About

To combat global warming and lessen dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels, the U.S. government has set a high priority on the development of new energy sources. Today, it dominates Michigan's industrial and technology landscape, and engineers are being asked to design renewable energy systems to power everything from vehicles to home heating and cooling systems. In 2004, WSU established the country's first master's degree program in alternative energy technology and has remained ahead of the curve with comprehensive curricula that prepare students to lead the evolution to a hydrogen-based economy.

At Wayne State's College of Engineering, you'll learn from nationally renowned faculty experts and benefit from our High Impact Practices of Student Success: team-based learning, global perspective, undergraduate research, internships and co-ops, and community service.

About

Wayne State University's College of Engineering was the first in the nation to launch an Alternative Energy Technology master's degree and certificate program in 2006.

Vision

To be a premier program in alternative energy research, education and outreach.

Mission statement

To educate and prepare the technical and scientific workforce for the emerging alternative energy technology.
To promote and mobilize/align available resources to develop interdisciplinary research programs.
To disseminate technical information and raise public awareness on the emerging alternative energy technology.

Program goals

Alternative Energy Technology (AET) will dominate Michigan's industrial and technology landscape for the coming decades, as evidenced by the tremendous amount of investment that the federal government, automotive industry and fuel cell manufacturers have committed to advancing a hydrogen-based economy. Wayne State developed a comprehensive set of advanced educational programs to prepare the current and future Michigan workforce for the emerging AET field.

WSU's comprehensive curricula not only prepares our full-time graduate and undergraduate students, but also caters to Michigan's working engineers and scientists, to advance their knowledge and skills for emerging careers in AET. Our ultimate goal is to position Michigan as a primary center for alternative energy education, curriculum research and development.

M.S. Alternative Energy Technology requirements

Learning outcomes

Apply mathematics, science and engineering concepts to identify and solve problems in electric-drive vehicle engineering and related general engineering areas.
Apply the methodologies, skills, and modern science and engineering tools in electric-drive vehicle engineering design and applications.
An ability to design sub-systems, components or processes for broadly defined electric-drive or alternative energy vehicle problems appropriate to program educational objectives.
An ability to identify, analyze and solve broadly defined electric-drive and alternative energy vehicle problems.

Admissions requirements

The Master of Science degree program is open to students with a bachelor's degree in engineering or in other mathematics-based sciences in exceptional cases. Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Wayne State Graduate School.

The GPA required to be considered for regular admission is to the M.S. program is 3.0 or above. Students with a GPA of 2.8 - 3.0 will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis if an applicant has significant relevant professional experience.
The GPA required for to be considered for regular admission to the graduate certificate program is 2.7 or above. Students with a GPA of 2.5 - 2.7 will be considered if an applicant has significant relevant professional experience.
The program will admit students with bachelor's degrees or the equivalent in engineering from an accredited college or university. Students with mathematics-based science degrees will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.
No other supplemental admission documents are needed. However, letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, professional resume/CV, and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are encouraged to aid the admission evaluation process.
All students who have earned degrees from a country where English is not the native language must demonstrate English proficiency via a qualified examination. Applicants must earn a minimum score of 79 from the internet-based TOEFL (iBT) or 550 from a paper-based TOEFL (pBT), an IELTS score of 6.5, or an overall Duolingo score of 125.
International applicants are required to submit an official course-by-course transcript evaluation. Accepted evaluation services include WES, ECE or SpanTran. Note that the official transcript evaluation must be transmitted directly from the evaluating agency to the WSU Office of Graduate Admissions. The transcript evaluation will serve as your official transcript.
Students in the AET graduate certificate program can advance to the M.S. via an internal process. No additional graduate admission application is required.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

International applicants must complete the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree, including all state and external/internal examinations required for the degree. Some three-year general degrees (from Canada, India, Pakistan, France, Lebanon, etc.) may not be equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. However, if you have completed an honors degree, additional undergraduate coursework beyond the three-year bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree, you may be considered for admission.

If you are applying to a master's program, your minimum undergraduate GPA must be 2.75 or its equivalent in upper division coursework. If you are applying to a doctoral program, your minimum undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or its equivalent in upper division coursework.

Submit your transcript(s)

To begin the application review, upload unofficial copies of English-translated international transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions from which you earned a bachelor's degree or higher, including Mark Sheets, if applicable. If you are admitted, you must submit an official course-by-course academic evaluation of your completed bachelor's degree.

Demonstrate English proficiency

Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate English proficiency by meeting the minimum requirements. You are required to submit an official qualifying score meeting minimum Graduate School requirements. Send official test scores to Wayne State University Graduate Admissions, using the school code 1898.

To begin the application review, upload an unofficial copy of your English proficiency test score(s). Once admitted, an official test score must be submitted to Graduate Admissions.

English Requirements

IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 80

Fee Information

Application Fee 50

How to Apply

You should apply as an international student if you are not a permanent resident or citizen of the United States. You should also apply under this status if you have graduated from a secondary institution and completed pre-university educational curricula in your own country.

International students can apply for 2023 using the undergraduate admission application.
If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, or if you are a U.S. Citizen living in Canada, apply for 2023 using the undergraduate admissions application.

Graduate students

Those interested in pursuing a graduate degree, visit the Graduate School website and apply.

Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions if you have questions about the application process.

Alternative energy technology program