Energy is a fundamentally multidisciplinary topic. Transforming the world’s energy systems requires combining expertise from numerous fields in engineering and technology, natural and social science, and policy. A diversity of disciplinary perspectives is necessary to equip students to work in this complex, evolving field.

The Energy Studies Minor for undergraduates is an Institute-wide program that complements the deep expertise obtained in any major with a broad understanding of the interlinked realms of science, technology, and social sciences as they relate to energy and associated environmental challenges. The minor curriculum integrates these three domains in a thoroughly multidisciplinary program. A faculty oversight committee including representatives from all five Schools oversees the Energy Studies Minor program.

The Energy Studies curriculum has two components. The first is a core that provides an integrated perspective on energy and associated environmental challenges in three domains, each with a primary focus: Energy Science Foundations (fundamental laws and principles that govern energy sources, conversion, and uses), Social Science Foundations of Energy (social scientific perspectives and tools that explain human behavior in the energy context), and Energy Technology / Engineering in Context (the application of laws and principles to a specific energy context). The second component is a customized program of electives that is selected by each student in close consultation with Energy Minor faculty advisors.