Urban, Energy and Environmental Planning, Master

The global demand for sustainable energy, combined heat and power, and higher energy efficiency is growing rapidly. Utilities, local communities, and governmental authorities all over the world face new challenges in planning and implementing these technologies on local, national and international scales.

As a Sustainable Energy Planning and Management student at Aalborg University you learn to understand these issues. The broad knowledge you build within engineering, economics, and management prepares you for a leading role on the future energy market. Our aim is to give you a comprehensive understanding of the technological, institutional, and economic issues and methods related to energy planning and sustainable development. You acquire not only theoretical and methodological knowledge but also the practical ability to apply your knowledge to particular cases.

1^st Semester: Sustainable Energy Planning in a Technical
and Business Economic Perspective

The first semester focuses on specific projects and energy technologies from a business-economic point of view. You will be introduced to theories, methods, and tools for evaluating energy projects in various corporate contexts.

1^ST SEMESTER COURSES

• Theories of Science and Research Designs (5 ECTS)
• Energy Project Evaluation (5 ECTS)
• Energy System Analysis 1 (5 ECTS)

Project: Sustainable Energy Planning in a Technical and Business Economic Perspective (15 ECTS)

2^nd Semester: Sustainable Energy Planning in an Institutional and Societal Perspective

The second semester focuses on entire energy systems, including institutional and societal perspectives. You will be introduced to theories, methods, and tools for evaluating energy systems and energy policies.

2^nd semester courses

• The Socio-Technical Context of Planning (5 ECTS)
• Sustainable Energy Policies (5 ECTS)
• Energy System Analysis 2 (5 ECTS)

Project: Sustainable Energy Planning in an Institutional and Societal Perspective (15 ECTS)

3^RD SEMESTER: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

INTERNSHIP, STUDY ABROAD OR “PROLONGED PROJECT PERIOD”

The student can choose between one of the listed items:

1. Professional Development

• This semester will provide you with the option of applying the theoretical and methodological knowledge gained during the 1^st and 2^nd semesters into practice in real life situations in Denmark or abroad. This could take form as a internship within a private planning consultancy firm, a public planning department or a private NGO.
  or
• A student who has followed one 1st semester under the Urban, Energy and Environmental Planning master’s programme may choose to follow another 1st semester under UEEP or Geography. In that case the student follows the course and project modules at this semester and acquires the knowledge, skills and competencies which are stated in the curriculum for the concerning semester. A 5 ECTS assignment must be prepared as replacement for the course module “Theories of Science and Research Designs” to meet the 30 ECTS semester load.
  or
• An alternative option is to enrol at another (Danish or foreign) university in order to undertake a semester’s study there.
  or

2. Prolonged Master's Thesis

• Finally there is an option for adding the 3^rd and the 4^th semester into a ‘prolonged project period’, if for instance the research question demands more time and energy for collecting data or conducting field studies.

4^th Semester: Master's Thesis 

On the final semester, the main focus is on the writing of the Master's Thesis. You work individually or in a small group with other students, and in co-operation with your supervisor. The Master's Thesis, being the highest level of work undertaken, should aim at synthesising theories and methods in order to design a potential solution to real life sustainable energy planning and management problems.

The 4^th semester may be combined with the 3^rd semester to form an extended thesis. This is particularly relevant if, for instance, your research question demands more time for collecting data or conducting field studies. This option is not recommended for students without extensive experience in working on projects.

The study method at AAU is called Problem Based Learning (PBL). Together with your fellow students you will work with real life problems by way of problem based project work.
 

learn more about Pbl at aau