Overview

In partnership with universities in Lebanon and Egypt, the ProGreen Diploma is a new program in green technologies with specializations in energy, buildings and water. The ProGreen Diploma falls closely within the partner institutions’ goal of promoting professional outreach green education and building the 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 is compliant with the Bologna process credit system requirements for course equivalency and with the credit requirements of the offering partner institutions in Lebanon and Egypt.

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.

Mission

The ProGreen Diploma is designed to serve the 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.

Skills Acquired

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

1. 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,
2. 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),
3. develop lifelong learning skills in the green technologies field. The ProGreen 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
4. 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, unless otherwise consented by the course instructor and approved by the program coordinator. The core courses are designed to include remedial preparation in areas related to social sciences.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have a bachelor degree in architecture, engineering or science from recognized universities to be enrolled in the diploma program. Professional experience might be considered on a case-by-case basis whereby the student can register in preselected courses as a “special” student not working for the diploma. Admission to the diploma program will be reassessed in light of the student’s performance in these courses.

The only three documents required for application to the ProGreen Diploma are:

• a copy of the student’s bachelor’s degree (diploma): Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Engineering (BE), or 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/or applicants who are graduates of an English speaking university are exempted from the English language test; but may be required to report for an interview with the relevant diploma program coordinator. All other applicants are required to meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement (ELPR) policy for graduate students. ELPR may be met as per the following table:

Curriculum

The green technologies diploma programs share a set of Core Courses that may 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 may register for up to 5 or 6 credits per semester and move at their own pace. The program consists of:

• core courses that provide a solid foundation in both the 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 deepen student expertise in the selected major,
• elective courses,
• e-learning component through blended and online offering of courses for most courses except elective labs that require on-campus attendance, and
• graduation project.

A student may sign up for up to three major specializations, each with its own requirements, distributed as follows:

Diploma in One Specialization (minimum 18 credits)

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

1 As approved by project advisor(s) from the list of elective courses as well as courses from other specializations that are outside the student’s declared specialization.

Diploma in Two Specializations (minimum 26 credits)

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

Diploma in Three Specializations (minimum 34 credits)

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

Core Courses (6 credits)

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

Specialization Courses (6 to 8 credits)

Energy Specialization Courses

• PRGR603 Solar Radiation & Energy Conservation (2 cr.)
• PRGR604 Solar PV Electricity (2 cr.)
• PRGR605 Wind Energy (2 cr.)
• PRGR606 Energy Storage (2 cr.)
• PRGR609 Renewable Energy Lab2 (2 cr.)
• PRGR615 Biofuels (2 cr.)
• PRGR616 Waves, Tidal, & Hydro Renewable Energy (2 cr.)
• PRGR617 Energy Efficiency in Buildings Evaluation & Design (2 cr.)
• PRGR620 Energy Systems & Sustainable Environments (2 cr.)
• PRGR621 Waste to Energy Processes & Technologies (2 cr.)

2 Labs are non-mandatory electives and are generally offered face to face.

Building Specialization Courses

• PRGR630 Sustainable Preservation & Restoration of Existing Buildings (2 cr.)
• PRGR631 Low Energy Architecture & Passive Building Design (2 cr.)
• PRGR632 Sustainable Building Materials (2 cr.)
• PRGR633 Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency in Buildings1 (2 cr.)
• PRGR634 Moisture & Control of Humidity in Buildings (2 cr.)
• PRGR637 Green Building Basics & Building Rating Practices (2 cr.)
• PRGR639 Construction & Demolition Waste Management (2 cr.)
• PRGR641 HVAC Systems for Energy Efficient Acclimatization (2 cr.)
• PRGR643 Heat Pumps (2 cr.)
• PRGR645 Building Energy System Modeling (2 cr.)
• PRGR646 Energy Management System of Buildings3 (2 cr.)

Water Specialization Courses

• PRGR664 Water Instrumentation (2 cr.)
• PRGR665 Water Basics4 (2 cr.)
• PRGR666 Water Infrastructure Systems (2 cr.)
• PRGR667 Water Treatment & Water Desalination (2 cr.)
• PRGR668 Waste Water & Sludge Treatment (2 cr.)
• PRGR669 Green Agriculture and Irrigation Systems (2 cr.)
• PRGR681 Sustainable Water Resources Management4 (2 cr.) 

Elective Courses (2 to 4 credits)

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 & Planning (2 cr.)
• PRGR680 Innovation and Knowledge Transfer (2 cr.)
   

3 This course may be counted as an Energy concentration course.

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

Project (2 credits)

Students who have completed a minimum of 10 credits are eligible to register for the 2- credit project. Students can also suggest a topic for their project.

Previously completed projects are included and are not limited to the following topics:

1. Zero Net Energy House
2. Design and Costing of a 1 MW PV Power Plant
3. Design and Costing of a 1 MW Solar Concentrator Thermal Power Plant
4. Conversion of Waste Cooking Oil to Biodiesel
5. Hydro-Pneumatic Energy Storage System
6. Design of a 1MW CSP Plant
7. Life Cycle Assessment and Energy Policy