Field of Study
Master of Science candidates must become proficient in the advanced levels of reservoir, drilling or production engineering. Drilling involves all aspects of wellbore drilling, casing design and cementing, and well completion. Reservoir engineering deals with all aspects of modeling the reservoir, studying fluid movement, and maximizing oil and gas recovery. Production is primarily the work of removing crude oil, gas, and water from the reservoir to the surface and separating and treating each fluid.
Degree Program with Thesis
A student pursuing a Petroleum Engineering Master’s degree with thesis will be required to take 30 semester hours of graduate credits. This includes a minimum of 21 semester hours of 400-500 level graduate course work, plus at least 6 semester hours in thesis research, plus at least 3 semester hours of graduate seminar courses. Of the 21 graduate credit hours, 15 hours must be selected from the Master’s Core Curriculum (see below) and the remaining 6 credit hours may be selected from Petroleum Engineering 400-500 level elective courses or technical 400-500 level elective courses.
Entering master’s students will be advised on curriculum by their assigned Petroleum Department advisor. The student, in consultation with the advisor, will select a Master’s Committee. The Master’s Committee will consist of three or four professional people who are adequately experienced to advise and judge the merits of the particular master’s work. At least two members of the Master’s Committee must be from the Petroleum Engineering Department faculty, including the student’s advisor. At least one member should be from faculty of other departments at Montana Tech. Other members can be from industry, or business, or other academia, providing their experience and interest is appropriate. All Master’s Committee members must agree to serve and must be available in-person for, at least, the oral thesis defense. The Department Master’s Advisory Committee must approve Master’s Committee members, and any changes in the advisor or committee members.
The advisor will collaborate with the student to define the student’s thesis topic. This topic will require original laboratory or theoretical research and experimentation by the student. Special topics, special problems, and thesis research courses will be designed by the advisor and committee to focus study of the thesis topic.
The Master’s Thesis is a written work which describes and explains the results of research and experimental work conducted by the student with conclusions and supporting information included. The intent of the thesis is to convey the results of new knowledge gained through the work of the student, in professional written format. The content and conclusions of the thesis must be deemed acceptable for master achievement by the members of the Master’s Committee. The procedures and deadlines for formatting and submitting a Master’s Thesis are detailed in the “Graduate School Handbook” available from the Graduate Studies Office. Additional requirements and guidelines are listed in the Petroleum Department “Thesis Guide”.
Degree Program with Report (Non-Thesis)
A student pursuing a Petroleum Engineering Master’s degree with report will be required to take 34 semester hours of graduate credits. This includes a minimum of 28 semester hours of 400-500 level graduate course work, plus 3 semester hours in report research, plus at least 3 semester hours of graduate seminar courses. Of the 28 graduate credit hours, 15 hours must be selected from the Master’s Core Curriculum (see below) and the remaining 13 credit hours may be selected from Petroleum Engineering 400-500 level elective courses or technical 400-500 level elective courses.
Entering master’s students will be advised on curriculum by their assigned Petroleum Department advisor. The student, in consultation with the advisor, will select a Master’s Committee. The Master’s Committee will consist of three or four professional people who are adequately experienced to advise and judge the merits of the particular master’s work. At least one member should be from faculty of other departments at Montana Tech. Other members can be from industry, or business, or other academia, providing their experience and interest is appropriate. All Master’s Committee members must agree to serve and must be available in-person for, at least, the oral report defense. The Department Master’s Advisory Committee must approve Master’s Committee members, and any changes in the advisor or committee members.
The advisor will collaborate with the student to define the student’s report topic. This topic will require in-depth engineering study by the student. Special topics, special problems, and report research courses will be designed by the advisor and committee to focus study on the report topic.
The Master’s Report is a written work which describes and explains the results of research and study conducted by the student with conclusions and supporting information included. The intent of the report is to convey the results of new knowledge gained through the work of the student, in a professional written format. The content and conclusions of the report must be deemed acceptable for master achievement by the members of the Master’s Committee. The procedures and deadlines for formatting and submitting a Master’s Thesis are detailed in the “Graduate School Student Handbook” available from the Graduate Studies Office. Additional requirements and guidelines are listed in the Petroleum Department “Thesis Guide”. The Thesis Guidelines are adapted for use in Master’s Report Submissions
Changing from thesis to non-thesis or vice-versa requires the approval of the Department Master’s Advisory Committee. The student’s advisor and Master’s Committee may need to be changed if the option is changed. Election to change to non-thesis may result in additional course requirements beyond the minimum. The new Master’s Committee will make the decision.
M.S. Core Curriculum
Although the general structure of a student’s selection of courses for the M.S. degree will be adapted to the student’s area of interest, every candidate must include in the selection at least five (5) of the following courses, which then constitutes the core curriculum for the M.S. in Petroleum Engineering:
PET 501 - Advanced Drilling Fluids
PET 5020 - Production Operations Design-Stimulation
PET 503 - Surface Production Facilities
PET 5040 - Advanced Reservoir Engineering
PET 5050 - Pressure Transient Analysis
PET 5080 - Thermal Recovery Methods
PET 511 - Advanced Reservoir Simulation
PET 512 - Offshore Drilling and Completion Operations
PET 5440 - Advanced Enhanced Oil Recovery
Graduate students are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA in the Master of Science program and the accumulation of three grades of “C” or lower in formal courses will be cause for dismissal from the program.
Examinations
Master’s candidates with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from an ABET-accredited institution are exempt from the Qualification Exam. All other Master’s candidates must take a Qualification Exam after completion of their deficiency courses. Refer to the Petroleum Engineering Department Master’s Degree bulletin for details.
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