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Business Degree in Renewable Energy Management
June 25, 2018 Leave a reply
Getting a masters degree in business administration is the dream of many undergraduate students. An MBA enables them to try their hand in the daunting world of business where competence and love for money are paramount qualities expected. However, the question that many students could have in their mind is, "MBA in what?" Throughout my life, I have seen people doing MBA from various institutes in India and abroad. All of them however do it in Finance, Marketing, HR and IT. Most of my friends from my undergraduate days ended up doing an MBA in order to become Business Analysts in IT or banking sectors. It was not until a few years ago that someone suggested me to do an MBA that I started thinking whether there exists an MBA in fields other than what I mentioned.
I don't recall whether it was by sheer accident or because of my obsession with a famous actress, I happened to come across an MBA program in energy management online especially in Renewable or Green Energy management. I mentioned the actress because her Wikipedia article mentions that she uses renewable energy to power her house. Somehow while browsing around the internet, I stumbled upon this possibility. It is not very common for someone to specialize in energy management as a business degree. For one thing it is futuristic and people are a little wary about investing their time and money in educational programs that are futuristic due to the risk factors involved.
I had no intention of doing an MBA as I wanted to study science. But my curious mind couldn't stay idle and I went ahead researching what this program was all about. I thought that perhaps it isn't such a bad idea to do a business degree if it suits my way of thinking and this one seemed to do exactly that. My online search for information about MBA in energy management brought me to many websites of institutes (42 of them to be exact). They offer masters level degrees like Executive MBA, MScMBA, International Mini MBA, REM-HSG, International MBA, PGPEM, Global Executive or just plain MBA. The funny thing is that 8 of them are in India and I never heard about it.
A business degree in renewable energy management makes the candidate capable of finding solutions to energy problems in the world such as rising oil prices, climate change and lack of efficient technology to exploit renewable energy sources. Already scientists are developing new ways to harness power from sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat. The rising use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar farms generate more jobs in this sector whereby giving opportunities to graduates who do this type of degree. Renewable energy management also involves helping business operate using the power generated through renewable resources in an efficient manner.
In short, meeting the growing energy demands while simultaneously protecting the environment is a challenge that the MBA graduates in energy management will face. The curriculum of most of these institutes teaches students business fundamentals along with specific problems facing energy industry. The graduates will be made aware of the business aspects of renewable energy along with its impact on environment. The advantage of this type of MBA is that the syllabus focuses on practicality and results instead of just theoretical learning. Thus the skills acquired can be immediately put into practice.
Students will be taught things like rain water harvesting and managing wind and solar farms. The jobs that an MBA graduate of this sort would do include:
International Sales Management
Energy Facility Management
Structural Development
Environmental Protection Work
Some institutes also offer PhD degrees for candidates interested in pursuing research. Green Business is what experts call the renewable energy sector. Anyway, here is the list of 42 institutes from around the world that offer a business degree in green energy management:
School Degree Specialization Country
Norweigean School of Business Executive MBA Energy Norway
Curtin University MScMBA Energy Economics Australia
Energy Delta Institute International Mini MBA Energy Transition and Innovation The Netherlands
Maastricht School of
Management MBA Energy Management The Netherlands
Beuth Hochschule Fur Technik
Berlin MBA Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Germany
International School of
Management MBA Energy Management Germany
European School of Management
and Technology MBA Global Sustainable Business Germany
Jacobs University MBA European Utility Management Germany
University of St. Gallen REM-HSG Renewable Energy Management Switzerland
Athabasca University MBA Energy Industries and Markets Canada
University of Calgary Executive MBA Global Energy Canada
University of Alberta MBA Natural Resources Energy & Environment Canada
Danube University Krems MBA Energy and Carbon Management Austria
Vienna University of Economics
and Business MBA Energy Management Austria
HEC School of Management Executive MBA Management in an Energy-Concerned Economy France
International Space University Executive MBA Space Business France
Ipag Business School MBA Energy and Sustainable Development Management France
University of Vaasa MBA Energy Business Finland
University of Bologna MBA Green Energy and Sustainable Business Italy
London School of Business and
Finance MBA Oil, Gas and Energy Management UK
University of Warwick MBA Global Energy UK
Lancaster University Business
School MBA Biofuels and Renewable Energy UK
University of Strathclyde MBA Global Energy Industry UK
University of Aberdeen MBA Oil and Gas Management UK
City of London College MBA Energy Management UK
University of East London MBA Sustainability and Energy Management UK
Athens University of Economics
and Business International MBA Energy and Sustainability Club Greece
University of Nicosia MBA Oil, Gas and Energy Management Cyprus
The Cyprus Institute of
Marketing MBA Energy Management Cyprus
Vistula University Executive MBA Energy Management Poland
St. Petersburg University Executive MBA Management in an Energy-Concerned Economy Russia
Continental University MBA Energy and Sustainable Development Ukraine
Asian Institute of Technology MBA Energy Business Thailand
IIM Ranchi PGPEM Energy Management India
National Power Training
Institute MBA Power Management India
Pandit Deendayal Petroleum
University MBA Energy and Infrastructure India
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of
Petroleum Technology MBA Petroleum and Energy Management India
Symbiosis Center For
International Education MBA Energy and Environment Business India
Thapar University MBA Environmental and Energy Management India
University of Petroleum and
Energy Studies MBA Energy Trading India
Great Lakes Institute of
Management Global Executive MBA Energy Management India
Asian Institute of Technology
and Management MBA Energy Business Nepal
Some of these institutes offer campus based degree while others offer an online degree. You can check their respective websites for more information. While compiling this list, I followed the order of sorting the countries according to their Human Development Index (HDI). Therefore the countries listed on the top are the most developed with the highest standard of living and therefore the best education that you can get. I am not saying that the MBA in our country is bad but in case you wish to move to a country with better living standards, then you may opt for countries listed at the top of the list.
I will be updating this list as and when I come across new information. Until then whatever queries you may have, you are welcome to comment that there and I will try my best to answer them. I hope this article was helpful. Good luck!
Why Study Astrophysics?
Cosmology – The study of our universe
I am often asked why I am so obsessed with studying astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology etc. which serves no practical purpose to anyone. The people who ask such questions entertain the notion that anything that does not give immediate monetary benefit is not worth pursuing. In this article I will try as much as possible to highlight the benefits of pursuing pure science such as astrophysics. I will be using the words astronomy and astrophysics interchangeably as differentiating the two is not the main aim here.
Astrophysics to me is an eternal subject. The study of our universe will continue as long as the universe exists and therefore the subject of astronomy will stay on for trillions of years into the future (or at least till any intelligent species can make the study.) We exist because the universe exists and that makes the study of our universe the most important of all subjects in my opinion.
A person who does not have any training in astrophysics or for someone who thinks he or she is too "practical" may not be convinced with this answer. For such people, any subject should have the potential of generating immediate revenue. In their point of view, the trendiest subjects that have a career potential in the market are the ones people should be pursuing. That point of view is not essentially wrong. However, these so called trendy subjects are like soap bubbles. They form and then get destroyed after a period of time. People pursuing them always run a risk because if the subject of their choice goes down in popularity, they are forced to learn the next trending subject in the job market.
Space science as a subject does not suffer from this problem. It has lived on ever since the dawn of human civilization and is bound to continue into the foreseeable future. Besides, making money in my opinion should not be our pursuit as a race of intelligent beings. Our world is slowly moving towards a non-monetary one and thus our real pursuit should be the attainment of knowledge and its applications.
Astrophysics – A pure science
As I said, astrophysics is a pure science. If you ask any astrophysicist as to whether a particular theory found by him or her has an immediate application in daily life, he or she may say that there aren't any. However, the same thing can be told about many other subjects. I have added some references that will tell you about many subjects that fall into the category of being "useless" to the "practical" folks but are still pursued by thousands. Hence, it is not something that one must criticize astronomy with. No subject is useless. In the hand of the right person, the scope of any subject is limitless.
If you are willing to delve deep enough, you will know that astronomy is actually a field with a lot of practical applications. Of course the applications come indirectly and eventually but the impact is profound. Astronomy is a frontier research field. In order to do any kind of research in it, you need cutting edge technology. The study of astronomy thus pushes the limits of our current technology thereby contributing to the development of new and innovative methods in terms of instruments, processes and software to get things done. Therefore, pushing research in astronomy will push research in other fields when these technologies are used in the broader sense.
The benefits of astronomy comes from technology transfer i.e. by transferring the technology that was originally invented for astronomy into various applications in the industry. Some areas where we can see the fruits of research in astronomy are optics, electronics, advanced computing, communication satellites, solar panels and MRI Scanners. Even though it takes time before an application of a research in astrophysics finds its way into our daily life, the impact it eventually makes is worth the wait. Astronomy also has revolutionized our way of thinking by constantly giving us new ideas throughout history.
Let's now look at a few examples where the research in space sciences and technology is helping humans around the world:
MRI Scanner
Perhaps the most important application of astronomy for us would be its technology transfer to medicine. Both astronomy and medicine requires us to see objects with ever more precision and resolution in order be accurate and detailed in our analysis. The most notable among the applications is the method of aperture synthesis. It was developed by the radio astronomer Martin Ryle of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. His technology is now used in Computerized Tomography which is commonly called CT scan. It is also used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI and Positron Emission Tomography or PET in addition to other imaging methods.
The Cambridge Automatic Plate Measuring Facility has collaborated with a drug company whereby blood samples from leukemia patients can be analyzed much faster. This helps in better accuracy in medication. The method that is now used for non-invasive way to detect tumors was originally developed by radio astronomers. It helped increase the true-positive detection rate of breast cancer to 96%.
The heating control systems of neonatology units, i.e. units for newborn babies were initially developed as small thermal sensors to control telescope instrument. The low energy X-ray scanner used for outpatient surgery, sports injuries etc. was developed by NASA. It is also used by the Food and Drug Administration of USA to study the contamination in pills. The software that is used for processing satellite pictures is also helping medical researches to do wide scale screening of Alzheimer's disease.
The Earth System
Asteroid 2011 MD
Our planet is under the constant influence of the Sun and our climate depends on it greatly. Studying the dynamics of the sun and other stars thus help us have a better understanding of Earth's climate and its effects. Studying the solar system, especially asteroids tell us about the potential threats that they pose to the Earth. We do not want to be wiped out like the dinosaurs and studying potentially hazardous objects give us insights into how we can protect ourselves in time of a catastrophe. Even the recent passage of the asteroid 2011 MD dangerously close to Earth is a reminder that we should accelerate development of technologies to prevent an impact. Missions to asteroids also give us opportunities to test our technologies in future space exploration and also give insights into subjects such as geology. It is also important to do space exploration as part of our long term exploitation of space based resources.
Charge Coupled Device
In industry, there are many technology transfers that can be cited. For instance, the Kodak Technical Pan was a film originally developed to use in solar astronomy to record the changes on the surface structure of the Sun. It is now used by industrial photographers, medical and industrial spectroscopy specialists and industrial artists. Until recently, the Technical Pan was also used to detect diseased crops and forests, in dentistry and medical diagnosis. It was also used for probing layers of paintings to check for forgery.
The Charge Coupled Devices or CCDs were first used in astronomy in 1976 as sensors for astronomical image capture. This Nobel Prize winning discovery not only replaced film in telescopes but also in personal cameras and mobile phones.
IDL or Interactive Data Language is used for data analysis in astronomy. It is now also used by companies such as General Motors to analyze data from car crashes. This means that astronomy is contributing to research in vehicle safety.
IRAF or Image Reduction and Analysis Facility is a collection of software written by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. It is used by AT&T to analyze computer systems and to do graphics in solid-state physics.
GPS – Global Positioning System
Radio astronomy has given birth to excellent communication tools, devices and data processing methods. For example, the computer language FORTH was first developed in order to be used at the Kitt Peak Telescope. The founders of the language also created the company named Forth Inc. and the language is now being used widely by FedEx for their tracking services.
The satellites of Global Positioning System rely on distant astronomical objects such as quasars and other distant galaxies to determine accurate positions. So, next time you use GPS, remember the stars.
The most common everyday communication application of astronomy would be Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN. Astronomer John O'Sullivan in 1977 came up with a method to sharpen images from a radio telescope. It was later found to be useful in strengthening radio signals in computer networks thereby giving birth to WLAN.
Astronomy and the aerospace industry share many technologies that include telescope instrumentation, imaging and processing techniques for images. A defense satellite is basically a telescope that is pointed towards earth and thus use very identical technology and hardware to that of astronomy. The methods used to differentiate between rocket plumes and cosmic objects in stellar atmosphere models are similar as well. They are studied for use in early warning systems.
A device called solar-blind photon counter was once invented by astronomers to measure particles of light from a source without being overwhelmed by the particles from the Sun during the day. It is now used to detect the ultraviolet photons coming from the exhaust of a missile thereby aiding in UV missile warning system. It can also be used to detect toxic gases.
Solar Panels – A source of clean energy
The techniques developed to detect gravitational radiation produced by massive bodies in acceleration is used to determine the gravitational stability of underground oil reserves. That is a fantastic application in the energy industry.
The methods in astronomy can also be used for finding new fossil fuels in addition to evaluating the possibility of new renewable sources. Companies such as Texco and BP use IDL to do analysis of core samples around the oil fields. The graphic composite material that was initially developed for an orbiting telescope array is now being used by Ingenero in their solar radiation collectors.
The technology used in X-Ray telescopes to image X-Rays is now being researched for plasma fusion. If successful, it would lead to a boom in clean energy in future.
Education and International Collaboration
Astronomy in Schools
Astronomy is a great tool to stimulate young minds. If you want children to pursue careers in science and technology, astronomy can help a lot. It engages the minds of kids and helps them keep up to date with the happenings in the scientific world. This therefore affects not just astronomy but other subjects as well. Modern science is a more collaborative effort. And astronomy has been instrumental in bringing together many countries to collaborate on projects that require telescopes and other instruments located at multiple points in the world. Researchers travel around the world to work on these facilities. This brings in many other advantages such as cultural transfer as well.
From the examples I mentioned and countless other examples that you can find online, it is pretty clear that the study of the universe is very beneficial to humanity. There are many people around the world who are interested in the study of the universe but are thwarted by the pseudo-pragmatic folks who think the subject is useless. My suggestion to anyone who wishes to study the subject would be to not let others tell you how practical or impractical that subject is. If they do not like what you are doing, it is their problem, not yours. Half the people who advice you against the subject do not really know anything about its breadth and depth.
The Sextant – An ancient celestial navigation tool
As mentioned before, astronomy changes the way we think and look at this world. Even before writing was invented, humans have looked up at the sky to make decisions regarding when to plan the crops, how to keep track of the days and months or how to navigate the seas. Some of the greatest quests of human kind would not have been possible if methods to study the skies weren't invented. Where we came from and where we are going are deep philosophical questions that are yet to be answered. In my opinion, studying the cosmos using rigorous science is the only way to finally know the answer.
Before I end, I must thank astronomers Marissa Rosenberg and Pedro Russo and all the other eminent people whose insightful articles I have referred to create this write-up. I have added them as reference for anyone who wishes to read more about the advantages of investing their time and effort in studying astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and related areas, which are considered pure science without any immediate practical value by many.
My father often quotes the old saying, "People will come and go, but the institution remains." I would like to rephrase that and say, "People who oppose the study of our universe will come and go. But the universe will remain."
Aperture synthesis. (2014, Apr 22). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture_synthesis
Astronomy and the Modern World. (2011, Feb 17). Retrieved from Canadian Astronomy: http://www.castor2.ca/07_News/headline_110310.htmlz
Astrophysics. (2014, Apr 22). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophysics
CASU Astronomical Data Centre. (2001, Feb 1). Retrieved from Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit: http://casu.ast.cam.ac.uk/surveys-projects/adc
Gallagher, B. (2013, Apr 11). The 10 Most Worthless College Majors. Retrieved from Complex City Guide: http://www.complex.com/city-guide/2013/04/10-most-worthless-college-majors/
Hall, S. (2013, Nov 11). How Astronomy Benefits Society and Humankind. Retrieved from Universe Today: http://www.universetoday.com/106302/how-astronomy-benefits-society-and-humankind/
Loose, T. (2012, Jan 12). College Majors That Are Useless. Retrieved from Yahoo Education: http://education.yahoo.net/articles/most_useless_degrees.htm
Odenwald, S. (2001, Feb 1). Why is astronomy important in our lives? Retrieved from Astronomy Cafe: http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q1138.html
Rosenberg, M., Russo, P., Bladen, G., & Christensen, L. L. (2013). Astronomy in Everyday Life. Retrieved from International Astronomical Union: https://www.iau.org/public/themes/why_is_astronomy_important/
Rosenberg, M., Russo, P., Bladen, G., & Christensen, L. L. (2013, Nov 3). Why is Astronomy Important? Retrieved from Cornell University Library: http://arxiv.org/abs/1311.0508
Why is astronomy important? (2004, Aug 3). Retrieved from Clearly Explained: http://clearlyexplained.com/technology/science/astronomy/why-is-astronomy-important.html
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