Careers in Energy
Engineering in the energy sector is often interdisciplinary and can include aspects of many different traditional engineering disciplines. Energy engineers seek to address grand challenges related to energy that the world is facing today, such as: renewable energy/power generation, advanced energy storage technologies, green building design and energy efficiency, improved electric grid infrastructure, and more.
HCE Courses
The HCE program offers a variety of coursework in the energy area. These courses include:
- Advanced Foundations technical electives
- ENGR 3110 and ENGR3410 [4 credits] – Materials & Energy and Environmental Materials (Hoar, Salifu, Gaudette)
- ENGR 3112 [3] – Thermodynamics (Brace)
- ENGR 3113 [1] – Thermodynamics Laboratory (Brace)
- Technical electives
- ENGR4330 [3] – Green Building Design (Mohebbi)
- ENGR 4320 [4] – Quantitative Sustainable Design (Brace)
- More tech electives in development!
Job Titles
Below is a list of potential job titles related to careers in energy, showcasing the diverse career paths available in the field. Your job competitiveness depends not only on the degree earned but also on skills and hands-on experience. Students should pursue as many project experiences as possible through coursework, independent studies, or internships, to help deepen their knowledge in their areas of interest.
Architectural Engineer
Chemical Engineer
City Engineer
Civil Engineer
Civil Engineering Manager
Design Engineer
Electrical Engineer
Energy Analyst
Energy Auditor
Energy Efficiency Engineer
Energy Engineer
Energy Manager
Engineer
Fuel Cell Engineer
Green Building Engineer
Industrial Engineer
Mechanical Engineer
Nuclear Engineer
Power Engineer
Power Systems Engineer
Project Engineer
Project Manager
Public Works Engineer
Renewable Energy Engineer
Structural Engineer
Transportation Engineer
Utilities Engineer
Key Terms, Professional Organizations, and Companies
When you’re first looking for a job or internship in the energy space, it can be challenging to know where to start. The columns below highlight some of the key terms you can use when searching for opportunities, professional associations, and companies to start your search and networking. Note that professional opportunities for engineers in energy span private industry (e.g. engineering firms like the companies listed below), public organizations (municipalities and departments of energy), and non-profit organizations.
- Energy Engineering
- Energy systems engineering
- Power Utility
- Renewable energy
- Environmental consulting
- Energy consulting
- Solar engineer
- Wind energy
- Geothermal engineering
- Hydroelectric power
- Biofuels
- Clean hydrogen
- Fuel cells
- Chemical engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Mechanical engineering
- Sustainability engineering
- Climate engineering
- Energy efficiency engineer
- Smart grid
- Green building design
- Infrastructure engineer
- Nuclear engineering
- Association of Energy Engineers
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
- American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
- American Solar Energy Society (ASES)
- Society of Petroleum Engineers
- American Nuclear Society
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- Municipal/city/town energy offices
- National Labs (sometimes associated with grad school)
- GE
- National Grid
- Eversource
- Leidos
- Berkshire Hathaway
- NRG Energy
- LanzaTech
- Shell
- Carrier
- Honeywell
- AECOM
- Jacobs
- HDR
- Stantec
- Geosyntec
- Black and Veatch
- Burns & McDonnell
- CDM Smith
- Veolia
- Arcadia
- Xylem
- Exponent