The Global Energy Management Program at the University of Colorado Denver Business School was launched in January of 2009, and since then, a majority of the program’s alumni have benefited from job promotions and increases in salary.
More than 150 students have completed the hybrid-online Master of Science degree program, and next month, the next set of students in Cohort 10 will begin the program.
Brandon Blevins, a Senior Analyst at Southern California Edison, recently received a promotion two levels above his previous position. Blevins, 28, is a member of Cohort 7 and will graduate later this month.
“The GEM experience has provided me with a toolset to view complex situations as opportunities rather than issues,” Blevins said. “It has provided me with the understanding of fundamental business applications in the energy industry while also emphasizing leadership development skills that have greatly impacted how I work on teams. This combination improved my ability to contribute to, and lead, strategic teams at my company.”
Recently, GEM alumni participated in a survey that discovered 75 percent of the program’s graduates have seen an increase in salary since graduation. Nearly one-third of those respondents also said that their salary increase was greater than 20 percent.
GEM is one of only two programs in the U.S. designed for energy professionals who want to advance their careers. It focuses exclusively on developing future leaders, and most enrolled students are already highly experienced and working in the energy industry. However, the program also accepts non-energy professionals who are looking to transition their career into this dynamic and growing sector.
Each graduate course is specially constructed to address business topics pertaining to the energy industry and management. The program’s hybrid-online delivery method allows busy professionals from around the world to earn their master’s degree wherever they work or live. At the beginning of each quarter, students travel to Denver for four days, Friday through Monday, to meet for classes. GEM students then return home and complete the remainder of their coursework using innovative technologies in online collaborations. All GEM courses are delivered via the hybrid-online format.
