Masters Degree in Oil and Gas Engineering: Program Information

Master's degree programs that focus on oil and gas engineering are multi-faceted and directed toward managing the extraction of natural gas. At most institutes of higher learning, oil, or petroleum, and gas engineering is a specialization offered within a school or college of engineering.

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Master of Science in Oil and Gas Engineering

Graduate engineering degree programs in oil and gas are primarily focused on training students in the common processes and procedures used in this field. This usually involves advanced study in areas like rock mechanics, petrophysics, enhanced oil recovery, oil field management in addition to well drilling, completion and stimulation. Various engineering disciplines are also covered in most of these programs, including reservoir engineering, natural gas engineering and geological engineering.

Education Prerequisites

Some master's degree programs in oil and gas require candidates to have earned a bachelor's degree in a physical science, like chemistry or physics, or an engineering discipline, like environmental or mining engineering. It's common for colleges and universities to review the backgrounds, experiences and interests of graduate school applicants and potentially make exceptions at their discretion.

Program Coursework

Most master's degree programs in petroleum and gas engineering provide students with a thesis or non-thesis option. Thesis options typically require completion of approximately 30 credits in core and elective courses plus 6 credits earned by preparing and defending the thesis. Non-thesis students traditionally complete about 36 total credits plus a final all-inclusive exam. Some of the coursework ordinarily found in an oil and gas graduate degree program can include:

  • Steady and unsteady state flow in porous media
  • Petroleum engineering
  • Well stimulation design and analysis
  • Advanced reservoir engineering
  • Conservation theories and applications in petroleum engineering

Career Information

Job opportunities for oil and gas engineers are predicted to be excellent between 2008-2018 primarily because the number of employment opportunities will probably be greater than the amount of qualified candidates, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (www. bls.gov). Petroleum and gas engineering is a global field, meaning that some of the best job openings might be in countries other than the U.S. In 2009, the BLS reported that professional petroleum engineers earned an average annual salary of approximately $120,000.

Continuing Education Information

The BLS states that in order to keep up with improvements in technology, continuing education is vital for engineers. This can be accomplished via a doctorate (Ph.D.) degree program. Some professional organizations, like the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), also offer continuing education training programs, conferences and competency certification courses.

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  • Minimum eligibility requirements:
    • Masters degree applicants must have a Bachelors degree
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    Areas of study you may find at University of Utah include:
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