The University of Otago is offering a new suite of degrees specialising in Sustainable Energy to support the global transition to low-carbon energy.
Open to enrolment for study in 2026, the new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Sustainable Energy provide a pathway to careers that drive this global energy transition.
As a world leader in sustainable energy, New Zealand generates greater than 85% of its electricity from renewable resources and has strong systems and technologies in place for managing energy.
Due to this leadership, many of the issues that other countries will address in the future as they transition to low-carbon energy systems are already being actively considered by researchers in Otago’s Sustainable Energy programme.
Director of this programme, Associate Professor Michael Jack, says the new programmes in Sustainable Energy are aimed at developing and utilising low-carbon energy innovations to directly address the global issue of climate change.
“By discovering the science behind energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy resources and technologies, students will develop skills and knowledge to reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions,” Assoc Prof Jack says.
He said Otago’s Sustainable Energy degrees have been popular with domestic and international students.
Two international tauira, Vania Oktaviani from Indonesia, and Abhishek Sanjeev Sumalatha from India, are currently completing their studies in Otago’s Sustainable Energy programme.
Ms Oktaviani, who recently started the two-year Master of Science degree, was attracted to the programme due to its focus on renewables.
After completing her undergraduate degree in geophysics, she gained work experience in Indonesia in a research centre supporting the oil and gas industry.
“I decided I wanted to change the focus of my career to renewables, and the master’s degree suited me as it includes both course and research components,” Ms Oktaviani says.
To support her studies and move to Otago, she was successful in securing a Manaaki NZ Scholarship.
“I want to help people in Indonesia who don’t have easy access to electricity by focusing on opportunities for off-grid small-scale micro hydropower solutions, which have a lot of potential.”
In the final stages of his one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Science, Abhishek Sanjeev Sumalatha came to Otago at the end of his undergraduate physics degree in India.
As well as having a desire to study abroad, Abhishek says he was attracted to New Zealand due to its natural beauty, and specifically to Otago as the country’s first university.
Securing a Vice-Chancellor International Postgraduate Scholarship to support his study, Abhishek says one of the main strengths of the programme is its applied approach that relates to day-to-day life.
In addition to the knowledge gained through his own research on hydrothermal processing of e-waste, Abhishek adds the programme has helped him prepare for his future career in energy.
“I have gained practical knowledge about how the energy industry works which has helped me grow the skills required for my future career,” says Mr Sumalatha.
Following his studies, he is keen to find work in New Zealand’s growing renewable energy industry.
Assoc Prof Jack says that students like Vania and Abhishek come to the programme and can apply the learnings and research to the specific contexts of their home countries.
“We are excited about the range of new degrees available for study that will suit the varying requirements of students. This includes our new Master of Applied Science that will enable graduates from other areas to retrain in Sustainable Energy.”
“Our aim for the new range of programmes is to enable graduates to secure future-proof, rewarding careers in the globally growing sustainable energy industry,” he said.
