Program: Solar & Renewable Energy (SRE) Certificate - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Apr 06, 2025

2011-2012 Graduate Catalog

Return to: School of Environmental and Public Affairs

The School of Environmental and Public Affairs offers a Graduate Certificate in Solar and Renewable (SRE) Energy. The Certificate is designed for individuals already in possession of either a baccalaureate degree or a graduate degree. More specifically, the 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 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.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have earned an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a GPA of 2.75 or higher. Applicants must be accepted by the Graduate College and the Advisory/Admissions Committee for the SRE Certificate program.

Program Description

Students will be 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.

Certificate Requirments


Core Requirements - 9 credits:
	EGG 650 Introduction to Solar and Renewable Energy Utilization I (3 credits)
	ENV 702 - Environmental Problem Solving (3 credits)
	OR
	ENV 720 - Natural Resource Valuation (3 credits)
	CEM 680 - Sustainable Construction (3 credits)
	OR
	ABS 632 - 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) *if not taken as a core requirement
		ENV 703 - Environmental Law and Policy Seminar (3 credits)
		ENV 711 - Risk Assessment and Risk Management (3 credits)
		ENV 720 - Natural Resource Valuation (3 credits) *if not taken as a core requirement
		LAW 651 - Environmental Quality Law (2-3 credits)
		ECO 707 - Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (3 credits)

	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 in a Federal and Intergovernmental Perspective (3 credits)
		PUA 756 - Policy Implementation (3 credits)
		ENV 750 - Environmental Studies and Public Policy (3 credits)

	Built Environment
		CEM 680 - Sustainable Construction (3 credits) *if not taken as a core requirement
		CEM 755 - Renewable Energy Capital Facility Projects (3 credits)
		ABS 531 - Environmental Control Systems I (3 credits)
		ABS 532 - Environmental Control Systems II (3 credits)
		ABS 632 - Solar Energy Applications in Architecture (3 credits) *if not taken as a core requirement

	Geosciences & Environmental Science
		GEOL 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)
		GEOL 646 - Geologic Applications in Remote Sensing (3 credits)
		ENV 660 - Environmental Modeling (4 credits)
		ENV 680 - GIS for Environmental Management (4 credits)
		ENV 7XX - Restoration Ecology (3 credits)

	Electrical & Computing Engineering
		ECG 6XX - Photovoltaic Devices and Systems (3 credits)
		ECG 642 - Power Electronics (3 credits)
		ECG 653 - Introduction to Nanotechnology (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)
		ME 619 - Advanced HVAC and Energy Conservation Systems (3 credits)
		ME 705 - Conduction Heat Transfer (3 credits)
		ME 707 - Radiation Heat Transfer (3 credits)
		ME 711 - Advanced Thermodynamics (3 credits)
		ME 714 - Computational Aspects of Solar Energy (3 credits)
		ME 746 - Experimental Design and Analysis of Digital Process Control Systems (3 credits)

*Note:* Graduate Standing is not required for students interested in taking the following courses as part of the SRE Certificate:

		ENV 611 , ENV 660 , ENV 680 , ENV 702 , ENV 703 , ENV 711 , ENV 720 , ENV 750 , PUA 725 , PUA 725 , PUA 745 , PUA 756 , PAF 701 , PAF 702

Relationship to other UNLV Graduate Degrees

Students earning the Certificate may apply for admission into UNLV graduate degree programs as long as they meet the existing admissions criteria for said programs.

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Admission Requirements

Program Description

Certificate Requirments

Relationship to other UNLV Graduate Degrees