Curriculum

Summary of the study programme

The language of instruction is English, but local language and culture courses of the hosting countries are included in the study programme.

EU-CORE has been built to give each student a large vision of the control of RES and a preparation for the working world and for today and tomorrow's research/innovation needs. Semesters are totally complementary. The students will attend the same programme during the first 3 semesters, but each semester addresses several specific RES and control approaches:

The 1st semester in ECN will focus on Wind Energy, basics on Linear/Nonlinear Control Systems and Power Systems, and general topics in RES from Economics to Law;
The 2nd semester in UNIZG will focus on Solar Energy, Smart Grids Management, Predictive Control and Estimation/Diagnosis;
The 3rd semester in BTU will focus on Thermal Energy, Hydrogen, Storage and Integration in Power Grids.

Mobility scheme

The programme of study lasts two academic years (120 ECTS), 24 months, split into four equally loaded semesters.

Students attend EU-CORE courses at 3 different EU partner institutions. They spend the first 3 semesters all together ensuring thus a vibrant class dynamic.

During the first 3 semesters, the programme will enable students to understand and learn a large frame of balanced competences. It will also ensure that they are not overly specialised in RES and benefit also from a wider understanding of the physical principles of the main RES and associated control issues.

The 4th semester will be devoted to a Master Thesis/Internship. It will enable the students to choose a specialisation in one particular field (Wind, Solar, Thermal, Storage, etc.), to be duly integrated into the working world in line with their professional objectives.

The academic programme is completed by soft skills including languages, economy, humanities, project management and entrepreneurship, sustainable development issues. These skills will be introduced within the academic programme, as well as in the Winter and Summer Schools.

Academic programme

First semester - ECN

Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France

Modules	ECTS
Energy Transition	4
Wind Energy Basic 1	4
Wind Energy Basic 2	4
Energy Conversion Chain	4
Linear Control Systems	4
Nonlinear Control Systems	4
Project	4
French Language and Culture	2
*This programme may be subject to change

Second semester - UNIZG

University of Zagreb, Croatia (UNIZG)

Modules	ECTS
Control and Grid Integration Techniques for Renewable Energy Sources	5
Predictive Control	5
Estimation Theory	5
Optimal Sizing and Operation of a Photovoltaic System with Storage	5
Energy-efficient Buildings Control	5
Project on Control, Estimation and Optimisation in Solar Energy	3
Croatian Language and Culture	2
*This programme may be subject to change

Third Semester - BTU

Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU), Germany

Modules	ECTS
introdcution to Geothermal Energy	6
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells	6
Chemical and Thermal Energy Storage	6
Control of Power-to-X, Storage and X-to-Power Systems	6
Thermal Process Engineering and Equilibrium Thermodynamics	6
Advanced Methods in Process, Energy and Systems Engineering	6
Optimisation in Process and Energy Systems Engineering	6
German Language	2
*This programme may be subject to change

Fourth Semester

The fourth semester is set aside for the Master's thesis (30 ECTS).

Syllabus

Download the complete syllabus of the programme here.

Language

The language of instruction and examinations is English. The thesis is also written and defended in English.

To facilitate the integration of the students in the hosting country, local language courses are part of the curriculum. Mastering the local language will be important if the student pursues to PhD in one of the hosting countries.

Published on September 9, 2024 Updated on June 24, 2025