Power Conversion and Control

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As a UW student, you will be part of a vibrant community, challenged and supported by your fellow learners, as well as instructors. Our students and alumni consistently point to the value of the global professional network they develop through our programs, built through teamwork, challenges, and projects, and lasting a lifetime.

• Program Director: Andrea Strzelec, PhD
• Rich Shiferl
• Giri Venkataramanan, PhD
• Michael Zinn, PhD

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for the Capstone Certificate in Power Conversion and Control program are listed below.

• A B.S. degree from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or the equivalent.* Engineering technology degrees do not fulfill this requirement. A B.S. in electrical engineering is recommended. Students who do not have a B.S.E.E. need to have completed fundamental coursework in electrical engineering including circuit theory, fourier analysis, AC circuit analysis using complex impedances, transfer function analysis and evaluation including Bode plots, transformer equivalent circuits, piecewise continuous analysis of nonlinear circuits, and magnetic theory.
• A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00. Applicants from an international institution must have a strong academic performance comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. All GPAs are based on a 4.00 scale.
• Applicants whose native language is not English must provide scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 580 on the written version, 243 on the computer version, or 92 on the Internet version.
• International applicants must have a degree comparable to an approved U.S. bachelor’s degree.
• We highly recommend applicants submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) though it is not required

*Equivalency to an ABET accredited program: Applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from an ABET accredited program may also qualify for admission to the program. Such applicants must have a BS in science, technology, or a related field with sufficient coursework and professional experience to demonstrate proficiency in engineering practice OR at least 16 credits of math and science coursework. Registration as a professional engineer by examination, if achieved, should be documented to support your application.

All applicants are advised to determine whether this program meets requirements for licensure in the state where they live. See the National Society of Professional Engineers website for contact information for state licensing boards

Apply Early!
Applications are accepted for admission during the summer, fall and spring terms.

To start the process, please read the admission requirements to determine your eligibility. If you have questions about your eligibility, please request an eligibility review by emailing Student Services. This email should include a copy of your current resume and informal transcripts.

Admission is competitive and selective.

Applications are reviewed in the order received until the April 1 deadline for summer admissions, June 1 deadline for fall admissions and November 1 for spring admissions. Admission is competitive and selective. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to submit application materials prior to the deadline.

Click here to begin the application process.

Tuition Cost
$1,600 per credit, payable at the beginning of each semester. Students are billed for courses in which they are enrolled each term. UW-Madison does not offer a lump sum payment plan.

Tuition includes:

• Technology costs for internet course delivery
• Live web-conferencing
• Toll-free telephone line for the audio portion of conference calls
• Library use
• Use of the web-conferencing software for group project work, for program courses

No additional fees exist, such as distance learning fees or segregated fees.

*This total does not include textbooks or course software. Software required for courses is typically available in educational versions at substantial discounts.