Energy Degree Programs

This certificate program provides Duke undergraduates with an understanding of the breadth of issues that confront our society in its need for clean, affordable and reliable energy. The goal of the Certificate is to develop innovative thinkers and leaders who understand the energy system as a whole and the important interconnections among policy, markets, technology and the environment. An expertise in energy will expand career options in the private, non-profit, government and academic sectors. Offered by the Pratt School of Engineering and Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.

The Minor in Energy Engineering offers Pratt undergraduates rigorous exposure to fundamentals of energy engineering and an opportunity to make a difference in some of the defining challenges of our time. Graduates will be well-prepared for careers focused on engineering solutions to energy-related issues, including energy generation, delivery, conversion and efficiency.

MEM students can concentrate in Energy and Environment as part of this professional degree program designed to provide students with the complex problem-solving skills and depth of knowledge necessary to effectively address global environmental challenges. Students who pursue the Energy and Environment program area will be well prepared for positions in the corporate, government and non-government sectors.

An MBA concentration in Energy and Environment gives students an understanding of how energy and environmental (E&E) issues affect business, what tools exist for analyzing E&E problems, and which strategies businesses can use to succeed in an economy in which E&E issues are increasingly important.

The Duke MBA concentration in Energy Finance enables students to dive deeper into issues of project finance, markets and trading, corporate finance and risk management, with grounding in the specifics of global energy markets. Students pursuing this concentration take advanced finance courses as well as classes in energy fundamentals.

This interdisciplinary program prepares engineering and science graduates to become future industry leaders, and is administered with the support of the Fuqua School of Business and School of Law. The Master of Engineering Management combines a core management curriculum with a master's level technical education, an internship, and an intensive seminar and workshop series.

A non-thesis graduate program providing training with a real-world focus involving a broad understanding of business, leadership, communication, and innovation. Students take full advantage of Duke as a research institution and graduates are ready to tackle industry challenges in fields of project design, product development, and engineering design.

MPP students can pursue a specialization in Environment and Energy in this professional program, which prepares students for careers as analysts, managers and leaders in various levels of government, non-profit organizations, and corporations in domestic and international locations. The MPP has a policy-focused curriculum emphasizing the tools and methods of rigorous analysis while also offering courses in ethics, management, and leadership to round out development of essential skills.

Currently one of the strongest groups on environmental law in the country, Duke Law offers courses on U.S. and international environmental law, energy law, climate change law, and related topics. Duke is the only top school in the country that allows students to earn both a law degree and a master's degree in three years. This dual degree program allows for maximum flexibility by encouraging students to chart a course of specialized study.

Students enrolling in professional programs have the opportunity to seek concurrent degrees with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business (MBA), the Pratt School of Engineering (MEMP), the Nicholas School of the Environment (MEM), the School of Law (JD), and the Sanford School of Public Policy (MPP). To be considered for concurrent degrees, students apply to both programs in separate applications. Students enrolled in the concurrent programs may work toward both degrees simultaneously, reducing total tuition and time in residence.

The first Ph.D. program in the world jointly coordinated by a school of the environment and a school of public policy. UPEP offers doctoral students the opportunity to conduct research leveraging the breadth of expertise across two world-class academic and research institutions, in coordination with the Departments of Economics and Political Science.

A comprehensive list of Ph.D. programs is offered by The Graduate School. While graduate students with an interest in energy could be found in almost any of Duke’s doctoral programs, greater concentrations of energy-related research can be found at the Nicholas School of the Environment, the Pratt School of Engineering, and the Sanford School of Public Policy.