The Puget Sound Business Journal reported Gonzaga's plans for a new program to educate engineers who design transmission and distribution systems. Gonzaga says it's the most comprehensive program of its kind in the nation.

The new certificate program will be tested with five online courses and about 10 students, starting this month. Gonzaga will open the course to full-scale enrollment in the fall of 2008.

In the meantime, the university will expand its engineering facility to house offline course activities. The expansion will include a simulator for training system operators, alongside offices and classrooms.

Gonzaga says it may eventually offer a Master's program for utility engineers. Other schools offer short courses and training in power engineering, but Gonzaga believes they'll have the only graduate-level certification program for electric grid engineers.

An article in the Spokane Journal six months ago describes the coursework:

"The fall course work will focus on structural engineering, in which students will learn the principles of designing overhead high-voltage power transmission towers, James says. During the spring, students will take a class on distribution engineering, in which they will learn how to choose wire sizes and how to regulate voltage to customers, among other things. The other spring semester class will involve electrical grid operations, in which students will study the bigger picture of how to manage a bulk power grid. Such interconnected grids make up the country's energy infrastructure. The final course, held during the summer, will cover project development and management, James says. Design engineers typically have to coordinate different aspects of building a transmission line, including the planning, budgeting, and permitting processes."

Senator Maria Cantwell, D-WA, helped to secure funding for the program. The program is backed by $1.5 million from the Department of Energy, $200,000 from Spokane-based utility Avista, and other energy and utility companies