Major code BS7277*

Russ College of Engineering and Technology
Department of Mechanical Engineering
251 Stocker Center
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.1553
www.ohio.edu/engineering/mechanical

Greg Kremer, contact person
kremer@ohio.edu

Program Overview

The program offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Energy Engineering which is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org , under the commission’s General Criteria with no applicable program criteria.

The primary program educational objectives of the bachelor’s degree in energy engineering are:

• Graduates will attain employment and advancement in public or private sectors of the multidisciplinary energy field or in another technical or professional field, advance toward professional licensure (PE) or certified energy manager (CEM) certification, and/or complete a graduate degree program in engineering, business, medicine, law, or another technical or professional field.
• Graduates will fulfill the standards and values of the engineering profession and of their own company, and further those values through involvement in communities of practice, professional societies, policy making, and government. 
• Graduates will act in ways consistent with the values of Ohio University by performing community service and volunteering, voting and being an engaged citizen, engaging in civil public discourse about technical issues, making decisions consistent with the triple bottom line (environmental, financial, social), and/or using their skills and influence in any way that contributes to the greater good.

Energy engineering is a specialized degree program that takes a systems approach to the evaluation and management of energy systems, including the economic and environmental aspects. Ohio’s Energy Engineering curriculum builds upon a solid foundation of higher mathematics and basic sciences with Energy Engineering Explorations and Experiences, and fundamental and applied courses in Systems Analysis and Design, Sustainability Analysis, and Fluid, Thermal and Energy Systems. Many students choose the elective option that provides a project management certificate. The program integrates projects and engineering experiences throughout the curriculum, requiring the application of engineering knowledge to develop and communicate solutions to energy-related problems. The culminating experience is a senior capstone design project in which student teams apply their skills to develop a solution to a energy systems problem including an assessment of technical considerations as well as cost, safety, regulations, and societal impact.

*This program was previously BS7274 which awarded the Bachelor of Science in Energy Engineering degree. Pending Board of Trustees approval (anticipated June 2024), the new program code will be BS7277 and will award the Bachelor of Science degree effective the 2024-25 catalog year.

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission

To best prepare for the demands of the academic programs in Russ College, four years of college preparatory math, one year of chemistry, and one year of physics are necessary. Students ranked in the top 30 percent of their classes who score at least 24 on the ACT or comparable SAT are most likely to be successful in Russ College of Engineering and Technology.  

Change of Program Policy

Students who wish to transfer into an engineering or computer science program must have earned a C or better in a math course and a science course. The math course must be equivalent to  MATH 1200  or higher. The science course must be equivalent to  CHEM 1510  or higher, or  PHYS 2051 / PHYS 2054  &  PHYS 2055  or higher. Students enrolled at any Ohio University campus who wish to transfer into any program in the Russ College cannot do so if they would be on academic probation after transferring into that major. The probation rules for Russ College are stricter than those for the University as a whole. In order not to be on probation, a student must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher for all courses taken, for all courses taken in the Russ College, and for all courses taken in the intended major. Students must also have successfully completed all required courses in three attempts and have no required course they have attempted twice without success. For some courses, success means a grade of at least a C or C-.

External Transfer Admission

Transfer students who have earned fewer than 20 semester hours of credit at another accredited collegiate institution may be admitted directly to an engineering or computer science program, if they meet the general requirements for admission to Ohio University and have completed four years of college-prep math and one year each of chemistry and physics and have scored at least a 24 on the ACT or comparable SAT.

Transfer students who have earned more than 20 semester hours of credit at another accredited collegiate institution may be admitted directly to an engineering or computer science program, if they meet the general requirements for transfer students, including a GPA greater than 2.5.Students who wish to transfer into an engineering or computer science program must have earned a C or better in a math course and a science course. The math course must be equivalent to  MATH 1200  or higher. The science course must be equivalent to  CHEM 1510  or higher, or  PHYS 2051 / PHYS 2054  &  PHYS 2055  or higher.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

Energy engineers design solutions to help our society better produce, distribute, and utilize our energy resources. Career opportunities for energy engineers include positions with utility, oil and gas, research, design, and sales companies.In addition, graduates of Ohio’s Energy Engineering program are well suited to pursue advanced energy research in chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering graduate programs, or to pursue advanced degrees in law or business.

Requirements