Integrative graduate program in sustainable electric energy systems

The College of Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) created a novel electric energy Masters Program with APEC University (UNAPEC) in Santo Domingo structured using the sustainability philosophy. Initially a traditional graduate power systems program was proposed to fill this need. After mentoring and supervising many Dominican graduate students at UPRM, and using information obtained from meetings and visits to the Dominican Republic, the authors conducted a study of the current state of the country´s electric system. The main result is that the workforce challenge goes beyond traditional educational approaches, and a more holistic framework is needed in order to prepare Dominican engineers to face the socioeconomic challenges of the 21st Century. The program described in this paper addresses the Dominican energy problem from a technical perspective, but also considers and integrates social aspects of the problem. This constitutes a new paradigm in the professional development of power engineers in the Americas, by framing the program under the sustainability philosophy: a balance among the economic, social and environmental aspects of development.