Master's Programme in Wind Power Project Management
Academic year 2023/2024
- 120 credits
- Autumn 2023, Visby, 100%, Campus
- Programme syllabus and outline
This two-year Master's programme in Wind Power Project Management at one of the world's top-ranked universities combines management and technology as well as natural and social sciences. It prepares you for a promising career in the global wind power industry. Wind power is developing rapidly globally, seeking to meet energy needs as well as to achieve low-carbon economic and environmental goals. There is a strong demand for highly qualified professionals with different backgrounds to lead interdisciplinary wind power projects.
This programme is held at our campus on the island of Gotland, located in the Baltic Sea between the mainland of Sweden and the Baltic States.
Why this programme?
Producing electrical power using renewable energy sources, such as water, solar, and wind power, is essential in reducing carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Wind power has increased its share of Sweden's electricity from 2.4% in 2010 to 17.6% in 2021. The rapid development will continue and by 2040 all of Sweden's electricity will come from renewable sources. Similar goals and developments can be observed in several European countries and many parts of the world. Therefore, there is a strong demand for highly qualified professionals with different backgrounds to lead interdisciplinary wind power projects.
This two-year Master's Programme in Wind Power Project Management emphasises the application and absorption of knowledge through frequent guest lectures provided by industry and academic experts, using state-of-the-art simulation and planning methods as well as site visits to wind farms and wind turbines. These experiences will increase your attractiveness in the job market and prepare you for a career in the wind power industry.
Critical thinking and oral and written communication skills are equally crucial for professional competence and these will be integral components of your curriculum. You will develop and practice these skills throughout the programme and they will be put to good use in your thesis work, where you will conduct independent research.
During your studies, you will meet industry representatives, researchers, and experts from various academic fields essential to wind power development. This enables you to establish relationships with potential future employers and build a broad network of contacts for later career development.
During the programme you can expect to:
- learn planning, project development and management of wind farm projects,
- have close collaboration with industry representatives and researchers,
- combine technology and management from the perspectives of both natural and social sciences,
- specialise within a field of wind energy of your interest,
- prepare for a career in the global wind industry or further PhD studies,
- collaborate with students and teachers from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds.
Student profile
You have a Bachelor's Degree in social science, natural science or engineering and have an interest in sustainability, wind power or renewable energy projects. You want an educational experience that will sharpen your presentation skills and you seek an opportunity to apply your knowledge in realistic, practical cases. A future PhD education is a possibility you might have thought about, but working right after graduation is also something you are considering.
Degree
The programme leads to a Master of Science (120 credits) with Wind Power Project Management as the main field of study.
Name: Tamara Oshkaderova
Studied: Master’s Programme in Wind Power Project Management, study years 2018-2020 at Campus Gotland
How did you choose your programme?
I was choosing a programme from a list of programmes eligible for the Swedish Institute’s Visby Programme Scholarship for Master’s level studies. I had studied the energy complex of Scandinavia a little bit in my Bachelor’s studies and have been interested in renewables ever since. I didn’t receive that scholarship in the end, but I got another one directly from Uppsala University, which covers my tuition fee.
What is it like to be an international student?
An opportunity to live in a different culture, meet people from all over the world and discover new things every single day.
What is the best thing about studying at Uppsala University?
High level of education, comfortable study environment, great reputation and scholarship opportunities.
How did you experience your first few days in Sweden?
I had a mild cultural shock. Everything was very different and much more expensive in comparison to my home country. On the other hand, I could already speak Swedish when I came here, so my adjustment to the new environment went much smoother than for the others.
What’s a normal day like for you?
I have classes, stay at the campus to work on my assignments and/or have a study group meeting. Then, I usually take a walk along the sea or through the Visby old town before going home or meeting up with my friends.
What’s unique about your programme?
This is the only internationally recognised wind power programme, which focuses on project management. Other universities offer more technical education, usually available only to engineers. This programme at Uppsala University is more open and welcomes people from various backgrounds, since the industry needs a vast range of competences and experiences for its further development. In addition to this, the programme coordinators organise many guest lectures with the actual actors in the wind power industry for us to acquire practical knowledge in addition to theory. Oh, and not to mention our amazing field trips to wind parks and climbing a turbine!
How would you describe the relationship between you and your teachers at the university?
All the teachers in my department are highly professional, approachable, friendly and very open. They always listen to the students’ feedback in order to improve the courses and the programme in general.
How is your student life and what is your best experience so far?
The best part for me is the combination of comfortable study environment and vibrant student life in a mesmerising setting of stunningly beautiful Visby.
What is your reason for studying and your ultimate goal?
Learning as much as I can about wind power in order to enter the industry and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Autumn 2020
Programme
The Master's Programme in Wind Power Project Management is a multidisciplinary programme organised into themes around the planning, project development, and management of wind farms. Different aspects of these subjects are addressed at the beginning of the programme. As the programme is thematic, you often study several aspects of wind power project development and management together.
The first autumn semester starts with a course in Wind Power Development and Management that provides the basic knowledge and skills in the field. It is followed by the courses Wind Resource Assessment, Planning for Wind Energy, and Wind Turbine Technology. These courses provide in-depth knowledge on meteorology, planning and permitting, wind resource assessment, environmental impact assessment, turbine technology, and stakeholder management.
In the spring semester, you will learn about the integration of wind power into the electrical grid. The knowledge gained in the previous courses will be applied to a project when you conduct a feasibility study. The semester concludes with the courses Scientific Methods in Wind Power Project Management, and Trends in the Wind Industry, which give you the tools for scientific research and knowledge about the current challenges and state-of-the-art solutions in the wind industry.
You will start the third semester with in-depth courses such as Wind Project Management and Financing, Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Wind Farms.
In the second half of the semester, you can choose one of five elective courses with specialisations in Wind Power Project Management, Planning for Wind Energy, Wind Resource Assessment (which requires previous knowledge of physics, mechanics or meteorology, or a related field), Wind Energy Technology (requires a Bachelor's degree in engineering), and Decision Analysis of Wind Power Development.
It is also possible to have an exchange semester at another university or to start an extended thesis project of 45 credits.
In the final semester, you will conduct an individual research project for your degree thesis (30 credits) or continue with the extended thesis project of 45 credits. If you wish to do an internship, you can conduct an industrial thesis at a company.
Courses within the programme
See the outline for courses within the programme.
Learning experience
The teaching of the Master's Programme in Wind Power Project Management is a combination of students' active participation and supervision of experienced lecturers. The teaching methods include lectures, seminars, group and project assignments, case studies, role-plays, study visits, computational labs and individual work. Since most of the learning activities are based on group work and projects, and the intense study pace, it is essential that you take an active role throughout the programme.
The exercises are designed to emulate the real-world work in the wind power industry, including negotiation exercises, organising and holding stakeholder meetings, wind power project development simulation and steering committee meetings, etc. In project work, you can explore topics relevant to your background.
On-field trips, you will visit operating wind farms. You will learn on-site about the wind farm's construction from the project manager in charge of its development. You will be given the chance to perform a roughness analysis around turbines and climb a wind turbine to see first-hand the components that comprise an operational wind turbine.
We will have many guest lecturers from the industry, some of which are our former students. The guest lecturers will also provide you with insights into the role of a project manager and discuss the knowledge they find particularly important in their professional lives.
Students in the class are from various countries and have different backgrounds, which creates a welcoming and international study environment. It also contributes to the diversity of the class making it a truly vibrant forum for discussions. You are also always welcome to approach your teachers with questions and enquiries outside the lecture time.
You will learn industry-specific software such as windPRO and the modelling software WASP. You will apply the knowledge you gain in a wind power project development case. You can also learn other relevant software, depending on your interest.
The programme is taught full-time, in English, at Campus Gotland. You are expected to be based in the city of Visby on the island of Gotland throughout your studies, except for your thesis project if you choose to do it somewhere else.
Career
There is rapid development in the field of wind power, because of the cost reductions in technology and the increased motivation to move towards greater sustainability since the Paris Agreement in 2015. Therefore, the labour market in the field is promising. We see increasing demand worldwide for well-trained professionals in the wind energy industry; project planners, service technicians, operations analysts, etc.
This Master's programme prepares you for global management positions or further PhD studies across the wide spectrum of the wind energy industry. You could be working for wind power development companies, companies operating wind farms, consulting firms, local and national governments, component manufacturing and supply chain companies, research institutions or other organisations working with renewable energy and/or environmental issues. Your professional career may also be in scientific or technical research and development, as a scientific or technical advisor, consultant, or project leader.
Some of the positions held by our alumni are:
- Project Manager
- Senior Project Manager
- Renewable Energy Consultant
- Wind Resource Analyst
- PhD Student
- Environmental Administrator
- Technical Planner Wind Energy
- Site Manager
- Concept & Layout Engineer
- Lead Turbine Suitability and Site Optimisation Engineer
- Operation & Maintenance and Construction Engineer
- Market Lead
- Fields Operations & Improvement Leader
- Senior Technical Project Lead
- Director of Wind Operations Technology
- Business Development Manager
- Research & Development Engineer
- Lecturer
- Graduate Researcher
The combination of in-depth knowledge gained in the programme and practical skills gained in your thesis project will make you an attractive candidate in the labour market, both in academia and in the industry. Our graduates often find themselves highly sought after in the global labour market.
You will graduate from the programme with demonstrable knowledge relevant to wind farm project development and management, and a wide network of contacts. This is a powerful combination and the demand for this type of expertise in the labour market is expected to increase.
See statistics about our alumni's employment and read interviews with our former students.
Career support
During your time as a student, UU Careers offers support and guidance. You have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities and events that will prepare you for your future career. Learn more about UU Careers.
Admissions
Below you will find details about eligibility requirements, selection criteria and tuition fees. For information on how to apply and what general documents you need to submit, check the application guide. Besides the general supporting documents, you also need to submit one programme-specific document: a statement of purpose (1 page).
Master's Programme in Wind Power Project Management
120 credits
Autumn 2023, 100%, Campus
Location: Visby
Application deadline: 16 January 2023
Application code: UU-M1870 Application
Language of instruction: English
Requirements:
Academic requirements
A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. The main field of study must be within engineering, science or social science.
Language requirements
Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6. This requirement can be met either by achieving the required score on an internationally recognised test, or by previous upper secondary or university studies in some countries. Detailed instructions on how to provide evidence of your English proficiency are available at universityadmissions.se.
Selection: Students are selected based on:
- an overall appraisal of previous university studies; and
- a statement of purpose.
Fees:
If you are not a citizen of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country, or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees. Fees cover application and tuition only and do not cover accommodation, academic literature or the general cost of living. Read more about fees.
Application fee: SEK 900
Tuition fee, first semester: SEK 72,500
Tuition fee, total: SEK 290,000
Contact and further resources
Is this programme right for you?
- Photo gallery with pictures from the courses in the programme.
- See what our students have been up to in the programme
Contact
For programme-specific questions, please contact:
Programme Director Liselotte Aldén: +46 498 10 83 64, WhatsApp: +46 732 70 37 24
For admissions-related or general information, please contact our applicant support team:
www.uu.se/education