The potential benefits of energy efficiency are tremendous. According to the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, more than half of expected growth in demand for electricity and natural gas can be avoided over the next 15 years. Globally, new energy efficiency standard, ISO 50001, has been established and implemented. Accordingly, the Department of Energy (DOE) has developed Superior Energy Performance (SEP) criteria. The companies certified by the ISO 50001 and achieve further improved energy performance may be granted with the SEP status, which will give the companies tremendous advantages to do business globally. The implementation of this new international standard and concept requires a workforce with an expertise in energy management and efficiency. Experts in energy efficiency will be greatly needed for improving energy efficiency, energy auditing, ISO 50001and SEP certification.
This certificate program is designed to address industry's increased needs for engineers who have expertise in energy management and efficiency. It will prepare today's engineers to be competitive in taking on the new challenges of energy efficiency facing industry. The purpose of this new graduate-certificate program in mechanical engineering is to enable engineers to become certified in energy assessment without formally pursuing a graduate degree.
The certificate is a Purdue University certificate that would appear on a student’s transcript upon completion.
Who should join the program?
Mechanical engineering graduate students and practicing engineers who joined the workforce after received an engineering bachelor’s degree with working experience in energy systems would be interested in obtaining training on these new technologies. Therefore, to be eligible, an applicant needs to be an existing graduate student in our Mechanical Engineering Programs, or the fourth year students in our combined BS and MS program, or an engineer in industry. If the engineer has training from disciplines other than Mechanical Engineering, working experience on energy systems will be required. One year experience on energy systems will meet this requirement.
What are the requirements to complete the graduate certificate program?
1. Total requirement: 12 credit hours
2. GPA requirements
a. Minimum overall GPA
Successful completion of the certificate requires at least a B average over all courses counting towards the certificate.
b. Minimum grade:
Courses with a grade of C- or less must be taken again to count towards the certificate. The minimum grade that will be accepted in any single course is C. For transfer credits only the courses taken that result in a grade of B or better may be transferred for this certificate program.
3. Curriculum
There are four courses specifically designed for this certificate program:
- ME50101 Energy Assessment of Industrial Processes
- ME50102 Energy Management Principles
- ME50103 Industrial Energy Assessment: Tools and Applications
- ME50106 Industrial Energy Audit
Are there on-line options for these courses?
Yes. The majority of the graduate courses are offered in late afternoon hours to accommodate the needs of part-time students. In addition, a number of course lectures may be available in both live lecture and online via video streaming modes.
Will any of these four courses count toward a graduate degree?
Yes! All four courses may be used toward the requirements for a graduate degree in mechanical engineering, if you wish to pursue a formal degree program.
What are the requirements for admission to the certificate program?
In order to be eligible for this certificate program, the students must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in an area which provides the necessary mathematical preparation for an engineering degree with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0. A conditional admission may be offered for applicants not meeting this criterion who have superior overall credentials. Applicants with non-engineering degrees, including mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering technology, may be required to take undergraduate mechanical engineering courses before admission to the program. Appropriate work experience also will be taken into account in making decisions about admission. Students will be required to submit a statement of interest and three letters of recommendation. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper based) / 77 (internet based) or higher is required for international applicants whose native language is not English. Applicants taking IELTS must score at least 6.5 on the academic module.
Students admitted directly to the Purdue University graduate program can be considered for this certificate program, provided the student formally applies for the certificate program and receives admission. Courses completed under certificate program are not automatically transferred to a graduate degree program, unless the student makes a petition to the graduate committee in respective departments. A student already enrolled in a graduate degree program may complete the certificate irrespective of his / her major so long as the requirements of the certificate are fulfilled.
I have completed a few graduate courses in the past. Can I use the credits toward the certificate program?
If you have already earned credits for one or more of the equivalent courses from another institution or another certificate program, you may request to transfer up to a maximum of three credits of these courses toward this certificate. A maximum of 6 equivalent credit hours taken prior to admission to the certificate program, including 3 credit hours taken from another institution, may be counted towards the certificate. The rest of the courses must be completed at IUPUI within a three-year period from the time of admission. Any waivers or substitutions require approval. No undergraduate courses can be applied to this certificate program.
How do I apply for admission to the certificate program?
To apply for admission, contact Monica Stahlhut, MEE Graduate Programs Assistant by telephone at (317) 278-4960 or by email: mstahlhu@iupui.edu.
Program Course Listing and Descriptions
ME 50101 – Energy Assessment of Industrial Processes (3) Class: 3 Lab: 0
The Course describes a systematic approach for improving energy efficiency in the manufacturing sector. The manufacturing equipment and processes will be analyzed in terms of energy consumption improvement. It provides the technical foundation for students on assessing industrial processes to identify energy efficiency opportunities in industrial, electrical, motor drive, compressed air, process heating, process cooling, lighting, space conditioning, combined heat and power systems. The course consists of three parts: (1) fundamentals of energy assessment, (2) understanding of industrial processes in terms of energy consumption and energy efficiency, and (3) the energy assessment of industrial processes.
ME 50102 - Energy Management Principles (3) Class: 3 Lab: 0
Course composes of energy management principles for industrial application. The importance of energy management, commitment, strategy for continuous improvement and international standard will be described. This course emphasizes on real world applications including: understanding utility billing and identifying costs; identifying and quantifying energy savings opportunities at industrial facilities; determining investment payback scenarios and considerations.
ME 50103 - Industrial Energy Assessment: Tools and Applications (3) Class: 3 Lab: 0 Rec: 0
Course synthesizes advanced energy efficiency, energy auditing methods, tools, and practices. The fundamentals of several types of industrial audits will be analyzed with respect to the methods, tools (hardware and software), and industrial applications. Topics include energy audit process, energy bill analysis, economic analysis, measurement instrumentation, building envelop, electrical system, HVAC system, waste heat recovery, lighting, cogeneration, and other prevalent industrial systems and applications.
ME - 50106 Industrial Energy Audit (3) Class: 0 Lab: 3 Rec: 0
This is a project-based course in energy assessment and audit. Students are trained to go through the entire energy assessment process by participating in at least six real-world company energy assessments. Energy analyses, assessment recommendations, site visits, and audit report are performed.