Power Systems Management Online (MS)

WPI’s Online MS in Power Systems Management combines essential topics in power systems engineering with technology-focused business courses, preparing graduates for careers in engineering management within the power industry.

As a student in our part-time online program, you will learn 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

Other online graduate programs in Power Systems:

Whitepaper: Securing the Grid - Today and Tomorrow

Learn from Industry Experts

WPI students work closely with WPI’s renowned Power Systems faculty: real-world, industry experts who enrich the curriculum with decades of experience.

Read the faculty biographies

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Courses

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

10 courses, 30 credit hours. You will work with a faculty advisor to develop a customized and relevant plan of study selected from the courses below.

REQUIRED COURSES

ECE 5500. Power System Analysis
And at least 9 credits but no more than 12 credits in other ECE Power Systems Engineering courses.*
- *Credit cannot be awarded for ECE 5521 & 5522 if credit for ECE 5520 has been earned.
12 credit hours of management classes.
Remaining credit hours may be taken in:
- Any graduate level course work in engineering, science, or system dynamics**
- No more than 15 of the total degree credit hours may be in ECE.

**Note that not all courses shown in the graduate catalog are available online. Please check the current course schedule listing. Courses subject to change based on faculty availability.

Thesis option: Currently, WPI’s online graduate programs do not offer a thesis option, as theses cannot be completed online. If you wish to pursue a thesis on campus, it is the student’s responsibility to find an advisor. Please note that depending on the project’s subject and timeframe, there might not be a faculty member willing or able to advise.

COURSE SCHEDULE

FALL TERM

ECE 5500. Power System Analysis
ECE 5511. Transients in Power Systems
ECE 5523. Power System Dynamics
ECE 5521. Protective Relaying (not be taken with ECE 5520)
ECE 5530. Power Distribution
OIE 542. Risk Management and Decision Making

EARLY SPRING TERM

(January Start)

ECE 5500. Power System Analysis
ECE 5511. Transients in Power Systems
ECE 5520. Protection and Controls (not to be taken with ECE 5521)
ECE 5522. Advanced Applications in Protective Relaying
ECE 5531. Power System Operations and Planning
ECE 5540. Power Transmission
ECE 523. Power Electronics
MIS 576. Project Management
OBC 505. Teaming and Organizing for Innovation

LATE SPRING TERM

(April Start)

ECE 5500. Power System Analysis
ECE 5511. Transients in Power Systems
ECE 5512. Electromechanical Energy Conversion
ECE 5532. Distributed and Renewable Power Generation
ECE 5521. Protective Relaying (not to be taken with ECE 5520)
CS 525. Computer and Network Security
OIE 542. Risk Management and Decision Making
OIE 598. Engineering Economics
SD 550. System Dynamics Foundation: Managing Complexity

SUMMER TERM

MIS 576. Project Management
ECE 5522. Advanced Applications in Protective Relaying (as needed)
BUS 598: IS Energy Management (every other year starting in AY2020)
Business Elective (as needed)

For additional management and math courses, please click here. Note these courses may not qualify for EPCE participants.

The program gave me more technical background in both power and business... It's all in one package.

Bobby Sandler

Power Systems Engineer

Unitil Corporation

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.

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

How Online Learning Works

Admissions for Online Programs

Student Support

Tuition & Financial Aid

Meet the Team

Graduate Course Catalog 2016-2017

Corporate Programs Available

Could your company benefit from a customized power systems engineering program? Learn more about our corporate programs.

Explore average starting salaries and companies that have hired WPI Power Systems Management graduates.

Career Outlook

View our on-demand webinar to be introduced to our Power Systems online graduate program. Get an overview of program logistics, what online learning looks like, the application process, and more!

View now

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.