MS in Energy Systems Management
San Francisco, USA
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 29,880 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for living on campus and living in off-campus housing
Key Summary
Introduction
Climate change is driving a dramatic transition in global energy systems, which requires switching to clean energy sources while continuing to power economies affordably and reliably. Come to USF and learn how to decarbonize electric grids, electrify transportation, and make industry and buildings more efficient. Come learn about the existing energy system and the technologies, markets, and policies required to transform it.
The M.S. in Energy Systems Management program brings together diverse and highly motivated students from various academic and professional backgrounds, both U.S. and international. The two-year course of study meets the needs of both full-time students and working professionals, with classes held on weekday evenings at USF's downtown San Francisco campus.
Globally recognized energy experts designed our unique curriculum which is frequently updated to reflect the latest developments in the field. A step-by-step sequence of rigorous but highly rewarding courses builds a multi-disciplinary foundation while developing top-notch professional skills. The coursework is organized into three areas: energy science and technology, energy business and finance, and energy policy and regulation.
Admissions
Curriculum
Environmental Impacts
The energy transition is being driven primarily by the need to reduce its impact on the environment, including on earth’s climate, air and water quality, land use, biogeochemical cycles, and biodiversity. Learn to quantitatively model these problems based on the scientific principles that underlie the energy field.
Energy Technologies
Learn about conventional and emerging energy technologies including wind, solar, energy storage, fossil and alternative fuels, nuclear power, electricity generation, building energy, and transportation. Develop scientific energy analysis methods and data-acquisition skills by doing weekly problem sets.
Electricity Systems
Dive deeply into the planning and operation of electric power systems, including the history, economics, and regulation of electric utilities, grid engineering principles, and the fundamentals of generation, transmission, and distribution. Understand what will be needed to make an electricity system with very high levels of intermittent wind and solar generation reliable and affordable.
Microgrids
Microgrids are a fast-growing technology that provides both basic energy needs in developing countries and makes power grids more climate resilient. Learn how microgrids are designed, financed, and delivered, including hands-on experience with small stand-alone systems.
Energy Modeling
Learn energy modeling methods including Excel tools, Python scripts, optimization, load forecasting, production simulation, and capacity expansion. Apply them to problems ranging from vehicle electrification and wind turbine power curves to microgrid design and utility resource planning.
GIS for Renewable Energy
Learn the principles of GIS (geographic information systems) and their application to the planning of wind and solar farms and transmission lines. GIS is a key emerging technology for building low-carbon infrastructure while protecting ecosystems.
Energy Economics
Develop a foundation in economic analysis methods, economic history, and ecological economics. Learn how to apply these to electricity production and use, market scheduling and load balancing, demand-side consumer choice, environmental policy, and the problem of externalities.
Renewable Energy Finance
Dive into the financial aspects of renewable energy in both front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter applications. Learn about solar power project development, power purchase agreements, pricing project risk, federal and state tax incentives, evaluation of bids, book accounting, and tax equity.
Capital Markets and the Energy Sector
Become familiar with corporate finance issues in the energy sector. Learn how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk factors differ across the industry, and develop an analytical framework to assess impacts on financial statements and valuation.
Energy Policy
Learn about U.S. and California energy policy, with a focus on decarbonization and the electricity sector. Study the policy frameworks underlying renewable energy development, vehicle and building electrification, distributed energy resources, and energy efficiency.
Energy Law
Learn the principles of energy law, focusing on the regulated electricity and natural gas industries. Understand the relationship of law to regulation, different regulatory systems, cost-of-service ratemaking, market-based rates, industry deregulation, and renewable energy case law.
Energy Industry Strategies
Learn corporate strategies related to the deployment of advanced technologies, changes in market structures, and customer choice. Discover how these strategies affect the organizational decisions of the key actors including utilities, technology companies, regulatory agencies, and advocacy organizations.
Energy Research
Take a deep dive into topics of interest to you in class projects, internships, and your master's project, drawing from faculty and industry expertise. Learn how to scope a problem, acquire data, do a scientific analysis, make figures, display, and present results, and write a research paper.
Integrated Resource Planning
Develop a long-term integrated resource plan (IRP) for an electric utility of your choice. IRPs include load forecasts, impacts of vehicle and building electrification, load and resource tables, capacity expansion modeling, production cost modeling, and impacts on emissions, revenue requirements, and rates.
Required Courses (26 units)
- ENGY 604 - Renewable Energy Economics
- ENGY 610 - Quantitative Methods
- ENGY 612 - Energy Technologies
- ENGY 624 - Energy Industry Strategy
- ENGY 625 - Energy Policy
- ENGY 627 - Renewable Energy Finance
- ENGY 630 - Electricity Systems
- ENGY 640 - Energy Practicum
- LAW 739 - Energy Law
Capstone or Masters Group Project (2-6 units)
- ENGY 690 - IRP Group Project Or
- ENGY 699 - Capstone Project
Elective Courses (2-6 units)
Choose 2-6 units from the following:
- ENGY 644 - Energy Modeling
- ENGY 680 - Special Topics
- ENGY 697 - Energy Internship
- ENGY 698 - Directed Study
- ENVM 603 - Quantitative Methods
- ENVM 609 - Environmental Law
- ENVM 610 - Environmental Law II
- ENVM 614 - Environmental Economics I
- ENVM 662 - Energy Auditing
- ENVM 663 - Sustainable Design
- ENVM 665 - Climate Science
- ENVM 667 - Climate Change Mitigation
- ENVM 668 - Urban Resilience in Climate Change
- ENVM 673 - Accelerated Intro to GIS
- LAW 742 - Environmental Law
- MBA 6000 - Leadership Communication
- MBA 6001 - Business Analytics
- MBA 6520 - Predictive Analytics
- MBA 6525 - Big Data Strategy and Visualization
- MBA 6551 - Advanced Spreadsheet Analytics
- MSEI 501 - Creativity, Innovation, and Applied Design
- MSEI 504 - Entrepreneurial Finance & Accounting
- PA 732 - Public Policy Analysis & Implementation
- PC 680 - Graduate Program Writing
Program Outcome
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
- Analyze complex energy challenges from the technological, environmental, economic, and societal perspectives, with an appreciation for their historical and institutional contexts
- Demonstrate a problem-solving mindset and correctly apply an interdisciplinary toolkit including relevant methods of science, engineering, business, and policy.
- Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, on a wide range of energy topics.
- Formulate effective strategies to lead the transition toward a more just, sustainable, and climate-friendly energy system.
Scholarships and Funding
The MSCS program offers a limited number of merit-based scholarships to incoming and current graduate students, both domestic and international, on a competitive basis.
MSCS Admission Scholarship
Awarded to incoming MSCS applicants with outstanding applications from all backgrounds. Approximate awards range up to $5k over the first year of study.
MSCS Merit Scholarship
Awarded to incoming MSCS applicants with outstanding applications from all backgrounds, or current MSCS graduate students who demonstrate outstanding skills and leadership. Approximate awards range from $5–10k over one to two semesters.
The Dean's Scholarship
An award of up to $15,000 to use toward tuition, research, and conference travel. Connect with other Dean's Scholarship recipients and leaders across the College of Arts & Sciences. Serve as a program representative to USF donor initiatives to help transform the lives of other USF students. For more information please see the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Scholarships website.
Double Dons Scholarship
USF Alumni and current students can be awarded the USF Double Dons Scholarship upon admission. The scholarship covers 20% of the program tuition, and may not be stacked with other USF scholarship awards. Exceptions may apply.
Career Opportunities
The epicenter of energy sector transformation is the San Francisco Bay Area, where clean-tech innovation, information technology, and public support have come together to create new pathways to a clean energy future. Dynamic companies, responsible government agencies, venture capital, and dedicated non-profits all contribute to a booming new energy sector in which each day seems to pose new questions and provide new answers.
Employers
A selection of companies and organizations that have hired recent graduates.
- Amazon
- American Microgrid Solutions
- Burns & McDonnell
- California Energy Commission
- California Public Utilities Commission
- E3
- Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
- Hawaiian Electric
- Honda Motor Company
- ICF
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Marin Clean Energy
- NextEra Energy Resources
- PG&E
- PWC
- Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
- Sandia National Laboratories
- SunRun
- Tesla