An Interdisciplinary Approach to Geothermal Energy Education: the Case of Iceland School of Energy at Reykjavik University

Abstract

Iceland School of Energy (ISE) has been offering masters programs and short courses in Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering, with a strong focus on geothermal energy, since 2008. The educational programs are operated in close partnership with two leading geothermal companies in Iceland; Iceland Geosurvey and Reykjavik Energy. While technical subjects remain prominent in the curriculum, the education has an interdisciplinary approach including courses in economics, business and law. This paper outlines how an interdisciplinary approach is achieved with the ISE master’s degree programs, specifically by how the program structure combines traditional education with internships, industry-related projects, and research, whilst offering quite substantial flexibility for the choice of elective courses. The industry connections are further elaborated upon, specifically the strategic outreach ISE applies in order to form future connections. Finally, statistics from 2010 onwards are discussed, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the ISE’s interdisciplinary approach. The program is found to mainly attract non-European applicants, with geothermal energy being the most popular field of study for student research. The interdisciplinary approach is vindicated by the career trajectory examples of ISE graduates, showing that students from varied backgrounds have achieved successful, international careers in the geothermal and sustainable energy sectors.