Petroleum Engineering

Degrees Offered

Master of Science in Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy

Facilities for Graduate Work

Excellent facilities for graduate research in petroleum and geosystems engineering are available in the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Building. In addition to departmental offices and classrooms, the building houses over forty thousand square feet of laboratory space, providing unique capabilities for studies in production logging, vertical and inclined flow in wells, core flooding for enhanced oil recovery techniques, subsurface environmental remediation, magnetic resonance imaging, drilling, stimulation, mechanics, well log digitizing and interpretation, and PVT analysis. Additional laboratory space at the J. J. Pickle Research Campus is used for research. A machine shop and electronics shop are maintained to fabricate and support research equipment.

In addition to the facilities of Academic Computing and Instructional Technology Services, students have access to a host of computers housed in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, including numerous minicomputers, microcomputers, and workstations. Excellent library facilities include the Mallet Chemistry Library, the McKinney Engineering Library, the Walter Geology Library, and the Kuehne Physics-Mathematics-Astronomy Library.

Areas of Study

Opportunities for study and research are offered in the areas of well-logging, rock mechanics, drilling fluids, production, reservoir engineering (including improved methods for oil recovery), natural gas engineering, well stimulation, energy economics, energy finance, hydrocarbon phase behavior, groundwater remediation, underground waste disposal, and mineral resources.

Graduate Studies Committee

The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 1998-1999.

Kenneth E. Gray	Augusto L. Podio
A. D. Hill	Gary A. Pope
Russell T. Johns	William R. Rossen
Larry W. Lake	Kamy Sepehrnoori
Mark A. Miller	Mukul M. Sharma
Jon E. Olson	W. C. J. van Rensburg
Ekwere J. Peters	Mary F. Wheeler

Admission Requirements

All prospective degree candidates must have a background satisfactory for study of advanced petroleum engineering as determined by the Graduate Studies Committee. For students without this background, such as those without degrees in the field, the Graduate Studies Committee will recommend a program of coursework designed to prepare the student for graduate study. Complete requirements for admission are available from the graduate admission adviser.

Degree Requirements

Master of Science in Engineering

With the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee, the student elects one of three options:

1. Thesis option. Thirty semester hours (including six hours in the thesis course) are required to complete the program. In addition to the thesis, eighteen semester hours of work must be completed in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering; six semester hours of supporting work must be completed outside the department.
2. Report option. Thirty-three semester hours (including three hours in the report course) are required to complete the program. In addition to the report, twenty-one to twenty-four semester hours of work must be completed in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering; six to nine semester hours of supporting work must be completed outside the department.
3. Option without thesis or report. Thirty-six semester hours are required to complete the program. Twenty-seven to thirty semester hours of work must be completed in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering; six to nine semester hours of supporting work must be completed outside the department.

All options must include at least eighteen semester hours of engineering courses. The program of coursework must be approved by the graduate adviser and the graduate dean. More detailed information is available from the graduate adviser.

Doctor of Philosophy

To qualify as a doctoral candidate, the student must fulfill the following requirements:

1. Hold a Master of Science degree in science or engineering. Upon formal petition by the student, the Graduate Studies Committee may waive this requirement in exceptional cases.
2. Perform satisfactorily on the qualifying procedures conducted by the Graduate Studies Committee.
3. Maintain a grade point average of at least 3.50 on all graduate coursework at the University of Texas at Austin.

In general, two to four years beyond the master's degree are required to complete the Doctor of Philosophy degree program. More detailed information is available from the graduate adviser.

For More Information

Campus address: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Building (CPE) 2.502, phone (512) 471-3161, fax (512) 471-9605

Mailing address: Graduate Program in Petroleum Engineering, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1061

URL: http://www.utexas.edu/coe/pge/academic/grad/grad.html

Petroleum and geosystems engineering courses: PGE

Contents |  Chapter 1 |  Chapter 2 |  Chapter 3
Chapter 4 |  Chapter 5 |  Appendix

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