How Do I Choose the Best Power Engineering School?

To choose the best power engineering school, look for the most affordable, certified program closest to you that matches your academic or career path. If you're not going to be a full-time student, look for schools that offer classes at a time when you can take them. For online classes, decide how much hands-on or face-to-face interaction you need to successfully learn. Read course descriptions carefully to make sure they meet your needs, and consider who teaches in the program, or who teaches the particular courses you wish to take.

Finding a power engineering school that matches your ambitions is essential. Depending on where you live in the world, full-time students might be entering specialized programs for power systems engineering or for certifications ranging from class five to class one. Many of these are one-year technical programs. Other options include pursuing an associate's degree in electrical engineering technology, a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, or a master's degree in power systems engineering.

Since there are different levels of programs in different places, each with their own prerequisites, it's up to you to find one that matches your present skill level. Some schools only offer degrees in electrical engineering, so if you want to attain a graduate degree in power engineering, it might be useful to choose a school that has both undergraduate and graduate programs, enabling you to take advanced classes, or to move into a higher-level program without changing schools.

As power engineering and worldwide power systems change, some schools are quicker than others to change accordingly. Certain schools offer newer learning tools like multimedia course modules and digital simulation, while others don't. Different schools will focus on different aspects of power engineering: for example, some might have more emphasis on renewable energy systems. Also, if you're looking for a power engineering school that covers a new technology, a changing or emerging market, or a cross-disciplinary subject, seek out such information from school or department mission statements. If you can't find the right information, call and ask questions.

If you wish to enroll part time, or you're only looking for a particular certification course or technical module, be aware that not every power engineering school offers the same amount of night classes or continuing education classes. Also, some power engineering schools have more online courses than others, and not every course can be taken online. Hands-on lab work and face-to-face instruction is essential for certain lessons, and not everyone can fully benefit from online classes, so it helps to know your own particular learning style.

Before applying to any power engineering school or enrolling in a single course, make sure you know the prerequisites and whether you've fulfilled them. Often you need prior education and work experience before you can take advanced courses in distribution systems, energy conversion, power system analysis, or computer modeling and simulation. Keep track of your certificates and credentials, read course descriptions carefully, investigate instructor's credentials, and call a school's registrar or enrollment services if you need more information.