he Renewable Energy undergraduate major is a broad-based program addressing the social, economic, and technical issues that graduates will encounter in the emerging field of renewable energy.

Students will be able to choose between two tracks – a technology track or an economics/public policy track. Graduates will be prepared for jobs in the fields of biofuels, wind and solar energy, or regulatory and governmental agencies.

All majors at Illinois State are built upon a General Education foundation that equips students with communication and critical thinking skills in the context of a global perspective. The Renewable Energy Major is housed in the Department of Technology.

Core Courses: Required by both sequences

AGR 225: Renewable Energy and Agriculture
Explores the relationships between renewable energy and agriculture with emphasis on biofuels, wind energy and hydropower.
ECO 105 Principles of Economics
Supply and demand in product and resource markets, international trade, determination of GDP, employment, inflation and economic growth
ECO 138 Economic Reasoning Using Statistics
Introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics with applications in economics. Includes the use of statistical software package on laboratory computers.
ECO 236 Economics of Energy and Public Policy
Economic analysis of the production, distribution and use of energy with special emphasis on alternative and renewable energy sources.
ECO 239 Managerial Economics
Theoretical and applied study of demand, cost, and production related to the theory of the firm. Developments of current interest; empirical studies intended to affirm or disaffirm applicability of economic principles
GEO 211 Earth’s Dynamic Weather
Dynamic aspects of weather and climate from global to local scales with emphasis on how we gather, analyze, and understand weather information.
HSC 156 Environmental Health in the 21st Century: Meeting the Global Challenge
Application of scientific methods of inquiry to understand environmental problems as they affect public health and personal well-being.
MAT 120 Finite Mathematics
Linear functions, matrices, systems of linear equations, sets and counting, probability, statistics, and mathematics of finance.

PHY 105 Fundamentals of Physics
Concepts and principles of mechanics, heat, wave motion, electricity, magnetism, and light. Applications to everyday life.
PHY 207 Energy and Society
Scientific, technological, environmental, economic, health, ethical, and political aspects of energy production and use, from fossil and nuclear fuels to renewable energy sources.
PSY 131 Social Psychology
Scientific study of ways individuals think, feel, and behave in a group setting; research methods, attitudes, social cognition, and interpersonal relations.
TEC 111 Fundamentals Of Power Technology
Principles of electrical, electronic, mechanical, and fluid power components and systems as they apply to industrial applications.
TEC 160 Introduction to Renewable Energy Systems
An exploration of the technologies of renewable energy, emphasizing physical principles and practical applications of wind, solar, and biomass.
TEC 270 Managing Technological Systems
Principles, practices and methods used to plan, organize, lead, and control technological systems.
TEC 320 Project Management
Fundamentals of project management emphasizing planning techniques to meet stakeholder expectations regarding project scope, time, cost, and quality.
TEC 360 Renewable Energy Capstone
A synthesis of the skills and knowledge acquired in the RE major coursework with final project in economic/technology track.

Economics and Public Policy Sequence required courses

AGR 203 Agriculture and the Environment
Examination of contemporary environmental issues that are strongly linked to current and past agricultural practices.
ECO 255 Introduction To Environmental And Natural Resource Economics
Overview of natural resource and environmental economics. Topics include management of renewable and nonrenewable resources and the economically efficient approach to pollution control.
ECO 335 Economics of Regulation and Antitrust
The origins, aims, methods, and effects of economic regulation and antitrust, with an emphasis on case studies.

GEO 205 Living In The Environment
The human impact on the natural environment. Emphasizes soil, wildlife, forest, mineral and fuel, water and air conservation.
POL 232 Politics and Public Policy
Introduction to the political processes of public policy formation, including theories, and an analysis and evaluation of selected policy areas.

Technical Sequence required courses

TEC 240 Electric Circuits And Machines
Electrical principles and applications including circuit diagrams, switches, relays, motors, and transformers.
TEC 263 Automated Fluid Power Systems
Theory and operation of fluid power circuits and intermediate level PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) programming.
TEC 292 Materials Technology
Introduction to engineering materials, strengths of materials, and standardized testing procedures for determining mechanical and physical properties.

TEC 345 Process Control Networks
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming within process control networks connecting machines, devices, sensors, and computers.
HSC 271 Safety Technology or HSC 385 System Safety

For undergraduate advisement plese see Cathy McKay, Phone: (309) 438-2665, Location: Turner Hall 210, Email: