Interim Director: Tim Fitzgerald
Assistant Director: Jilliene McKinstry
Master of Engineering - Transmission & Distribution Engineering
Gonzaga University's School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) offers a fully online Master of Engineering (METD) degree and a Graduate Certificate in Transmission and Distribution (T&D) Engineering for the electric utility industry. Courses are offered online over an eight-week period by practicing power industry engineers. Students may register and take courses asynchronously from anywhere in the world. (Visit our website at: www.Gonzaga.edu/tadp)
Admissions
- Students applying to Gonzaga University must submit Gonzaga’s Graduate Application, which can be accessed online at
https://www.gonzaga.edu/gradapply. - Along with the application for graduate study, each program at Gonzaga has distinct admission requirements. Please refer to the table below to view that detailed information.
|
Program Name |
How To Apply Link |
| Certificate in Transmission & Distribution Engineering | https://www.gonzaga.edu/school-of-engineering-applied-science/degrees-and-programs/transmission-distribution/certificate/apply |
| Master’s in Transmission & Distribution Engineering | https://www.gonzaga.edu/school-of-engineering-applied-science/degrees-and-programs/transmission-distribution/masters/apply |
Required Qualifications:
B.S. Degree in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or other engineering fields** (from an ABET-accredited institution, if the institution is within the US)
**Due to the level of mathematics involved in most T&D courses, students should have a background in the following topics before applying for admission:
- Calculus III: Parametric and polar coordinates, vectors, partial derivatives, multiple integrals.
- Ordinary Differential Equations: Solution methods for first order equations and for second and higher order linear equations. Includes series methods and solution of linear systems of differential equations.
Degree Requirements:
Minimum of Thirty (30) credits that must include:
- 9 credits in core courses (TADP 541, TADP 542, TADP 641)
- 3 credits in TADP 556
To receive the METD the student must have an average cumulative grade point of 3.0 or better in the T&D program.
| TADP 521 Utility Communication |
3 credits |
| TADP 540 Transmission Line Design-Introduction |
3 credits |
| TADP 541 Distribution System Design |
3 credits |
| TADP 542 Substation Design |
3 credits |
| TADP 543 Grid Operations |
3 credits |
| TADP 544 Project Development & Construction Methods |
3 credits |
| TADP 545 System Protection |
3 credits |
| TADP 547 Underground System Design |
3 credits |
| TADP 548 Transmission Line Design - Electrical Aspects |
3 credits |
| TADP 549 Transmission Line Design - Structures and Foundations |
3 credits |
| TADP 551 Renewables and Grid Integration | 3 credits |
| TADP 553 System Automation |
3 credits |
| TADP 640 Transmission Line Design - Advanced |
3 credits |
| TADP 641 Power System Analysis |
3 credits |
| TADP 556 Engineering Leadership |
3 credits |
| TADP 680 Special Topics | 3 credits |
Graduate Certificate in T&D Engineering:
The 15 credit T&D Engineering certificate program consists of any five (3 credit) Gonzaga T&D graduate courses (500 and 501 are foundational courses and thus do not count toward the Certificate). A cumulative GPA of 3.00 from the T&D Program will be required for the award of the certificate.
This course is intended for engineers without the required knowledge of electric power systems. The course will provide a comprehensive review of materials associated with generation, transmission, and distribution systems; foundation of electrical circuits as applied to power systems; and modeling and analysis of power systems.
NOTE: This foundation course will not count toward the 15 credit T&D Certificate or 36 credit T&D Master’s in Engineering.
This course is intended for engineers without the required knowledge in transmission line design work. This course provides a comprehensive review of all the essential foundational material associated with the design of transmission line components such as transmission line structures, foundation designs, cable behavior, codes, and standards.
NOTE: This foundation course will not count toward the 15 credit T&D Certificate or 36 credit T&D Master’s in Engineering.
This course is an introduction into the world of communications, with an emphasis on applications in the electrical utility space. The course is intended for those whose specialty is not communications engineering but need an overview of the evolving communications technology as a pre-requisite for the future Smart Grid; this includes power-track engineers, project managers, etc.
Introduction to structures, conductors, insulation, survey techniques, terrain modeling, computer-aided design, NESC code requirements. Each major step in an overhead line design process will be analyzed and discussed using data from a recently constructed line. Advantages and disadvantages of some modern design tools will be established.
Network planning, protection/fusing, conductor sizing, transformer specification & connections, arrestors, reactive compensation, underground cabling, substation overview. Students will learn the characteristics of distribution devices and how to select devices which contribute to the desired system performance. The course will cover the requirements of acceptable power quality and how to identify the different types of loads and their requirements for service.
System overview, design principles, types of substations, components, utilization, reliability, metering, voltage, protection, project plan, site, scheduling, major equipment, control houses, communication, SCADA, foundations, structural design, grounding.
NERC/WECC reliability standards, control area operation, outage coordination planning, switch theory and devices, reactive load balancing, generation load balancing, economic dispatch, transmission marketing (OASIS), seasonal ratings. The student will acquire the expertise needed for the inner-workings of a large, interconnected utility system. In addition, the students will develop a skill set that includes knowledge of how electricity is generated, transmitted, and consumed, as well as the ability to analyze complex transmission operational situations and make qualified judgments and recommendations to mitigate transmission related problems.
System planning and project development, project proposals to management, project initiation, scheduling, cost management, resource management, permitting authority, land rights acquisition, overview of contracts, contractor selection, Gantt tracking. Students will study conductor types and uses, and learn strategies for developing and describing competing transmission projects. Given a specific transmission line project, the students will be able to develop a detailed project description in the form of a project plan.
General concepts, symmetrical faults, asymmetrical faults, voltage and current transformers for protection, classification and functionality of relays, overcurrent protection, distribution feeder protection, transmission line protection with communications independent distance relaying, introduction to differential protection, and disturbance analysis.
Introduction to cable systems: history of cables, solid dielectrics, comparison of overhead vs underground. Types of cable systems, cable manufacturing, accessories, basic cable design. Installation practice: pulling tensions, side wall pressures, t-line installation, distribution installation, tunnel installation, directional boring. Application considerations: hydraulic pressures/volumes, commissioning, operation and maintenance practice, industry guides/specifications, IEEE standards. Case studies and special topics.
This course covers the electrical aspects of transmission line design which ensure acceptable reliability, safety and code compliance for transmission facilities. Topics include an introduction to the electrical aspects of a transmission line design, rules and requirements, design criteria and voltage levels, conductor selection and ratings, required clearances, REA manual, insulation, voltage flashover, EMF fields, corona, induction coordination, grounding requirements, pole grounding, guy wire grounding, and grounding measurements.
The course covers in-depth design of steel poles, concrete poles, and associated foundations. The major topics include: review of steel pole specifications, development of loading trees, design of steel poles including arms, attachment details, base plate,. anchor bolts and connections, manufacturing process, inspections of weld details, testing of steel poles, review of concrete pole specifications, design of concrete poles, comparison of steel vs. concrete poles, associated industry national standards, direct embedment and pier foundations, foundation optimization, and anchor foundations.
Students will learn economic benefits of Smart Grids, network load flow analysis, radial load flow analysis, optimal topology, sectionalizing switches, fault location/isolation, microgrid technology, renewable technology, integrating renewable energy, system restoration, voltage/VAR control.
Four broad areas of leadership will be covered: leadership roles and responsibilities (sponsor appreciation); communication; systems thinking and breakthrough leadership; leadership, change and ethics.
The course further develops strategies covered in T-Line course and introduces advanced concepts for designing overhead transmission lines.
This course will begin with a review of basic concepts of power systems, their components and how they are inter-related. An overview of the topology and members of the North American power grid will then be covered. The main portion of the course will refer to modeling of power systems, short circuit calculations, and load flow algorithms and methods. Students will learn how to apply the algorithms and methods using case studies in topics such as voltage regulation, VAR control, and relay setting and coordination. The course will wrap up with a brief segment on harmonic analysis and filter design.
Topic to be determined by instructor.