Master's Degree in "Renewable energy systems: Design, development and optimization". Department of Mechanical Engineering of Technological Education. Faculty of Technological Applications. Technological Educational Institute of Central Macedonia.

Description

KNOWLEDGE
The postgraduate programme titled "Renewable energy systems: Design, development and optimization" of the Department of Mechanical Engineers of Technological Education provides a wide, analytical, and integrated scientific knowledge with regard to renewable energy sources and the systems for managing and using them, with specialisation on the mechanical design, the development - construction, and the improvement of the modules capturing and making use of the energy coming from environmentally-friendly sources, with the purpose of protecting the environment and the safety - to the extent possible - of energy supplies.
The design of the entire programme aims to allow the students, initially, acquire the core (but of advanced level) principles of the Science of Engineering, while later specialising the applications of these principles for the systems using renewable energy sources. In this way, the postgraduate students of our Department acquire a deep knowledge and understanding of the nature and specifications of these systems, of the method by which they are structured and operate, as well as of the surrounding area within which it is possible to develop and improve them.
Then, postgraduate students acquire a specialised knowledge on issues related to specific forms of renewable energy sources. The thematic fields covered by this postgraduate programme, apart from the purely mechanical core knowledge, such as, mechanical design and improvement, heat transmission, systems for energy conversion, etc., regarding the systems used for the exploitation of wind, solar, and geothermic energy, as well as energy coming from biomass, while there is an extensive review of the hydrogen technology, etc.

SKILLS:
Within the context of the above, postgraduate students develop and learn to use the following skills:
CRITICAL THINKING, ANALYSIS, AND SYNTHESIS: The students of the above postgraduate programme develop critical thinking, the ability to specify theoretical standards (models), evaluate and argue about the impact and the consequences of these models, while also acquiring the ability to analyse and synthesise the existing data in order to draw conclusions.

-- QUANTITATIVE SKILLS: Our postgraduate students can use quantitative models and arithmetic methods that are suitable for the improvement of the systems using renewable energy sources, analyse the existing data, and interpret results.

REFLECTION SKILL: Students are able to understand the role and the mission of the Mechanical Researcher, along with the role and their responsibility as future executives in companies engaged in renewable energy sources.

STRATEGIC THINKING: Our postgraduate students understand the importance and procedure of strategy in research, with regard to the selection of realistic objectives for the design and improvement of systems using renewable energy sources, the scheduling for their implementation and the monitoring of their implementation course.

PROFESSIONALISM: Students understand the need of acting academically, with consistency, respect, honesty, and based on moral standards.

COMPETENCES:
Within the context of the above, the students of the postgraduate programme titled "Design, development, and improvement of systems using renewable energy sources", of the Department of Mechanical Engineers of Technological Education develop and learn to use the following competences:

KNOWLEDGE APPLICATIONS: Our postgraduate students learn to put the knowledge they have acquired in practice, mainly through practice exercises, such as the arithmetic resolution of specific models.

RESOLUTION OF PROBLEMS AND TAKING OF DECISIONS: Students develop the competence of understanding, examining, specifying, formulating, and resolving mechanical problems related to renewable energy sources, and develop and evaluate alternative actions / choices.

COMMUNICATION: Postgraduate students develop a successful communication ability with regard to the oral, written and electronic speech (presentations of works - lectures).

USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY: Students show abilities of using this technology in arithmetic applications for the resolution of mechanical problems, with the use of specialised software (computational engineering, computational fluid dynamics, mechanical design and improvement, etc.).

TEAM WORK: Postgraduate students show the skill of effective work as members of a team.

ABILITY TO CONDUCT RESEARCH: Our students are capable of conducting research, autonomously or as members of a team.

In other words, the vision of this postgraduate programme is to provide students with solid foundations of knowledge and principles, which shall enable them to continuously learn and personally improve within a constantly changing work environment. It is estimated that this is the only method for closing the gap between the continuously increasing demands of domestic (and foreign) industry for specialisation and excellence on issues regarding renewable energy sources and the skills currently available in the labour market.

Further Information

The subject of this postgraduate programme is the production, promotion, and dissemination of knowledge and knowhow, operational tools and methodology, as well as of original (if possible) research results in the scientific field of Renewable Energy Sources, with emphasis on the design, the development, and the improvement of systems and the modules used for exploiting them.

The purpose of this Programme is the following:

The promotion of knowledge and the development of research in relevant, of first line of interest, scientific fields, regarding mechanical design, development - manufacture and improvement of systems and modules for capturing and making use of the energy coming from environmentally friendly sources, with the purpose of protecting the latter and the greatest - to the extent possible - safety of energy supplying.

The provision of the necessary quality knowledge about the development of specialised scientists, capable of undertaking the productive and administrative operations of organisations active in the production of energy from RES, which constitute the basic aspect of sustainable development.

The education of new scientists with the necessary knowledge, competences, and values, in order to effectively contribute to the protection of the climate through the promotion of the production of electrical energy using RES, something that is an environmental and energy priority of the utmost importance for our country (law 3851/2010).

The preparation of specialised executives with clear knowledge of the modern trends of the Mechanical Science and Technology, and the cultivation of analytical, interpretative and synthesising competences, in order for these executives to be able to develop innovative approaches and make use of opportunities and resolve problems in the field of energy.

The vision of this postgraduate programme is to provide students with solid foundations of knowledge and principles, which shall enable them to continuously learn and personally improve within a constantly changing work environment. It is estimated that this is the only method for closing the gap between the continuously increasing demands of domestic (and foreign) industry for specialisation and excellence on issues regarding renewable energy sources and the skills currently available in the labour market.

The curriculum, and the various teaching subjects of the Postgraduate Programme titled "Design, development, and improvement of systems using renewable energy sources" refer to the following:
- Applied Thermodynamics
- Science and Technology of Advanced Materials
- Calculating Engineering
- Economics for Mechanical Engineers - Budget Analysis
- Special subjects of Heat Transmission
- Mechanical Design and Improvement
- Calculating Fluid Dynamics
- Systems of Energy Conversion
- Systems using Wind Energy
- Systems using Solar Energy
- Systems using Geothermic Energy
- Systems using Biomass Energy
- Hydrogen Technology and Applications

Relation To Employment

Holders of qualifications that belong to this type may work either as self-employed or in positions of responsibility in companies and organizations in the private or in the public sector.

Transitions

Access to this type of qualification have those who hold a Bachelor Degree (level 6). The selection of graduate students is mainly based on the following criteria: the overall grade of the Bachelor Degree, the grades in undergraduate courses that are relevant with the subjects of the Master’s program, the performance in thesis, where is foreseen at the undergraduate level and any research activity of the candidate. The detailed application of the above mentioned criteria, the definition of additional criteria or the conducting of examinations and interviews, the results of which are taken into account in the selection, are determined by decision of the relevant Department.
Holders of such qualifications gain access to study programmes at the same level or at level 8.

Ways To Aquire

Qualifications of this type are acquired via formal education.