Sustainable Energy and Development (SEDev, former EEM)

Meeting the challenges of climate change and energy poverty with energy transformation is in the focus of the Sustainable Energy and Development Master's programme. In the SEDev programme, we address universal access to affordable, reliable and renewable energy systems as part of international development cooperation. Our mission is to help enabling sustainable social and economic development through higher education. Sustainable energy systems for social and economic development are therefore the focus of the 24-month Master's programme. The programme leads to the degree of a Master of Engineering while students learn modern engineering, innovative management and important social skills. Graduates of the SEDev contribute to sustainable social and economic development by initiating, planning and managing the transformation of energy systems in societies. They provide equitable solutions for modern energy services and empower communities to engage in decision-making and change processes. Their professional skills help support and guide companies, governments and NGOs worldwide. Problem-based learning techniques are applied to meet the challenges of increasing complexity and the constantly advancing technologies. This results in highly efficient learning directed toward the real-world application of the learning outcomes. A preparation semester in autumn will supplement the students’ qualification within economics, research methods, and academic writing. A German language course is offered accompanying the course. The programme combines two important areas of sustainable energy: the integration of renewable energy sources in complex systems and the implementation of sustainable energy systems. Energy systems modelling and energy planning embrace engineering aspects of the transition towards sustainable energy systems. Economics, project management, financial and market analysis explore the economic facets of making this transition happen. Core modules in the two main semesters combine mandatory lectures and seminars with programme-specific teaching, a good selection of elective courses, and a project unit. In “Analysis and Complexity of Energy Systems”, programming and systems modelling are combined with renewable energy technologies. Additional modules on applied geoinformatics for energy planning and international development cooperation complement this. In “Sustainable and Just Energy System Solutions”, several areas of social science and economics are combined with project work in the field of energy justice and climate action, emphasising the implementation of sustainable energy projects. Further modules include energy market analysis and project management. An international community energy project with partner organisations abroad is the focus of a five-week field research project under real-world conditions. In cooperation with rural communities, students deepen their methodological competencies in consultancy work and in planning sustainable energy systems. The last five months of the programme are assigned to the Master's thesis, in combination with an internship in a company, an international organisation, or a research institution. The Master's thesis is closely oriented towards the requirements of the labour market, and it may provide an excellent basis for future careers of SEDev graduates.