University of Colorado Boulder
Certificate

Power Electronics Graduate Certificate

Progress your career by learning the fundamentals of power electronics like power management, portable power, computer systems, medical applications, spacecraft systems, renewable energy & utilities.

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Enroll by April 19, 2024

Classes start March 11, 2024

9 months

10 courses and 4 projects

$667 per credit

$6003 total cost

100% online

No application required.

No application necessary. Enroll today!

The only top 5 ranked online electrical engineering graduate program with no application.

Optimal’s Guide to Online School, 2020 Best Online Master's in Electrical Engineering Degrees in the U.S.

Earn degree credit

The credit from your Graduate Certificate counts towards your Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree.

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Receive a university-issued Graduate Certificate from a top university that you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile. Demonstrate your skills through real-world projects and create work samples that help you stand out in your job search.

Power Electronics

Program description

The credit from your Graduate Certificate counts towards your master's degree.

Overview

Power electronics is a key enabling technology in essentially all electronic systems and is increasingly important in the grid interface of renewable energy sources and in efficient electrical loads. There is, accordingly, a growing need for design engineers equipped with knowledge and skills to actively participate in multidisciplinary teams.

The MS-EE on Coursera covers switching power supplies, DC-DC converters, inverters, power factor correction converters, and LED lighting drivers. The power electronics curriculum emphasizes fundamentals and applications in the power electronics field. This domain competency applies to end markets such as power management, portable power, computer systems, medical applications, spacecraft power systems, the automotive industry, renewable energy, and the utilities.

The certificate consists of approximately nine months of instruction, and learners in the program will gain significant design experience. The courses are oriented towards engineers who have a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, or equivalent experience. Undergraduate EE courses in circuits and electronics are prerequisite knowledge.

Required background

Knowledge of circuits and electrical engineering fundamentals at the level of an undergraduate EE major.

Skills you will gain

  • Design-oriented analysis
  • Energy efficiency, power density, and cost trade-offs
  • Renewable energy applications
  • Converter control techniques
  • Input filter design
  • Digital control of switched-mode power converters
  • Design of converter power stage, gate drivers, and magnetics
  • Simulation to verify correct steady-state operation
  • Design of converter control system
  • Simulation to verify correct control system operation
  • Preparation of a report documenting the design and its performance

10 courses and 4 projects

Course 1 of 10

ECEA 5700 Introduction to Power Electronics

Overview

This course introduces the basic concepts of switched-mode converter circuits for controlling and converting electrical power with high efficiency. Principles of converter circuit analysis are introduced, and are developed for finding the steady state voltages, current, and efficiency of power converters. Assignments include simulation of a DC-DC converter, analysis of an inverting DC-DC converter, and modeling and efficiency analysis of an electric vehicle system and of a USB power regulator.

After completing this course, you will:

  • Understand what a switched-mode converter is and its basic operating principles
  • Be able to solve for the steady-state voltages and currents of step-down, step-up, inverting, and other power converters
  • Know how to derive an averaged equivalent circuit model and solve for the converter efficiency

A basic understanding of electrical circuit analysis is an assumed prerequisite for this course.

Course 2 of 10

ECEA 5701 Converter Circuits

Overview

This course introduces more advanced concepts of switched-mode converter circuits. Realization of the power semiconductors in inverters, or in converters having bidirectional power flow, is explained. Power diodes, power MOSFETs, and IGBTs are explained, along with the origins of their switching times. Equivalent circuit models are refined to include the effects of switching loss. The discontinuous conduction mode is described and analyzed. A number of well-known converter circuit topologies are explored, including those with transformer isolation.

The homework assignments include designing a boost converter and an H-bridge inverter used in a grid-interfaced solar inverter system, as well as transformer-isolated forward and flyback converters.

After completing this course, you will:

  • Understand how to implement the power semiconductor devices in a switching converter
  • Understand the origins of the discontinuous conduction mode and be able to solve converters operating in DCM
  • Understand the basic DC-DC converter and DC-AC inverter circuits
  • Understand how to implement transformer isolation in a DC-DC converter, including the popular forward and flyback converter topologies.

Completion of the first course ECEA 5700 Introduction to Power Electronics is a prerequisite for this course.

Course 3 of 10

ECEA 5702 Converter Control

Overview

In this course, students learn how to design a feedback system to control a switching converter. The equivalent circuit models derived in the previous courses are extended to model small-signal AC variations. These models are then solved, to find the important transfer functions of the converter and its regulator system. Finally, the feedback loop is modeled, analyzed, and designed to meet requirements such as output regulation, bandwidth and transient response, and rejection of disturbances.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to design and analyze the feedback systems of switching regulators.

Completion of courses 1 (ECEA 5700 Introduction to Power Electronics) and 2 (ECEA 5701 Converter Circuits) are prerequisites for this course.

Course 4 of 10

ECEA 5703 Magnetics Design

Overview

This course covers the analysis and design of magnetic components, including inductors and transformers, used in power electronic converters. The course starts with an introduction to physical principles behind inductors and transformers, including the concepts of inductance, core material saturation, air gap and energy storage in inductors, reluctance and magnetic circuit modeling, transformer equivalent circuits, and magnetizing and leakage inductance. Multi-winding transformer models are also developed, including inductance matrix representation, for series and parallel structures. Modeling of losses in magnetic components covers core and winding losses, including skin and proximity effects. Finally, a complete procedure is developed for design optimization of inductors in switched-mode power converters.

After completing this course, you will:

  • Understand the fundamentals of magnetic components, including inductors and transformers
  • Be able to analyze and model losses in magnetic components, and understand design trade-offs
  • Know how to design and optimize inductors and transformers for switched-mode power converters

Completion of courses 1 (ECEA 5700 Introduction to Power Electronics) and 2 (ECEA 5701 Converter Circuits) are prerequisites for this course.

Course 5 of 10

ECEA 5705 Averaged Switch Modeling and Simulation

Overview

This is the first course in the Modeling and Control of Power Electronics Specialization. The course is focused on practical design-oriented modeling and control of pulse-width modulated switched mode power converters using analytical and simulation tools in time and frequency domains. A design-oriented analysis technique known as the Middlebrook’s Feedback Theorem is introduced and applied to analysis and design of voltage regulators and other feedback circuits.

Furthermore, it is shown how circuit averaging and averaged-switch modeling techniques lead to converter-averaged models suitable for hand analysis, computer-aided analysis, and simulations of converters. After completion of this course, students will be able to practice design of high-performance control loops around switched-mode power converters using analytical and simulation techniques.

Course 6 of 10

ECEA 5706 Technical Design-Oriented Analysis

Overview

This course is focused on two techniques of design-oriented analysis known as Middlebrook's Extra-Element Theorem (EET), and N-Extra-Element Theorem (NEET). It is shown how EET simplifies circuit analysis and design, allowing the designer to gain insights into effects of circuit elements initially neglected, and to formulate design approaches. NEET allows the designer to easily derive complex transfer functions in circuits such as converter filters and averaged circuit models.

Application examples related to switched-mode power converters are used to illustrate the use of EET and NEET in practice. Completion of this course will enable the student to practice powerful techniques of design-oriented analysis. Assignments include section quizzes, open-ended design problems, and a final exam.

Prerequisite: completion of Course #1 in the Advanced Modeling and Control course sequence.

The course is a prerequisite for Courses #3-5 in the Advanced Modeling and Control sequence.

Course 7 of 10

ECEA 5707 Input Filter Design

Overview

To meet electromagnetic interference (EMI) requirements and to mitigate effects of switching noise, switching power converters often require input filters. Using Extra-Element Theorem, it is shown how addition of an input filter may compromise system stability, and impedance criteria are formulated to mitigate the system stability issues. Input filter design techniques are developed for single-stage and multi-stage filters to simultaneously meet attenuation requirements, properly damp filter stages and meet impedance criteria, and minimize the size of passive components. The techniques are illustrated in practical design examples. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to design converter input filters. Assignments include section quizzes, open-ended design problems, and a final exam.

Prerequisites: completion of Courses #1 and #2 in the Advanced Modeling and Control course sequence.

Course 8 of 10

ECEA 5708 Current-mode Control

Overview

Control loops around switch-mode power converters are often based on current-mode control techniques.

This course is focused on analysis, modeling, and design of current programmed mode or peak current mode (PCM) control, as well as average current mode (ACM) control. Effects of sampling and the need for compensation ramp are introduced.

Averaged dynamic models and transfer functions of PCM controlled converters are developed, including a simple model, as well as a more accurate model. Completion of the course will enable the student to design practical high performance control loops using PCM and ACM control techniques in DC-DC, AC-DC and DC-AC applications. Assignments include section quizzes, open-ended design problems, and a final exam.

Prerequisites: completion of Courses #1 and #2 in the Advanced Modeling and Control course sequence.

Course 9 of 10

ECEA 5709 Mod/Ctrl 1-Phase Rect/Inv

Overview

This course covers digital control of switched-mode power converters. Digital control loops include analog-to-digital converters, discrete-time compensators, and digital pulse-width modulators. An introduction to discrete-time systems and discrete-time transfer functions is provided, based on prerequisite background in continuous-time analog control techniques, and mapping techniques.

Effects of delays and quantization effects are explained. A review of implementation techniques for digital controllers is given. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to design practical digital control loops around switched-mode power converters. Assignments include section quizzes, open-ended design problems, and a final exam.

Prerequisites: completion of Courses #1 and #2 in the Advanced Modeling and Control.

Course 10 of 10

ECEA 5715 Power Electronics Capstone Project

Overview

A design project that applies the material of courses ECEA 5700, 5701, 5702, 5703, and 5705, to design and verify a bidirectional DC-DC converter and its controller, to interface a lithium-polymer battery to a USB-C device. Three milestones demonstrate: design and steady-state operation of converter power stage, averaged modeling and design of converter controller, and closed-loop transient response and regulation.

  • Introduction and Power Stage Design
  • Power Stage Design and Documentation. Milestone 1 submission.
  • Preliminary Controller Design
  • Preliminary Controller Design and Documentation. Milestone 2 submission.
  • Complete Design
  • Complete Design and Documentation. Milestone 3 submission.

Earn credit towards the 100% online Master of Science in Electrical Engineering

Gain foundational knowledge and applied skills as well as learn the latest technological developments in embedded systems, power electronics, photonics, and more. With performance-based admission, no application is required to get started. Once you start taking courses you can continue to build and stack credentials with pay-as-you-go tuition.

University of Colorado Boulder

Certificate

Power Electronics Graduate Certificate

Power Electronics Graduate Certificate Certificate can earn credit towards:

If you complete this Graduate Certificate, you will earn a university-issued certification, and can apply these 9 credits to the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.

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Coursera does not grant academic credit; the decision to grant, accept, or recognize academic credit, and the process for awarding such credit, is at the sole discretion of the academic institutions offering the Graduate Certificate program and/or other institutions that have determined that completion of the program may be worthy of academic credit. Completion of a Graduate Certificate program does not guarantee admission into the full Master’s program referenced herein, or any other degree program.