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Return
to Official Publications Blue Text Reflects Updates to the Printed Catalog Catalog Contents Introduction |
Department
of Petroleum Engineering
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| Undergraduate Program | Curriculum Table | Graduate Program | Course Descriptions | Faculty |
This department supervises the following degree programs:
The department also offers a Graduate Certificate Program in petroleum engineering.
Mission. The mission of the Petroleum Engineering Department has three elements:
Program Educational Objectives. The department supports the mission of the university through its undergraduate program by providing students with an appropriate curriculum and educational experience. The course selection and content remain current through continuous assessment by faculty, students, alumni, petroleum industry advisory board (PIAB) members, and industry employers. To accomplish the mission, the petroleum engineering faculty, with advice from students, alumni, PIAB members, and industry employers, endorse program educational objectives to generate petroleum engineering graduates who will accomplish the following during the first few years after graduation:
The department, by fulfilling these objectives, will remain faithful to the mission of the College of Engineering and Texas Tech University, and in so doing, will satisfy the needs of the people of the state of Texas.
Program Outcomes. Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering program as well as the Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering and the Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering programs are educated to develop the following:
Program Overview. The department is uniquely located in the Permian Basin, where approximately 22 percent of the nation’s petroleum resources and 68 percent of Texas’ petroleum resources lie within a 175-mile radius. The department fulfills an obligation to the people of the State of Texas and the nation in making available the technical expertise for the safe and efficient development, production, and management of petroleum resources.
Petroleum engineering is the practical application of the basic and physical sciences of mathematics, geology, physics, and chemistry and all of the engineering sciences to the discovery, development, production, and transportation of petroleum. Petroleum is the most widely used form of mobile energy and now supplies approximately three-fourths of the total energy used in the United States. It is also a major raw material from which a wide variety of products are manufactured.
The department strongly encourages students to experience at least one summer internship for professional growth. Intern students will be assessed externally. The department has conferred over 1,800 B.S. degrees since the program’s inception in 1948. A high-priority goal is to produce quality B.S. graduates measured by:
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The department is heavily involved in assisting our students to find employment—both summer internships and full-time positions—upon graduation. Approximately 50 companies have recruited our students and nearly 100 percent of them have been placed upon graduation for the previous 15 years. Approximately 60 percent of our undergraduate body is on scholarship. An interview and resume workshop for the fall and spring semesters is conducted to assist students with interviewing and resume writing skills as an additional effort to maintain our outstanding placement rate. The curriculum is under continuous review, and revisions are made as needed to maintain accreditation and ensure employability of students. Faculty participation with ABET and the SPE Education and Accreditation Committee ensure the department is current on engineering education. In addition, faculty have attended and been principal planners in all seven of the Colloquiums on Petroleum Engineering Education. Changes in the petroleum engineering curriculum since 1991 have been implemented by the Petroleum Engineering Curriculum Committee after due consideration of input from the Petroleum Industry Advisory Board, ABET recommendations, and the department’s planning and assessment tools.
The department assists students to obtain summer internships. This provides invaluable and highly recommended industry experience to students. The increasing department involvement in industrial research provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to participate actively in the research experience on campus.
The Petroleum Engineering curriculum is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Success in engineering courses is highly dependent on knowledge and skills in mathematics. It is strongly recommended that students have a minimum mathematics SAT score of 610, a minimum score of 28 on the mathematics ACT, or take mathematics courses at a junior or community college to be prepared to take calculus classes at Texas Tech.
The department recommends that students consider acquiring a personal computer to facilitate coursework.
Curriculum. Petroleum engineering applies the curriculum management of the College of Engineering. To graduate, the student must complete the specified minimum number of hours of the curriculum, have a minimum overall GPA of 2.0, and earn a grade of C or better in all courses.
Transfer Admissions. Students applying for transfer into petroleum engineering from another institution or from another department at Texas Tech must have completed a minimum of 30 hours of transferable college work that includes Calculus I and II (MATH 1351 and 1352), Chemistry I (CHEM 1307 and 1107), and English I and II (ENGL 1301 and 1302) with a GPA of 2.50 or higher. This GPA criteria is subject to change based on the current enrollment trends in the Department of Petroleum Engineering.
The department is staffed with industry-experienced faculty who has an average of more than 20 years of experience per faculty member. This experience is combined with sound engineering and scientific principles in the classroom and made an integral part of the candidate’s educational challenge. Also, the department is located in a geographical area that produces 20 percent of the nation’s petroleum resources and 68 percent of Texas’ petroleum resources lie within a 175-mile radius. This proximity provides the student with unique opportunities for directly interfacing with industry while still a student as well as first hand observations of oil field operations. The department has been consistently ranked in the top ten petroleum engineering departments for both the graduate and undergraduate program.
Graduate studies in petroleum engineering prepare the engineer to assume responsibility in technical and managerial areas within the oil and gas industry. Historically, the graduate can expect to be challenged quickly and in areas of strong potential for personal and professional growth. Candidates with superior skills and the desire to progress within the industry can expect to be successful. The Petroleum Engineering Department at Texas Tech prepares the advanced student with the technical skills required to meet those challenges. Access to a laptop is required.
All petroleum-engineering courses can be taken for credit. A grade of B or better must be obtained in all graduate courses. No more than six hours of PETR 5000 can appear in a master degree plan without approval from the graduate dean. The curriculum is organized into four core areas that denote the teaching and research concentration of the faculty. However, the degree plan of a petroleum engineering student should include at least one course from each of the four core areas:
Drilling Engineering—PETR 5000, 5302, 5303, 5315, 5317.
Production Engineering—5000, 5306, 5314, 5316, 5318, 5319.
Reservoir Engineering—PETR 5000, 5307, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5312, 5313, 5320, 5321, 5322, 5323, 5325, 5326, 5327.
Formation Evaluation—PETR 5000, 5304, 5305, 5308, 5324, 5328, 5329.
Master's with Thesis. The master’s program requires a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours above the baccalaureate degree, including 6 credit hours allowed for the thesis and at least 18 credit hours of graduate petroleum engineering courses (excluding seminar). Additional graduate credit hours of other engineering, mathematics, or science will be allowed when approved by the candidate’s advisory committee and graduate advisor. A written thesis is required for the master’s degree. In addition, the candidate’s thesis committee will administer a final oral exam in defense of the completed thesis.
Master's without Thesis. The department also offers a nonthesis master’s program that requires a minimum of 33 graduate credit hours approved by the graduate advisor (excluding seminar). The graduate program for nonthesis master’s candidate is specifically tailored for that candidate’s educational background, industry experience, and individual interest. For both the thesis and the nonthesis programs, a final comprehensive examination is required. The policy governing the comprehensive examination is available with the departmental graduate advisor. Comprehensive examinations are given only after the graduate dean has admitted the students to candidacy.
Qualified students with a B.S. degree in an engineering field may enter the M.S. program in petroleum engineering by completing (without graduate credit) leveling work as needed in physics, chemistry, mathematics, geology, basic engineering courses and undergraduate petroleum engineering courses. A grade of B or better must be obtained in all courses. The details of the leveling program will be worked out on an individual basis by the graduate advisor, and the length of the program will depend on the student’s background. The leveling program courses (PETR 5380, 5381, 5382, 5383, and 5384) must be completed with a minimum grade of B.
Joint B.S.—M.S. Degrees. Student entering the petroleum engineering program are assigned a faculty advisor and are responsible for arranging a course of study with the advisor’s counsel and approval. Programs leading to a joint B.S.–M.S. degree are available. Students interested in these programs should inform their academic advisor during the first semester of the junior year.
All graduate students are required to register for PETR 5121 or 7121 each long semester unless exempted by the chairperson. The graduate seminar course does not count toward fulfilling degree requirements for the master’s or doctor’s program.
The objectives of the Ph.D. program are to provide students opportunities to reach a critical understanding of the basic scientific and engineering principles underlying their fields of interest and to cultivate their ability to apply these principles creatively through advanced methods of analysis, research, and synthesis. The Ph.D. degree is awarded primarily on the basis of research. Applicants for the doctoral degree must have a degree in engineering disciplines and must meet the approval of the department’s graduate committee. Students majoring in this department for doctoral degree must take diagnostic examinations (or preliminary examination) by the end of their second long semester. These examinations are based on the undergraduate curriculum. Each student is required to take the diagnostic examinations in their area of specialization and any three-core areas.
In addition to regulations established by the Graduate School, applicants for candidacy for the doctor’s degree are required to demonstrate high proficiency in a single research area. The coursework for each student must meet the approval of the student’s doctoral advisory committee. The department has no specific foreign language requirement (but a foreign language for the Ph.D. degree can be specified at the discretion of the student’s dissertation advisor). Research tools are included as an integral part of the degree program in the leveling, minor, or major courses of each student. Additional information may be obtained from the departmental program advisor.
All graduate students are required to register for PETR 5121 or 7121 each long semester unless exempted by the chairperson. The graduate seminar course does not count toward fulfilling degree requirements for the master’s or doctor’s program.
The department offers a certificate program in petroleum engineering. This certificate is intended to supplement a course of study for the student who posses an engineering degree other than petroleum engineering. The successful student will complete 18 hours as determined by the program and must complete with a B or better. The certificate program is intended to provide the above-average student with basic education in petroleum engineering.
Click here to see a complete list of courses in petroleum engineering (PETR).
Click here to view alphabetical listing of all TTU faculty and their academic credentials.
Lloyd R. Heinze, Ph.D., Chairperson
Roy S. Butler Professor: Heinze
Associate Professors: House, Ziaja
Assistant Professors: Awal, Siddiqui
Instructors: Giussani, Watson
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