Energy and environmental economics core course sequence for an interdisciplinary engineering science doctoral program

An innovative feature of the Energy & Environmental Ph.D. Program at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University is a two course sequence in energy and environmental economics. The objective of these core courses is to provide engineering science doctoral students with economics tools that they can use in their dissertations and throughout their careers in analyzing new energy and environmental technologies. The first course, Theory and Practice of Energy and Environmental Economic Policy Analysis, provides the economic framework necessary for analyzing energy and environmental issues. Microeconomic and macroeconomic principles and analytical techniques relevant to the analysis of energy markets and environmental protection are covered. Current energy and environmental regulatory systems at the state, national, and international levels are presented. The second course, Application of Energy and Environmental Economic Policy Analysis, provides the quantitative economic techniques necessary for analyzing energy and environmental projects and issues. The course covers engineering economics techniques for energy project valuation and econometric techniques used in forecasting the supply of and the demand for energy and environmental services. Presented herein are details of the content and methods utilized in the courses and student feedback on them. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2008.