Power Systems Engineering Online (MEng)

WPI’s Online Master of Engineering in Power Systems Engineering prepares electrical engineers for professional practice in the electric utility industry. The program is also a great option for experienced engineers or those who want to reshape their careers.

Composed entirely of technical courses, this program brings together a wide variety of analytical and practical subjects, both classical and current, that are necessary for engineering success in today's power industry. Through course topics in analysis, rotating machinery, transmission and distribution systems, protection and controls, and more, you will be prepared to:

Analyze power flows in delivery networks – both for steady state and transients
Understand electro-mechanical energy conversion and power system operations and planning
Design power delivery networks – both transmission and distribution
Analyze dynamic system response to disturbances
Design protection and control systems
Evaluate design alternatives, including both technical and economic analysis
Lead projects using a full suite of management tools
Understand group and individual dynamics leading to more effective interactions
Identify and mitigate operational risks

A great program that had a good balance between theoretical and practical power system applications, I would recommend any engineer in the power industry to take this.

John Sonnelitter

Protection & Controls Engineer

Florida Power & Light

Other online graduate programs in Power Systems:

Courses

Degree requirements: 10 courses, 30 credit hours. All courses include use of modeling and each course normally utilizes one specific application. You will work with a faculty advisor to develop a customized and relevant plan of study selected from the courses below. A thesis is not required.

REQUIRED COURSES

At least 21 total credit hours in ECE. This must include:
- ECE 5500. Power System Analysis
- At least 12 credit hours in any of these Power Systems Engineering courses:
  - ECE 5511. Transients in Power Systems
  - ECE 5512. Electromechanical Energy Conversion
  - ECE 5520. Power System Protection and Control
  - ECE 5521. Protective Relaying*
  - ECE 5522. Advanced Applications in Protective Relaying*
  - ECE 5523. Power System Dynamics
  - ECE 5530. Power Distribution
  - ECE 5531. Power System Operation and Planning
  - ECE 5532. Distributed and Renewable Power Generation
  - ECE 5540. Power Transmission
    
    *Credit cannot be awarded for ECE 5521 & 5522 if credit for ECE 5520 has been earned.
- 6 additional credits from any Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate course
  
  ** including any of the Power Systems Engineering courses listed above and CS 525S./ECE 579S. Computer and Network Security.
Up to 9 credit hours from any of the following:
- Any graduate course in engineering, mathematics or science**
- ME 593Z. Renewable Energy
- Graduate management courses such as:
  - MIS 576. Project Management
  - OBC 500. Group and Interpersonal Dynamics in Complex Organizations
  - OIE 541. Operations Risk Management
  - OIE 598E. Engineering Economics

**Note that not all courses shown in the graduate catalog are available online. Please check the current course schedule listings.

Graduate Course Catalog 2016-2017

View Current Course Schedule (PDF)

Prerequisites

Students must have an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from an ABET accredited university with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Some graduate engineers from other disciplines may be successful in power systems; however they may need an additional foundation in mathematics (e.g. WPI's MA 501 Engineering Mathematics course).

Have additional questions about admissions or program requirements? Please contact Monika Maslen from our WPI Online team to review individual situations.

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After Graduation

Explore average salaries of power systems engineers, companies that have hired WPI power systems engineering graduates, sample job titles, and more.

Career Outlook

Online Open House

Attend an online power systems engineering open house and learn more about the prerequisites, requirements, and curriculum of our program.

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Office Hours for Online Graduate Programs

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Power Systems Management Online Certificate

Students interested in concentrating in Power Systems Management may apply for our online certificate.

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Energy Education Program

WPI and the Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE) are partners in providing quality online education to the energy industry. If you work for an organization that is a member of EPCE, you receive a 10% discount on your online WPI tuition. Contact EPCE to determine if you qualify.

Electrical & Computer Engineering Department