Environmental Risk Management (3 credits)
  
• ENV 702 – Environmental Problem Solving (3 credits) (only if not taken as part of the core)
  
• LAW 651 – Environmental Quality Law (2-3 credits)
  
• ENV 703 – Environmental Law and Policy (3 credits)
  
• ECO 707 – Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (3 credits)
  
• ENV 711 – Risk Assessment and Risk Management (3 credits)
  
• ENV 720 – Natural Resource Valuation (3 credits) (only if not taken as part of the core)

Policymaking, Society and Governance

• PAF 701 – Origins and Development of Public Policy in America (3 credits)
  
• PAF 702 – Role of Government in Society (3 credits)
  
• PUA 725 – Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation (3 credits)
  
• PUA 745 – Administration from a Federal and Intergovernmental Perspective (3 credits)
  
• ENV 750 – Environmental Studies and Public Policy (3 credits)
  
• PUA 756 – Policy Implementation (3 credits)

Built Environment

• CEM 480/680 – Sustainable Construction (3 credits) (only if not taken as part of the core)
  
• ABS 531 – Environmental Systems I (3 credits)
  
• ABS 532 – Environmental Systems II (3 credits)
  
• ABS 642 – Solar Energy Applications in Architecture (3 credits) (only if not taken as part of the core)
  
• CEM 755 – Renewable Energy Capital Facility Projects (3 credits)

Geosciences and Environmental Science

• GEOL 4XX/6XX – Geothermal Systems (3 credits)
  
• GEOL 610 – Soil Classification and Resource Management (4 credits)
  
• GEOL 630 – Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Theory and Applications (4 credits)
  
• ENV 660 – Environmental Modeling (4 credits)
  
• ENV 680 – GIS for Environmental Management (4 credits)
  
• GEOL 646 – Geologic Application in Remote Sensing (3 credits)
  
• ENV 7XX – Restoration Ecology (3 credits)

Electrical and Computing Engineering

• ECG 6XX – Photovoltaic Devices and Systems (3 credits)
  
• ECG 653 – Introduction to Nanotechnology (3 credits)
  
• ECG 642 – Power Electronics (3 credits)
  
• ECG 740 – Computer Analysis Methods for Power Systems (3 credits)
  
• ECG 741 – Electric Power Distribution System Engineering (3 credits)
  
• ECG 742 – Power System Stability and Control (3 credits)
  
• ECG 757 – Electron Transport Phenomena in Solid State Devices (3 credits)

Mechanical Engineering

• MEG 612 – Sizing of Solar Energy Systems (3 credits)
  
• MEG 619 – Advanced HVAC and Energy Conservation Systems (3 credits)
  
• MEG 705 – Conduction Heat Transfer (3 credits)
  
• MEG 707 – Radiation Heat Transfer (3 credits)
  
• MEG 711 – Advanced Thermodynamics (3 credits)
  
• MEG 746 – Experimental Design and Analysis of Digital Process Control Systems (3 credits)

Relationship to Other UNLV Graduate Degrees
Students earning the SRE Certificate may apply for admission into UNLV graduate degree programs as long as they meet the existing admissions criteria for said programs.

Learn more about SRE Certificate admissions requirements and how to apply.

Contact Us

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