A novel, international masters program to address the sustainable energy challenge

An education collaboration between the University of APEC (UNAPEC) in the Dominican Republic and the College of Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM) yielded a novel Masters Program completed by fifteen Dominican engineers using sustainable energy as focus. The authors proposed and executed this distance learning program with collaboration from Engineering and Social Sciences professors. The program addressed the Dominican energy problem from a technical perspective, but also considered and integrated social aspects of the problem. This education paradigm provided an integrated perspective of the local and regional energy dilemma needed to advance a sustainable energy future in countries with scarce traditional energy sources. After the courses were completed, each student presented a Masters project proposal. The proposals were reviewed by UPRM, UNAPEC faculty and in some instances by the supervisors of the students at the transmission company. All projects addressed a technical need existing in the Dominican power system. Each student defended the work before a panel composed of three to four UNAPEC faculty, and two to three UPRM faculty (using videoconference). Assessment results for the program reveal that program objectives were successfully attained.