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Electrification Engineering Graduate Certificate

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The Technological Leadership Institute’s Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Electrification Engineering is designed to provide technologists, engineers, and technically focused managers with an applied graduate credential focusing on the core systems underpinning the electrified world.

This 12-credit program is suitable for industry professionals and new college graduates looking for a hands-on learning approach with immediately applicable skills. The certificate program covers the breadth of technologies used to convert traditional mechanical systems into hybrid or electric platforms.

The core curriculum begins with a technical survey course and progresses to more technically complex course content. Elective courses focus on electrification policy, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. The certificate provides students with the skills to migrate to the world of electrification systems and contribute to an electric future.

*General enrollment starts Fall 2023

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Professional Development

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The Electrification Engineering Graduate Certificate provides a way to obtain an Electrification Engineering credential for engineers, technologists, and technology minded managers who want their skills to reflect the monumental shift to the electrification of the world's economy, including vehicles, energy storage, and power transmission.

International Students 

Applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents should understand that the University of Minnesota’s Electrification Engineering Certificate program does not meet the requirements for eligibility needed to obtain the appropriate F-1 student visa or status because the program structure does not allow students to maintain full time status (minimum of 6 credits), each semester.

TLI's Electrification Engineering Graduate Certificate is the first Postbaccalaureate Certificate designed for students to explore this technology space in an applied, industry focused fashion. Technological Leadership Institute specializes in developing and delivering graduate curriculum designed for working professionals – both in-person and online.

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Professional Education

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The format of our classes allows students to continue to work full time while attending classes, featuring:

  • A multidisciplinary approach
  • Classes held in the evenings - Designed for working professionals
  • Take classes in-person or remotely
  • Complete program in as little as 12 months

Check the certificate curriculum below to view detailed course information.

Courses and Instructors

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Required Courses

MOT 5101 - Introduction to Electrification (3.0 cr)

Fall Term

Introduction to Electrification is the first in a series of electrification courses intended to prepare technologists, engineers, scientists, and technically minded managers for the migration to an electric future. It will cover electrification trends in the industry, the current state of the art, and a survey of core technologies and safety procedures key to the electrification process. There will be lecture and hands-on components.

MOT 5102 - Electrification for Engineers (3.0 cr)

Spring Term

Electrification for Engineers is the second in a series of applied electrification courses intended for those who have completed the Introduction to Electrification or have a sufficient background in this technology and are seeking more in-depth instruction. This course will incorporate more mathematical models of electrification technologies, include associated laboratories, and explore electrification systems from electromechanical energy conversion to discrete electronic components.

MOT 5103 - Advanced Electrification (3.0 cr)

Summer Term

Advanced Electrification is the third in a series of applied electrification courses intended for those who have completed Electrification for Engineers (MOT 5102) or have a sufficient background in this technology. It is the final course in the sequence. It will provide for mathematical modeling of key electrification technologies, advanced laboratory assessment of electrical and mechanical components, and comprehensive discussion of the physics underpinning and connecting associated systems. There will be lecture and hands-on components.

Elective Courses

*Minimum of 3 credits in consultation with the advisor. Other courses may be chosen with director of graduate studies approval.

BBE 5733 - Renewable Energy Technologies (3.0 cr)

Energy security and its environmental, economic and societal impacts. Current and emerging technologies for production and use, characteristics of renewable energy, key methods for efficient production, current and probable future, and impact on sustainable development.

EE 4701 - Electric Drives (3.0 cr)

AC/DC electric-machine drives for speed/position control. Integrated discussion of electric machines, power electronics, and control systems. Computer simulations. Applications in electric transportation, robotics, process control, and energy conservation.

EE 4721 - Introduction to Power System Analysis (3.0 cr)

AC power systems. Large power system networks. Mathematics/techniques of power flow analysis. Short-circuit analysis, transient stability analysis. Use of power system simulation program for design.

EE 4741 - Power Electronics (3.0 cr)

Switch-mode power electronics. Switch-mode DC power supplies. Switch-mode converters for DC and AC motor drives, wind/photovoltaic inverters, interfacing power electronics equipment with utility system. Power semiconductor devices, magnetic design, electro-magnetic interference (EMI).

EE 5041 - Industrial Assignment for Graduate Students (1.0 cr)

Optional industrial work assignment. Evaluation based on student's formal written report covering semester's work assignment. This course counts for 6 credits of Academic Progress for the semester in which it is taken.

EE 5705 - Electric Drives in Sustainable Energy Systems (3.0 cr)

Role of electric drives in wind-electric systems, inertial storage, elec/hybrid vehicles. AC machines for energy-efficient operation using d-q axis modeling. Vector-/direct-torque-controlled induction motor drives. Permanent-magnet and interior-permanent magnet ac motor drives. Sensorless drives. Voltage space-vector modulation technology.

EE 5745 - Wind Energy Essentials (2.0 cr)

Design, planning, development/operation of wind energy facilities. Wind turbine generator types, wind forecasting/assessment, wind farm project development, grid integration, wind turbine controls, blade aerodynamics/acoustics, mechanical/hydrostatic transmissions, materials/structural reliability, wind turbine foundations, radar interference, role of public policy in wind energy.

ME 4131W - Indoor Environment & Energy Laboratory (4.0 cr)

Experiments in psychrometrics, refrigeration, air conditioning, solar energy, indoor air quality, and other topics related to refrigeration, building heating/cooling, and indoor air quality.

ME 4331 - Thermal Energy Engineering Laboratory (4.0 cr)

Measurement/analysis of heat transfer in single phase, multiphase, reacting environments. Experimental measurements relevant to thermal/fluid systems, statistical design of experiments/uncertainty analysis. Heat exchange. 

ME 4431W - Energy Conversion Systems Laboratory (4.0 cr)

Analyze operation/control of engines, power plants, heating/ventilation systems. Performance characteristics of devices, measurement techniques. Interpretation of experimental data. Presentation of results.

ME 5101 - Vapor Power Cycles (4.0 cr)

Vapor power cycle analysis, regeneration, reheat, compound cycle modifications, combined gas turbine--vapor cycle systems, components, fuels and combustion, heat sources - solar, nuclear, geothermal, low T cycles, bottoming cycles, environmental concerns. EES software used extensively for cycle analysis.

ME 5103 - Thermal Environmental Engineering (4.0 cr)

Thermodynamic properties of moist air; psychrometric charts; HVAC systems; solar energy; human thermal comfort; indoor air quality; heating and cooling loads in buildings.

Instructors

Dr. David Orser

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David Orser is a teacher, lab coordinator, and mentor at the University of Minnesota. He has a strong interest in project-based learning, experiential learning, and active/flipped classrooms. He received the Morse-Alumni Award for the modernization of core courses for electrical engineering and computer engineering majors.

His areas of technical specialty include mixed-signal integrated circuit design and power electronics. David has built and tested experimental power electronic converters for adjustable speed drives supporting grid fault handling. He has advised MISO on developing models of HVDC network components and economic justifications for trans-continental macro-grid networks.

David lead the development of application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) preamplifier and write driver designs spanning short-distance fiber optics and hard disk drive applications. Orser has broad experience in all facets of the design process including architecture, specification, development, and ramp-to-manufacturing. 

In addition to his contributions that are directly related to teaching, Orser is engaged in supporting students in their extra curricular activities. For six years, he has been faculty advisor to the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project (UMNSVP), an undergraduate student group that designs, and builds solar cars that are raced against other teams across the United States and abroad.

Robb Anderson

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Robb Anderson is currently a Sr. Principal Electrical Engineer within the Commercial Engineering group at The Toro Company. He is responsible for model-based electrical systems engineering, including functional safety. Robb provides key technical input across many subsystems and is focused on bringing high-performance and efficient electrification to Toro’s vast portfolio of grounds maintenance equipment.

Prior to joining Toro, Robb was a Senior Electrical Engineer within the Electric Power Systems group at MTS Systems. In this role, he was a principal architect and embedded software engineer focused on high-performance PMAC motor control for motorsports, transportation, and engineering test systems. Notably, Robb provided key support for Formula-1 and Formula-E teams, and his efforts have led to championship results in the Formula-E racing series.

Robb has nearly 30 years of industrial experience as an Electrical/Controls Engineer with a unique, cross-functional history in the electrical, mechanical, and software engineering domains. He has an extensive research and development track record and is highly skilled in real-time control systems design, MATLAB/Simulink modeling and code generation, and IoT for equipment health-monitoring.

Robb received his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, where he was mentored by Dr. Robert Lorenz, a pioneer in physics-based controls engineering. Through Dr. Lorenz, Robb became involved in WEMPEC (Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium), an internationally known team of professors, staff, graduate students, and international scholars. WEMPEC researches and develops the newest technologies and techniques in electric machines, power electronics, actuators, sensors, drives, motion control, and drive applications.

Robb holds numerous domestic and international patents in applications ranging from multi-axis machines to control of hidden states within oil-field technologies.

Brian Krosschell

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Brian is a passionate systems engineer, technical leader, and innovator. His skills bridge the electrical and mechanical domains and are forged by his passion for technology and performance.  Brian loves working with engineers to unlock creativity, possibilities, and teams in pursuit of better products and experiences.  Brian works to make vehicles and the experiences they deliver better

Brian is a Minnesota native and grew up in Rochester, MN.  He graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with Bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Mathematics, obtained a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering where he focused on Powertrain Control Systems from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and earned a professional certificate in Architecture and Systems Engineering from MIT.

Brian holds 24 US patents in vehicle design, powertrain control, electronic systems, communication, and functional architecture.  He currently serves as the Chief Engineer of Electrified Propulsion at Polaris.

Brad Bauer

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Brad Bauer is an Army veteran, electrical engineer, and a national leader in the field of electrical safety. Over the last four years, he has served as an electrical engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), specializing in power systems, hazardous energy control, and safety standards development. He has represented USACE as the St. Paul District’s Arc Flash Coordinator and as the Arc Flash Subject Matter Expert for the entirety of USACE’s Electrical Engineering Community of Practice. Concurrent with his role at USACE, Brad has worked as a Research Engineer at Qrona Technologies.  Here, Brad’s focus has been on designing in-situ ultrahigh vacuum magnetron sputtering technology for integration into Molecular Beam Epitaxy systems. Prior to becoming an engineer, Brad served for six years in the US Army where he specialized in helicopter avionics and electrical systems repair. Brad holds a MS  in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

Brody Hultman

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Brody Hultman is an Electrical/Systems Engineer at Polaris, working in the Electric Powertrain department with a focus on system's integration for electric and hybrid systems. He recently graduated with his Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) from the University of Minnesota in December 2022.

During his time at the University of Minnesota, Brody gained experience teaching labs and assisting with lectures for a variety of courses within the ECE department. He also worked as a research assistant, focusing on DC/DC resonant converters for grid-level energy storage systems. Prior to joining Polaris, Brody gained experience in electrification subject matter through Co-op and contract work with the Electrification Center of Excellence at Thermo King – Trane Technologies.

Yu Zhou

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Yu Zhou is a third-year Ph.D. student in electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota. He has 7 years of experience in BMW for the powertrain system development of electric and hybrid vehicles and 5 years of experience in BOSCH for the common rail system development of diesel vehicles. He served as a project manager and team leader at BMW and BOSCH. As a project manager at BMW, he was responsible for steering the integration, calibration, and verification of the powertrain system of new energy vehicles, including the X1 PHEV, 5 series PHEV, and X3 EV. As a team leader at the test field of BMW, he was responsible for coordinating the build-up of the laboratories of high voltage battery pack and module, hardware-in-the-loop, onboard charging, electric drive system, powertrain pre-integration, and vehicle dyno. His research interests include a load-independent high-frequency resonant inverter, wide-bandwidth output power control of the high-frequency resonant inverter, and synchronization of parallel high-frequency resonant inverters. He has strong skills in power electronics circuits modeling, design, simulation, testing, controller design, digital signal processing, and embedded implementation. Yu Zhou completed his M.S. in Automotive Engineering and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Jiangsu in China. 

Kyle Strohmaier

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Kyle Strohmaier is the Systems Modeling Lead at Zipline International Inc., a company which designs, manufactures, and operates electric delivery drones. His core function is to use multi-physics simulation, spanning the electrical, mechanical and thermal domains, to inform hardware designs and high-level control strategies. Previously, Kyle spent more than seven years at Tesla Inc., where he was Sr. Staff Engineer. He was a systems architect for vehicle programs including Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck and the second-generation Roadster. 

Kyle’s professional interests include reduced-order multi-physics modeling, building flexible and efficient simulation frameworks, model-based design optimization, and bridging the gap between engineering and non-technical entities. He previously served as an industry liaison to EPA’s electric vehicle range-testing testing division and was a member of the SAE light duty vehicle test standards committee. 

Kyle has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, respectively. During his graduate work, he conducted research on mixed-domain energy storage in the Mechanical Energy and Power Systems (MEPS) Laboratory, advised by Professor James Van de Ven.

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