Review on Power Electronics Curriculums in Academia and Framework Development

Abstract

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) in the UK has recognized ensuring a good supply of talented Power Electronics engineers as a challenge. Inability to recruit high-quality engineers would drive companies out of the UK. The use of outdated or inappropriate curriculums at universities has been identified as a gap to address this challenge. Some academic institutions have well-recognized power electronics, machines and drives (PEMD) programs where their undergraduate courses are also linked to their research interests. However, other academic institutions do not provide that depth of knowledge required by the PEMD industry, considering it as optional knowledge and do not have suitable training materials. This paper reviews the current state of Power Electronics curriculums and contribute to filling the gaps in skills, talent and training for the PEMD industry by developing a framework for academic curriculum, which is supported by industrial-oriented knowledge and inputs. The developed framework has been designed to fit other disciplines also achieving wider awareness.