Minor in Batteries and Energy Storage Technologies

What will the minor in batteries and energy storage teach me?

Advances in batteries and energy storage are crucial to developing new, energy-efficient technologies. From a smart watch to a drone capable of traveling a long distance without recharging, technologies of the future will rely on small, light-weight batteries capable of carrying a significant charge. Successful global implementation of renewable energy power from sources such as solar and wind requires development of economical and safe large-scale energy storage systems.

The interdisciplinary minor in batteries and energy storage incorporates more than 50 classes from across engineering and the physical sciences to allow you to tailor the minor to your interests and get a broad look at the state-of-the-art in the field of energy storage. You'll learn how batteries function, how they are manufactured, and how energy can be harvested, stored and utilized.

Housed in the College of Engineering, the interdisciplinary batteries and energy storage technologies minor draws on coursework in almost every engineering discipline, as well as courses in the sciences. Even if you are not an engineering major, the engineering coursework in the minor helps you gain a strong technical grounding in issues related to energy storage.

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Careers with a minor in batteries and energy storage technologies

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With a minor in batteries and energy storage, you can find a range of careers in the energy industry. You might work in a manufacturing plant, producing batteries or overseeing battery design and manufacturing. Trained individuals are also needed in the field of battery recycling to develop cost-effect and environmentally friendly ways to deal with disposal of spent batteries.

Others may pursue careers in research and development, exploring ways to make better batteries through new or enhanced materials or refined chemical processes. Many research jobs require a graduate degree in a related field, although an undergraduate education may help you find entry-level positions.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median pay for related occupations such as electrical engineers, chemical engineers or materials scientists ranged from around $80,000 to more than $100,000 in 2021.

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Batteries and energy storage technologies minors often major in...

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Chemical engineering

Chemical engineers apply scientific principles -- along with a healthy dose of creativity -- to the creation of new chemicals and chemical processes that can improve our quality of life. Chemical engineers are involved in the design and manufacture of everything from a zestier version of your favorite toothpaste to a life-saving pharmaceutical to new and inexpensive fuel sources.

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Materials science and engineering

Self-healing plastic. Night-vision contact lenses. It seems like the stuff of science fiction, but it's reality for materials scientists and engineers, who study the relationship between a material's atomic structure and its physical properties. These engineers learn to manipulate materials at the atomic level to create new ones that are lighter, stronger or more flexible than their predecessors.

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Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering is a broad field that includes everything from aerospace engineering to fluid mechanics to biomedical applications. Mechanical engineers may work with nanoscale materials invisible to all but the most powerful microscopes or they may design massive airplanes or rockets, but they all share a focus on engineering moving systems.

Learn about the mechanical engineering major

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