By Marjorie Kaplan and Joyce Ong
In collaboration with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJ BPU) and Rutgers Office of Climate Action, RCEI is establishing a Clean Energy Graduate Certificate Program to provide Rutgers master’s degree students with foundational knowledge in three areas: Energy-Based Engineering, Energy Public Policy, and Applied Energy Economics, focusing primarily on clean energy. RCEI anticipates the first cohort to enter the certificate program in January 2026.
Coupled to the certificate program is the RCEI Clean Energy Fellowship Program for current Rutgers graduate students to gain practical professional experience working directly with the NJ BPU in the clean energy sector over the course of one semester. Fellows will be compensated for their work in either the NJ BPU’s Division of Clean Energy or the Office of Federal and Regional Policy. While there, students will receive meaningful exposure to industry practices, policy development, and economic strategies that shape the future of energy. RCEI will work with NJ BPU to vet and place applicants in the Fellows program. The Clean Energy Fellowship was launched in June 2025 and the first fellows are anticipated to begin their tenure at NJ BPU in fall 2025.
“We expect students across Rutgers will take advantage of this initiative, propelling them toward careers where they apply their deep knowledge of engineering, public policy, economics, and the environment to the task of cost-effectively generating and delivering clean energy to New Jersey citizens. Our collaboration represents a national model for how universities can train students to make a real difference in efforts to grow and sustain clean energy production, both locally and nationally,” notes RCEI Director Julie Lockwood.
Learn more about the Clean Energy Fellowship here.
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