Introducing electric power into a multidisciplinary curriculum for network industries

A qualitatively different graduate level curriculum for teaching electric power systems is needed. The motivation for such a new curriculum is outlined, and a specific program, now being implemented at Carnegie Mellon University, is described. The new curriculum: 1) provides students with a multidisciplinary introduction to the changing problems of the industry; 2) stresses the need for teaching systematic approaches to formulating power system problems; and 3) integrates teaching of the fundamentals for power systems with the fundamentals for other network industries. The program, referred to as the MS in Electric Power Systems (MSEPS) Program, is being developed as a special power-focused track within Carnegie Mellon's existing multidisciplinary Information Networking Institute (INI).