Undergraduate and Graduate Petroleum Engineering Education in the U.S.

Abstract

Petroleum Engineering educational programs produce graduates Petroleum Engineering educational programs produce graduates primarily for the upstream sector of the petroleum industry. This primarily for the upstream sector of the petroleum industry. This paper will present a summary of both the undergraduate and paper will present a summary of both the undergraduate and graduate petroleum engineering programs in the United States. The undergraduate portion of the paper will address the curriculum, accreditation, enrollments, student recruitment, faculty, jobs, starting salaries, and a historical perspective. The graduate section will address both master and doctoral level programs including the number and size of programs, curriculum, programs including the number and size of programs, curriculum, admission requirements, program administration, jobs, salaries, and a historical perspective. PETROLEUM ENGINEERING EDUCATION HISTORY PETROLEUM ENGINEERING EDUCATION HISTORY Even though John Franklin Carl is often called the "father of petroleum engineering", Israel C. White in the late 1880's is petroleum engineering", Israel C. White in the late 1880's is recognized by some as the first practicing petroleum engineer in the Pennsylvania and West Virginia oil fields. Professional petroleum geologists were employed as early as 1897, in petroleum geologists were employed as early as 1897, in California and later in the Gulf Coast of Texas, Mexico and Oklahoma, and recognized the need for scientifically trained personnel in petroleum production. personnel in petroleum production. In the early 1900's, with the rapid growth of the petroleum industry and the encouragement of the scientifically trained individuals engaged in petroleum production, programs of study in petroleum technology were organized by the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey and later the U. S. Bureau of Mines. Formal studies in petroleum technology were offered by the University of Pittsburgh as early, as 1910 and the first petroleum engineering degrees were conferred in 1915 from this institution. As exploration and production of petroleum expanded throughout the U.S., petroleum engineering departments were organized. Eight universities initiated petroleum engineering programs during the decade 1910–1920; 12 in 1920–1930; and 10 during 1930–1960. Initially, petroleum engineering programs consisted of liberal arts, basic science and mathematics courses supplemented by applied geological courses and petroleum equipment and production courses. Then engineering science courses of statics, dynamics, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics were integrated into the program. Still later in the 1930's emphasis in specialized program. Still later in the 1930's emphasis in specialized petroleum courses shifted from the rock matrix to the pore space, petroleum courses shifted from the rock matrix to the pore space, pore fluid system and the productive mechanism pore fluid system and the productive mechanism During the period 1935–1945, phase behavior of reservoir fluids research coupled with the fundamental characteristics of fluid flow research provided the foundation for petroleum reservoir engineering. Graduate studies in petroleum engineering developed as early petroleum field discoveries began to be depleted. Hence, it was petroleum field discoveries began to be depleted. Hence, it was only natural that such programs were initiated in Pennsylvania, followed by California, then the mid-continent area and finally by the Gulf Coast area. By 1958 the northeastern petroleum universities, primarily the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University had granted 206 graduate degrees, the California universities 149, the mid-continent 207 and the Gulf Coast 161. Since 1945 modern petroleum engineering programs have incorporated the evolution of highly sophisticated technology in drilling, down hole logging, formation evaluation, transient well testing and production operations, imaging, artificial intelligence, the use of reservoir simulation and high speed computers, etc. in their curriculum courses. UNDERGRADUATE PETROLEUM ENGINEERING PROGRAMS PROGRAMS Unique Scope of Petroleum Engineering Undergraduate Education Petroleum engineering students are unequally trained primarily for Petroleum engineering students are unequally trained primarily for the upstream sector of the petroleum industry. However, this does not imply that they cannot perform well in other engineering jobs. Training areas that distinguish petroleum engineering graduates from other engineering graduates include: P. 817