Master's Programme in Wind Power Project Management

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. You are introduced to the different aspects of these themes at the beginning of the programme. As the programme is thematic, you often study several aspects of wind power project development and management together.

Year 1

The first autumn semester starts with a course in Wind Power Development and Management, which 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 of 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.

Year 2

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 do 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 of 30 credits, or continue with the extended thesis project of 45 credits. In the thesis work, you can explore the topics that are most relevant for you. If you wish to do an internship, you can conduct an industrial thesis with a company.

Courses within the programme

See the programme outline for courses within the programme.

The teaching of the Master's Programme in Wind Power Project Management is a combination of students' active participation and the supervision of experienced lecturers. Because most of the learning activities are based on group work and projects at an intense study pace, you must take an active role throughout the programme. Your teachers welcome additional enquiries outside the lecture time.

The teaching methods include lectures, seminars, group and project assignments, case studies, role-plays, study visits, computational labs and individual work.

The courses have a variety of examination forms such as role plays, oral presentations, written reports and oral and written exams.

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. During field visits to operational wind farms, you will learn 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. You will conduct realistic wind farm planning analyses while learning industry-standard software.

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.

The programme is taught full-time, in English, at Campus Gotland.

There is rapid development in the field of wind power, therefore the labour market is very promising for our graduates who often find jobs within three months of graduation.

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
  

See interviews with our former students on our Instagram account wppm.uu.

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. 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.

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.