Sustainable Technologies

Why Choose the Sustainable Technology Program?

 

STP is Likely to Get You a Job in the Sustainability Industry

  • Solar jobs are growing in the double-digit rate range (~24 % per year).
  • A new Los Angeles law requires all large commercial buildings to “benchmark” their buildings. The Energy Efficiency courses prepare you with the skill set to benchmark for a potential employer or a set of clients, if you choose to form your own business!
  • Class assignments involve preparing your resume and developing your elevator speech, preparing you for the future. One students role-play with an imagined Elon Musk that eventually led him to a job at Tesla, and a three-hour conversation with him one day.
  • Class content based on “job task analyses” of these industries, and as informed by our Industry Advisory Board.

You Can Earn Multiple Credentials in Just One Semester

  • Departmental certificate in Solar Photovoltaics (8 credits: PV11(3) + PV12(2) + EE1 (3))
  • Passing the NABCEP Entry Level Exam for Solar PV. SMC’s pass rate ranges from 75-94%.
  • Students encouraged to take EE2 – which prepares them for taking and passing the LEED Green Associate exam (LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and its credentials lead to opportunities in construction-related industries tied to health, environmental stewardship, efficiency, and productivity).
  • An energy efficiency certificate (EE1 + EE2 + EE3 + PV11) prepares you for entry to a number of careers related to auditing, retrofit, contracting, and building simulation modeling.

Get Real-World Work Experience and Make an Impact

  • PV11 students attend a lab day where they install solar PV modules on a low-income home, learning the craft while improving someone’s life.
  • EE1 students learn how to immediately reduce utility expenses at their homes or in the homes of their loved ones.
  • EE3 students learn the latest in technologies: from energy storage, to LED lighting, to the Living Building Challenge, the most extreme sustainable certification for a building in the world, and the City of Santa Monica’s City Services Building is one of the next to achieve that level.
  • Students will have an opportunity to experience some new learning modalities, including virtual reality, 360 video, and to work hands-on with industry-specific high-technology tools (infrared imaging, photovoltaic analyzers, sound pressure level meters, digital monitoring equipment, and more!).