Overview

In partnership with universities in Lebanon and Egypt, ProGreen Diploma is a new program in green technologies with specializations in energy, buildings and water. The ProGreen Diploma falls closely within the goal of partner institutions for promoting professional outreach green education and building capacity of professionals in green power generation, green building technologies, and sustainable water production, treatment, and reuse.

The ProGreen Diploma is developed with the support of the TEMPUS Grant ‘Joint/Dual Professional Graduate Diploma and Professional Degree in Green Technologies’ and it is compliant with Bologna process credit system requirements for course equivalency and with the credit requirements of the offering partner institutions in Lebanon and Egypt.

Mission

The ProGreen Diploma is designed to serve current and future needs of practicing professionals in the green market in energy, buildings, and water. It also encourages local and regional cooperation among institutions in Lebanon and Egypt as well as European universities through faculty and staff training and co-teaching, and the preparation of online courses.

Program Objectives

The ProGreen Diploma strives to

1. foster problem‐solving competencies among professionals pursuing careers in green industries,
2. develop lifelong learning skills among professionals from different disciplines,
3. assist professionals in acquiring the diverse and critical skills needed to advance in their green technology careers, and
4. develop expertise in green technologies related to applications in energy, water, and building.

Student Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the ProGreen Diploma in any area of specialization, students/trainees will

a. acquire an in‐depth understanding of green technologies relevant to jobs in planning, design and implementation methods for sustainable energy, building, and water technologies and industries;
b. build analysis and hands‐on skills needed for development and implementation of green products and processes in the area of specialization (energy, building, or water);
c. develop lifelong learning skills in the green technologies field. The pro-green diploma program emphasizes lifelong learning through the establishment of a community of practice and through problem/project-based learning, including case studies related to real life applications from the participants’ own fields of practice; and
d. identify how economic analysis, policy and regulatory frameworks can help in expanding green technologies’ market.

Eligibility and Admission Requirements

Eligibility

• Professionals and individuals interested in and/or involved in the development and implementation of green technologies in their practice including architects, engineers, facility managers and contractors. 
• Applicants should have a recognized and related bachelor degree in natural science, mathematics, engineering, or architecture.
• Applicants who join the program may have to complete prerequisites for courses offered in the diploma program or obtain the consent of the course instructor and program coordinator approval. The core courses are designed to include remedial preparation in areas related to social sciences.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have a bachelor degree in engineering or science from recognized universities to be admitted to the diploma program. Professional experience might be considered on a case-by-case basis where the student can register as a ‘special’ student not working for the diploma and performance is assessed in these courses.

The only three documents required for the ProGreen Diploma are:

• a copy of the student’s bachelor’s degree/ diploma: Bachelor of Architecture (BA), Bachelor of Engineering (BE), Bachelor of Science (BS),
• a photocopy of the front page of the applicant’s passport or national ID, and
• the TOEFL score, if applicable.

Language Requirements

The ProGreen Diploma program is offered in English. Native English speakers and graduates of universities in which the language of instruction is English may be exempt from this requirement; the applicant will follow Consortium policy regarding the English Language Proficiency Requirement (ELPR) for graduate students. ELPR can be met as per the following table:

Applicants who are graduates of an English speaking university are exempted from the English language test; an applicant might also be required to report for an interview with the relevant program coordinator.

Curriculum

The green technologies diploma programs share a set of Core Courses that can be registered and followed at any of the joint universities where admission procedures, teaching and examination regulations and academic calendars at universities are carefully coordinated.

The diploma should be completed in 12-18 months. A student can register up to 5 or 6 credits per semester and move at their own pace. The program constitutes

• core courses that provide a solid foundation in both technical and economic aspects of green technologies in energy, buildings, and water, allowing the student to simultaneously understand advances in selected green technologies and their interrelations with market economy, policy and energy laws,
• specialization courses that offer depth development of expertise in the selected major,
• elective courses, and
• e-learning component through blended and online offering of courses for most courses except elective labs that require on-campus attendance.

A student may sign up for up to three major specializations each with its own requirements, as per the following:

Diploma in One Specialization (18 cr)

• Core Courses (6 cr)
• Specialization Courses (6 to 8 cr)
• Elective Courses (2 to 4 cr)¹
• Project in area of specialization (2 cr)
• Webinar (0 cr)

¹Labs are considered electives that require on-campus attendance. Labs are not offered first semester and when offered, experiments may be done intensively over weekends.

Diploma in Two Specializations (26 cr)

• Requirements of first specialization (18 cr)
• Graduate course work (8 cr): 6 credits in second specialization and and 2 credits for project

Diploma in Three Specializations (34 cr)

• Requirements of first specialization (18 cr)
• Requirements of second specialization (8 cr)
• Graduate course work (8 cr): 6 credits in third specialization 2 credits for project

Core Courses (6 cr)

• PRGR601 Green Economy, Policies and Law (3 cr)
• PRGR602 Green Technologies System Approach to Sustainability and Management (3 cr)

Specialization Courses (6 to 8 cr)

Energy Specialization Courses

• PRGR603 Solar Radiation and Energy Conservation (2 cr)
• PRGR604 Solar PV Electricity (2 cr)
• PRGR605 Wind Energy (2 cr)
• PRGR606 Energy Storage (2 cr)
• PRGR609 Renewable Energy Lab (2 cr)
• PRGR615 Biofuels (2 cr)
• PRGR616 Waves, Tidal, and Hydro Renewable Energy (2 cr)
• PRGR617 Energy Efficiency in Buildings Evaluation and Design (2 cr)
• PRGR620 Energy Systems and Sustainable Environments (2 cr)
• PRGR621 Waste to Energy Processes and Technologies (2 cr)

Building Specialization Courses

• PRGR630 Sustainable Preservation and Restoration of Existing Buildings (2 cr)
• PRGR631 Low Energy Architecture and Passive Building Design (2 cr)
• PRGR632 Sustainable Building Materials (2 cr)
• PRGR633 Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency in Buildings¹ (2 cr)
• PRGR634 Moisture and Control of Humidity in Buildings (2 cr)
• PRGR637 Green Building Basics and Building Rating Practices (2 cr)
• PRGR639 Construction and Demolition Waste Management (2 cr)

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Modules

•  PRGR641 HVAC Systems for Energy Efficient Acclimatization (2 cr)
•  PRGR646  Energy Management System of Buildings¹ (2 cr)
•  PRGR643 Heat Pumps (2 cr)
•  PRGR645 Building Energy System Modeling (2 cr)

Water Specialization Courses

•  PRGR664 Water Instrumentation (2 cr)
•  PRGR665 Water Basics² (2  cr)
•  PRGR666 Water Infrasturcture Systems (2 cr)
•  PRGR667 Water Treatment and Water Desalination (2  cr)
•  PRGR668 Waste Water and Sludge Treatment (2 cr)
•  PRGR669 Green Agriculture and Irrigation Systems Water requirements of plants (2 cr)
•  PRGR681 Sustainable Water Resources Management² (2 cr) 

Elective Courses (2 to 4 cr)

Elective courses are not limited to the list below. Courses from other specializations will also be considered as electives.

       •   PRGR670 Life Cycle Assessment (2 cr)
       •   PRGR673 Research skills development - General (2 cr)
       •   PRGR677 Cost-Benefit Analysis (2 cr)
       •   PRGR679 Project Management, Risk Management and Planning (2 cr)

¹ This course can be counted as an Energy concentration course.

² Two water core courses are mandatory for  students in the water specialization.

Career Opportunities

There is a growing demand for trained personnel in green technologies with a profound understanding of integrated approaches to building design from concept to actual construction, to alternative energy generation methods and to techniques for safe water production and re-use. The private sector and universities will need to respond to this new and urgent demand for skilled green labor in the green energy market, building, and products.

It is timely for universities to extend their learning community to professionals who are not seeking degrees, but need to acquire new skills to grow their green businesses and meet the evolving green market demand in energy, buildings and water. Many professionals are interested in specific specializations and would appreciate the flexibility of a less structured scheme due to their work commitments. The introduction of the green technology certificate programs is a highly needed professional education to support and build capacity in areas of specializations that are identified as fastest research and market growth areas for employment