At-a-Glance Curriculum
The LCEE curriculum is organized into three Tracks and three Modules. The core idea is simple: build a strong foundation (Expert) → connect to real processes through design & practice (Engineer) → elevate operations with data, policy, and economics (Manager). Cross-disciplinary teaching with other majors lets you learn integratively beyond a single department.
Track 1: Expert (Foundational & Advanced Technical Skills)
What you learn
You acquire the “language” of energy/refining through fundamentals in chemical, chemical & biological, and mechanical engineering (organic/physical chemistry, reaction engineering, thermodynamics, fluid/transport phenomena, combustion, separations). You then study the principles and analytics of crude-oil refining (desalting, distillation, desulfurization, reforming, hydrogen/energy supply), and broaden to alternative feeds/fuels—biomass, waste-plastic oils, CO₂, SAF, and e-fuels—covering their properties and production routes.
One-line summary: Core engineering for refining & energy transition + foundations and latest trends in low-carbon/alternative fuels.
Track 2: Engineer (Process Design, Simulation & LCA)
What you learn
The focus is process design and optimization. You practice unit-operation design, heat/mass balances, PFD/P&ID literacy, equipment selection, and techno-economics with real process simulators (e.g., Aspen/HYSYS). Control theory and feedback-control labs help you design for stable, efficient operation. In LCA, you quantify environmental impacts of products/processes, and you also learn property & combustion testing for alternative fuels and compliance with ISO/ASTM/KS standards.
One-line summary: Turn theory into design & simulation—and quantify environmental performance—like a practice-ready designer.
Track 3: Manager (Data, Policy, Economics & Operations)
What you learn
Industry runs on data. You use AI/data-driven process monitoring to predict and diagnose issues, and support decisions with MRV (GHG measurement, reporting, verification) and techno-economic analysis. Integrated courses on energy policy/regulation/economics and ESG cultivate balanced operators/managers who see technology, environment, and cost together. One-line summary: Operations & decision-making that unite data, policy, and economics.
Three Modules: How You Learn
Module 1: Advanced Conventional Refining (Standalone, Team-Taught)
Deepens principles and advanced understanding of refining. Industry and national-lab experts deliver practice-oriented content, and courses incorporate real industry pain points.
Key point: Textbook + field sense—practical knowledge that works on day one.
Module 2: Energy Policy · Regulation · Economics (Omnibus)
Top domestic experts deliver relay lectures on carbon-neutral policies, regulations, and market/management issues. You gain a viewpoint that reads regulation, standards, and markets, not just technology.
Key point: A wide lens that understands the outer context of technology.
Module 3: Sustainable Future Refining (Standalone, Team-Taught)
In-depth topics linked to the net-zero roadmap: SAF/e-fuels, CCUS, renewable-feed co-processing, etc. Based on the latest research and industry trends, you map concrete directions for future processes.
Key point: Learn the future first—prepare now.
How You Grow
- Entry: Engineering fundamentals + principles of refining and low-carbon/alternative fuels
- Practice: Solve real problems via design, simulation, control, and LCA
- Expansion: Strengthen decision-making with AI monitoring, carbon accounting, policy & economics
Graduates pursue hands-on roles in Korea’s refining, petrochemicals, engineering (EPC), heavy industry, and shipbuilding—including process design/operations, process improvement & energy efficiency, LCA/ESG, data/AI-driven operations, and safety/PSM.
Bottom line: This curriculum links foundation → design → operations so you grow into a low-carbon energy engineer who simultaneously sees technology, environment, and economics.