catalog header

Course Catalog

Department Website

Transmission and Distribution Program

Director: Interim, Karlene A. Hoo
Assistant Director: Jilliene McKinstry

Master of Engineering - Transmission & Distribution Engineering

Gonzaga University's School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) offers a fully online Master of Engineering (METD) degree and a Graduate Certificate in Transmission and Distribution (T&D) Engineering for the electric utility industry. All courses are offered online over an eight-week period by industry experts and Gonzaga University faculty. Students may register and take courses asynchronously from anywhere in the world. (Visit our website at: http://eng.gonzaga.edu/tandd/)

Admissions:

Admission to the program will be administered by faculty of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. To apply to the METD program, an undergraduate degree in engineering, a resume, two letters of recommendation (preferably from immediate managers/supervisors in a utility-related industry), and a letter of intent expressing the student's qualifications, professional goals, and employment experience are required.

Admission Checklist:

  • Letter of intent
  • Transcripts of all relevant university coursework. Only degrees and courses from a regionally accredited institution will be accepted.
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Application form
  • Application fee
  • Resume

TOEFL scores (If you are an international student, a minimum TOEFL score of 88 IBT, 230 CBT or 573 PBT. You may also submit an IELTS report with a minimum score of 6.5.)

Required Qualifications:

B.S. Degree in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or other engineering fields** (from an ABET-accredited institution, if the institution is within the US)

**Due to the level of mathematics involved in most T&D courses, students should have a background in the following topics before applying for admission:

  • Calculus III: Parametric and polar coordinates, vectors, partial derivatives, multiple integrals.
  • Ordinary Differential Equations: Solution methods for first order equations and for second and higher order linear equations. Includes series methods and solution of linear systems of differential equations.

Degree Requirements:

Minimum of Thirty-six (36) credits that must include:

  • 9 credits in core courses (TADP 541, TADP 542, TADP 641)
  • 3 credits in capstone course (TADP 556)

To receive the METD the student must have an average cumulative grade point of 3.0 or better in the T&D program and be in good standing. Prior to being awarded their degree, each student is encouraged to participate in the campus visit associated with the Engineering Leadership capstone course.

TADP 521 Utility Communication

3 credits

TADP 540 Transmission Line Design-Introduction

3 credits

TADP 541 Distribution System Design

3 credits

TADP 542 Substation Design

3 credits

TADP 543 Grid Operations

3 credits

TADP 544 Project Development & Construction Methods

3 credits

TADP 545 System Protection

3 credits

TADP 547 Underground System Design

3 credits

TADP 548 Transmission Line Design - Electrical Aspects

3 credits

TADP 549 Transmission Line Design - Structures and Foundations

3 credits

TADP 553 System Automation

3 credits

TADP 640 Transmission Line Design - Advanced

3 credits

TADP 641 Power System Analysis

3 credits

Capstone Course: TADP 556 Engineering Leadership

3 credits

Graduate Certificate in T&D Engineering:

The 15 credit T&D Engineering certificate program consists of any five (3 credit) Gonzaga T&D graduate courses (as long as prerequisite and engineering background considerations are met). A cumulative GPA of 3.00 from the T&D Program and good standing with the University will be required for the award of the certificate. Admission is administered through the T&D program.

TADP 500 Essential Fnd of Power Systems
3.00 credits
This course is intended for engineers without the required knowledge of electric power systems. The course will provide a comprehensive review of materials associated with generation, transmission, and distribution systems; foundation of electrical circuits as applied to power systems; and modeling and analysis of power systems.
TADP 501 Ess Fnd of Trans Ln Components
2.00 credits
TADP 521 Utility Communications
3.00 credits
This course is an introduction into the world of communications, with an emphasis on applications in the electrical utility space. The course is intended for those whose specialty is not communications engineering but need an overview of the evolving communications technology as a pre-requisite for the future Smart Grid; this includes power-track engineers, project managers, etc.
TADP 540 Intro Transmission Line Design
3.00 credits
Introduction to structures, conductors, insulation, survey techniques, terrain modeling, computer-aided design, NESC code requirements. Each major step in an overhead line design process will be analyzed and discussed using data from a recently constructed line. Advantages and disadvantages of some modern design tools will be established.
TADP 541 Elec Distribution Sys Design
3.00 credits
Network planning, protection/fusing, conductor sizing, transformer specification & connections, arrestors, reactive compensation, underground cabling, substation overview. Students will learn the characteristics of distribution devices and how to select devices which contribute to the desired system performance. The course will cover the requirements of acceptable power quality and how to identify the different types of loads and their requirements for service.
TADP 542 Substation Design
3.00 credits
System overview, design principles, types of substations, components, utilization, reliability, metering, voltage, protection, project plan, site, scheduling, major equipment, control houses, communication, SCADA, foundations, structural design, grounding.
TADP 543 Electrical Grid Operations
3.00 credits
NERC/WECC reliability standards, control area operation, outage coordination planning, switch theory and devices, reactive load balancing, generation load balancing, economic dispatch, transmission marketing (OASIS), seasonal ratings. The student will acquire the expertise needed for the inner-workings of a large, interconnected utility system. In addition, the students will develop a skill set that includes knowledge of how electricity is generated, transmitted, and consumed, as well as the ability to analyze complex transmission operational situations and make qualified judgments and recommendations to mitigate transmission related problems.
TADP 544 Proj Dev & Construction Method
3.00 credits
System planning and project development, project proposals to management, project initiation, scheduling, cost management, resource management, permitting authority, land rights acquisition, overview of contracts, contractor selection, Gantt tracking. Students will study conductor types and uses, and learn strategies for developing and describing competing transmission projects. Given a specific transmission line project, the students will be able to develop a detailed project description in the form of a project plan.
TADP 545 System Protection
3.00 credits
General concepts, symmetrical faults, asymmetrical faults, voltage and current transformers for protection, classification and functionality of relays, overcurrent protection, distribution feeder protection, transmission line protection with communications independent distance relaying, introduction to differential protection, and disturbance analysis.
TADP 547 Underground System Design
3.00 credits
Introduction to cable systems: history of cables, solid dielectrics, comparison of overhead vs underground. Types of cable systems, cable manufacturing, accessories, basic cable design. Installation practice: pulling tensions, side wall pressures, t-line installation, distribution installation, tunnel installation, directional boring. Application considerations: hydraulic pressures/volumes, commissioning, operation and maintenance practice, industry guides/specifications, IEEE standards. Case studies and special topics.
TADP 548 T-Line Design - Elect Aspects
3.00 credits
This course covers the electrical aspects of transmission line design which ensure acceptable reliability, safety and code compliance for transmission facilities. Topics include an introduction to the electrical aspects of a transmission line design, rules and requirements, design criteria and voltage levels, conductor selection and ratings, required clearances, REA manual, insulation, voltage flashover, EMF fields, corona, induction coordination, grounding requirements, pole grounding, guy wire grounding, and grounding measurements.
TADP 549 TLD: Structures & Foundations
3.00 credits
The course covers in-depth design of steel poles, concrete poles, and associated foundations. The major topics include: review of steel pole specifications, development of loading trees, design of steel poles including arms, attachment details, base plate,. anchor bolts and connections, manufacturing process, inspections of weld details, testing of steel poles, review of concrete pole specifications, design of concrete poles, comparison of steel vs. concrete poles, associated industry national standards, direct embedment and pier foundations, foundation optimization, and anchor foundations.
TADP 553 System Automation
3.00 credits
Students will learn economic benefits of Smart Grids, network load flow analysis, radial load flow analysis, optimal topology, sectionalizing switches, fault location/isolation, microgrid technology, renewable technology, integrating renewable energy, system restoration, voltage/VAR control.
TADP 556 Engineering Leadership
3.00 credits
Four broad areas of leadership will be covered: leadership roles and responsibilities (sponsor appreciation); communication; systems thinking and breakthrough leadership; leadership, change and ethics.
TADP 640 Adv Transmission Line Design
3.00 credits
The course further develops strategies covered in T-Line course and introduces advanced concepts for designing overhead transmission lines.
TADP 641 Power System Analysis
3.00 credits
This course will begin with a review of basic concepts of power systems, their components and how they are inter-related. An overview of the topology and members of the North American power grid will then be covered. The main portion of the course will refer to modeling of power systems, short circuit calculations, and load flow algorithms and methods. Students will learn how to apply the algorithms and methods using case studies in topics such as voltage regulation, VAR control, and relay setting and coordination. The course will wrap up with a brief segment on harmonic analysis and filter design.
TADP 680 Special Topics
.00- 4.00 credits
Topic to be determined by instructor.