Survey of industry to assess the new MS program in electric power systems engineering at NCSU

In Fall of 2010, NCSU contracted with KEMA Inc. to conduct an industry needs survey. The goal of this survey was to gauge the power industry's workforce needs in the near future and to explore how adequately NCSU's new MS-EPSE (Master of Science in Electrical Power Systems Engineering) program met the training needs of the next generation of power engineers. While NCSU envisioned that the results of the survey will be useful in guiding and validating the program as offered, the results of the survey showed that NCSU could also fine tune their program to achieve higher levels of enrollment. The survey results showed that there is a strong support for the innovative components of the program such as comprehensive power engineering topics, hands on experience, and professional skills training. The industry perceived such graduates to have a higher level of benefits in terms of employment, promotions, and career advancement opportunities.