Great success for the first graduates of SDU Esbjerg's new Energy Management bachelor's degree
Three years ago, the new degree in Business Administration - Energy Management was launched at SDU Esbjerg. Now the first graduates are finished - and with great success.
In 2017, SDU Esbjerg introduced a new unique industry-specific bachelor's degree focusing on energy. The purpose was to secure qualified employees in the energy sector in the future. It is now three years ago and the first team of 10 graduates has just graduated from the program with great results.
High level of ambition
According to Associate Professor Yingkui Yang, this year's graduates have been characterized by a high level of ambition.
- They have done really well throughout the program and have especially distinguished themselves with their successful bachelor projects, all of which have had a practice-based approach and are based on relevant issues in the energy sector, he says.
One of the graduates, Line Hummelshøj Christensen, together with fellow student Siw Ellen Nielsen, explored how to promote the use of public transportation in Esbjerg Municipality.
- Throughout the program, there has been a great focus on sustainability. Denmark has a goal of reducing CO2 emissions in the coming decades. In relation to this, we wanted to explore how to make it more attractive for citizens to use public transport with Esbjerg municipality as our starting point, she explains.
In addition to having a practice-based approach, the bachelor projects focused on the sustainable aspect. One of the projects examined Danish households' energy consumption, including how to change consumer behavior in order to reduce energy consumption. Another investigated how to improve citizens' social acceptance of a wind turbine project in the municipality of Tønder.
Satisfied graduates
As one of the first new graduates, Line Hummelshøj Christensen now holds the title; Bachelor of Business Administration, HA Energy Management, an education which she believes is very relevant:
- I can definitely recommend the program. The whole world is facing a huge transformation in the energy sector, and we have the opportunity to be part of it. The program has given me a lot of knowledge about the energy industry, and in addition, it is really cool that it is so relevant and closely linked to Esbjerg, which is Denmark's Energy metropolis.
Another graduate, Lærke Skov Jensen, agrees with her:
- The program is highly relevant. I have gained competences in business economics combined with the energy sector, and the subjects have given me an insight into which climate changes the world is facing and how we can help solve some of them. Through company visits, we have also had the opportunity to combine theory with practice, which has been incredibly useful and exciting.
The program
At the 3-year Bachelor's program in Business Administration - Energy Management, which is only offered at SDU in Esbjerg, students learn about subjects such as Energy industry, Energy markets, Evaluation of energy projects, Analysis methods in energy management, Risk management in the energy industry and Energy management.
The program is offered in Esbjerg and it combines business economics with specific knowledge of energy and the students learn about the energy changes and how to handle them from an economic perspective.