Power Systems Engineering – Graduate Certificate
Iowa State University has a long-standing national and international reputation for education and research in electric power engineering and is considered to be one of the top five such programs in the nation. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has designed the Power Systems Engineering Graduate Certificate to provide engineers in the power industry the opportunity to obtain a graduate credential in this area of specialization.
The Power Systems graduate courses are designed to provide valuable in-depth education in advanced topics in electric power engineering to power engineering specialists in the government, private sector, and academia. Upon completion of the certificate program of study, power engineering specialists will be proficient in theory, modeling, and tools necessary to perform power system engineering tasks related to planning and operating electric power generation, transmission, and distribution systems, together with related public policy.
Admission Requirements
The admission to the certificate program will be through an admission committee consisting of the same faculty members who oversee the admission to graduate study in Electric Power and Energy Systems (EPES). Candidates must have a baccalaureate degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related field to be eligible to study for the graduate certificate. For graduates of domestic schools GRE examination is not required but will be considered in admissions decisions if offered. Applicants with undergraduate degrees from accredited curricula who are in the upper half of their graduating class may be considered for admission; accepted applicants must show outstanding potential to succeed at the graduate level. The ECpE Electric Power and Energy Systems (EPES) supervisory committee will develop and maintain the graduate student policies and the admission standards.
Admission and application procedures can be found on the Graduate College website. Students may take up to 9 credits as a non-degree seeking student, so it is possible to begin your studies before formal admittance into the program.
Certificate Requirements
The Power Systems Graduate Certificate consists of four courses for a total of 12 credits. Courses include:
- EE 553: Steady State Analysis
- EE 554: Power Systems Dynamics
- EE 590: Special Topics in Electric Power (some EE 590 offerings may be used towards the certificate)
- EE 653: Advanced Topics in Electrical Power (repeatable course, may be used towards the certificate more than once).
Course descriptions can be found in the course catalog .
Continuing on for a Masters Degree
If a person who receives a graduate certificate decides to continue for a graduate degree, the person needs to seek approval from that degree program. Credits earned for the graduate certificate may also be used to meet degree requirements for the graduate degree if approved by the Program of Study Committee. If the student wishes to continue and get an MS in Electrical Engineering, then that student must be admitted to the EE/CpE department.
Contact Information
James McCalley
515-294-4844
jdm@iastate.edu