Bachelor of Engineering in Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Systems
Renewable energy and environmental engineering roles appear on every credible list of the world's fastest growing occupations, and Uganda's electrification challenge is simultaneously a generation problem, a grid problem and a business mode...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Renewable energy engineer
- mini grid design and operations engineer
- power systems engineer
- energy storage engineer
- grid integration analyst
- project developer
- energy auditor
- independent power producer technical lead.
Employer types
- Electricity utilities and distribution companies
- independent power producers
- solar and mini grid developers
- the Rural Electrification programme
- industrial energy users
- development finance institutions
- engineering consultancies
- and the graduate's own venture.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- Directly aligned to national electrification targets and to the fastest growing global occupational category, with significant regional and international mobility.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Engineering in Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Systems. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 110 | Engineering Mathematics I Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| ECE 111 | Physics of Energy and Thermodynamics Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 112 | Programming for Engineers Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| ECE 113 | Electrical Workshop and Installation Practicum Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 130 | Engineering Mathematics II Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| ECE 131 | Electrical Circuits and Machines Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 132 | Solar Resource, Photovoltaics and System Sizing Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 133 | Energy, Society and the Just Transition Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 210 | Power Electronics and Converters Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 211 | Power Systems Analysis Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 212 | Energy Storage Technologies and Battery Systems Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 213 | Engineering Statistics and Resource Assessment Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| ECE 230 | Mini Grid Design and Commissioning Practicum Performance | 6 | 1-0-10 |
| ECE 231 | Energy Project Finance and Tariff Design Both | 2 | 1-0-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 310 | Smart Grids, Metering and Grid Control Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 311 | Hydropower, Geothermal and Biomass Systems Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 312 | Power System Protection and Relaying Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| ECE 313 | Energy Data Analytics and Forecasting Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| ECE 330 | Grid Integration of Variable Renewables Both | 6 | 4-2-2 |
| ECE 331 | Environmental and Social Safeguards for Energy Projects Objective | 2 | 1-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| ECE 410 | Industrial Energy Efficiency and Auditing Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 411 | Productive Use of Energy and Rural Enterprise Design Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| ECE 412 | Electric Mobility and Charging Infrastructure Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 413 | Specialisation Elective I Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Preparation Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| ECE 430 | Energy Capstone: Commissioned System for a Real Client Performance | 9 | 0-2-16 |
| ECE 431 | Operations, Maintenance and Asset Performance Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| ECE 432 | Engineering Economics and Project Management Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 433 | Professional Engineering Practice, Ethics and Registration Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
Total credit units: 178
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Engineering in Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Systems
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
176
22 CU of 176 CU completed by the end of this step (13%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems FluencyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C5Disciplinary Mastery CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and Craft CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Disciplinary Mastery · Technical Production and Craft · Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Design, size and commission solar, hydro, storage and hybrid generation systems for a defined load.
- PLO 2Analyse power flow, stability, protection and power quality on weak and islanded networks.
- PLO 3Model and operate storage dispatch, demand response and smart grid control.
- PLO 4Build the financial model and tariff design for an energy access project and defend it to a financier.
- PLO 5Conduct an energy audit of an industrial or institutional facility and quantify savings.
- PLO 6Apply grid codes, safety standards and environmental and social safeguards.
- PLO 7Design for maintainability, theft, vandalism and skills scarcity in rural deployment.
Why this programme exists
Renewable energy and environmental engineering roles appear on every credible list of the world's fastest growing occupations, and Uganda's electrification challenge is simultaneously a generation problem, a grid problem and a business mode...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes in Physics and Mathematics, plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics, Physics and English. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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