| Title | Ahead of Its Time: 15 Years (1994 - 2009) of the Undergraduate Geothermal Engineering Degree Program of Negros Oriental State University, Philippines |
|---|---|
| Authors | Henry A. Sojor and Julmar Shaun S. Toralde |
| Year | 2010 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | geothermal engineering, education, undergraduate, Philippines, Negros Oriental, Negros Oriental State University |
| Abstract | Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) started offering Bachelor of Science in Geothermal Engineering (BSGE) during the first semester of school year 1994-1995. The course was developed by NORSU in cooperation with the Philippine National Oil Company – Energy Development Corporation (PNOC-EDC) and the National Power Corporation (NPC), in response to a perceived need for a local training program that will serve the manpower needs of the companies involved in the geothermal industry of the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. NORSU became the first higher-education institution in the Philippines to offer the course and became a pioneer in undergraduate geothermal engineering curriculum development. In commemoration of its 15 years of existence, a review of the development and the results of the program was conducted, the results of which will be presented in this paper. Aside from providing an overview of the historical development of the geothermal engineering program, the paper will also present statistics gathered throughout the life of the program that are considered relevant to its evaluation. More importantly, it identifies the problems that were encountered by the program since its inception in 1994 up to today, and the solutions that were taken to address them. Lastly, it provides an overview of the plans of Negros Oriental State University to develop the program further. |