Renewable Energy Engineering

Renewable energy and sustainable technologies are part of most of UC's undergraduate engineering degrees. At Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, we offer the following courses, which you can choose as electives during your undergraduate studies:

• ENCN423 Sustainable Energy Technologies
• ENCN401 Engineering in Developing Communities
• ENGR621 Energy Policy and Society
• ENCN623 Energy Systems Modelling and Analysis
• ENTR614 Planning and Design of Sustainable Transport
• ENGR682 Energy Project
• ENAE605 Sustainable Building Design Practice
• ENAE610 Building Sustainability Assessment

You can also take courses from other engineering departments.

Overview

Help shape our future energy systems and policy by becoming a Master in the area of renewable energy. This one-year programme is designed to be flexible to meet your needs.

The programme is directed by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which is consistently ranked in the top 50 globally (top 41, Shanghai 2023; top 11, Shanghai 2022).

Many other engineering departments teach into the programme. Overall, the University of Canterbury is consistently ranked in the top 2% globally (Rankings UC, 2024), and does particularly well (top 50 globally) in the Impacts Ranking related to Climate Action, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG Rankings UC, 2024).

Our students come from a wide range of engineering and science backgrounds and other areas like economics, energy, architecture, business and management, public policy, and international development. 

Our graduates get exciting jobs. For example, we have graduates working as policy advisors (e.g., Ministry for Foreign Affairs), transmission system operators (e.g., Transpower), solar system designers (e.g., Sunrun), energy analysts (e.g., Intelligent Energy Systems, Ember), or consultants.

The programme is officially called "Master of Engineering Studies endorsed in Renewable Energy". In other words, you will get a Master of Engineering specialised (endorsed) in Renewable Energy. "Studies" means it is course-based and not research-based.

Our courses

You need 8 courses to graduate. We offer many courses on renewable energy, such as:

• ENCN627  Renewable Energy Technologies or ENME605 Advanced Energy Systems Engineering
• ENGR621 Energy Policy and Society
• ENCN623 Energy Systems Modelling and Analysis
• ENEL667 Renewable Electricity System Design
• ENCH683 Advanced Energy Processing Technologies and Systems
• ENTR614 Planning and Design of Sustainable Transport
• ENGR682 Energy Project (this can be a research project at UC or a project at a company serving as entry to the job market)

Further electives inside and outside the Faculty of Engineering allow you to diversify your studies on energy systems, including courses from science, policy, psychology, economics, and others. Courses offered at UC can be searched here.

Scholarships

Many of our students get scholarships, e.g. Orion, Manaaki Scholarships, India High Achievers Scholarship or the Dean's Award. Further scholarships can be found here. Check if you are eligible.

Job opportunities

Postgraduate studies in renewable energy are a door opener. You could be looking at careers as an:

• Energy analyst
• Energy policy advisor
• Sustainable energy manager
• Solar or wind energy engineer
• Energy project director
  
• Sustainability professional
• Renewable energy technologist