Petroleum Engineering

Bachelor's Degree Program

Students from all over the world come to UAF to study petroleum engineering. This ABET-accredited program is the only degree of its kind in Alaska. It’s also the only petroleum engineering program in the United States that emphasizes the unique challenges found in the Arctic. That gives our graduates a huge edge with employers in Alaska and throughout the North.

The petroleum engineering degree at UAF puts you in the heart of the nation’s energy frontier, with access to research, hands-on learning and professional opportunities you won’t find anywhere else in the world. You’ll have the advantage of working one-on-one with accomplished faculty who are experts in their fields. Your professors will know you by name and their doors are always open.

We have a long and successful track record of preparing leaders in the industry. More than 98% of our bachelor’s in petroleum engineering graduates find permanent positions in the oil industry or go to graduate school.

What Is Petroleum Engineering?

Energy plays a crucial role in almost every aspect of our daily lives, and petroleum is the largest source of energy in the United States. Petroleum engineering combines the basic sciences of chemistry, geology and physics with engineering sciences to promote the development and production of conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources (such as crude oil and natural gas). The objective of petroleum engineers is to maximize the economical production from reservoirs while maintaining safety, efficiency and environmental stability.

What do petroleum engineers do?

Petroleum engineers work on important challenges that affect the way people around the world are able to access energy. Job duties include recommending the strategic placement of wells, developing well drilling plans, evaluating potential well production rates and performances and providing technical assistance during drilling operations to resolve potential problems.

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Quick Facts

Degree type:

  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Availability:

  • UAF’s main campus in Fairbanks, Alaska

Accredited by:

  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

 

Why Study Petroleum Engineering at UAF?

We offer one of the most modern and challenging petroleum engineering degree programs anywhere in the world, in the state that’s home to the largest oil field in North America. These are some of the opportunities you’ll have when you study petroleum engineering at UAF.

Get specialized training for petroleum engineering in Alaska and the Arctic

  • We prepare students for the unique challenges of the Arctic due to the harsh, cold climate, permafrost and remote location. You’ll find this emphasis in both the curriculum and the research opportunities associated with this program. As a result, our graduates are well versed in the oil and gas operations in the Arctic and highly sought after by employers throughout the region.

Take part in unique hands-on learning opportunities

  • Labs provide hands-on experience and are more advanced compared to many other programs, with software and equipment used by industry professionals available in our Petroleum Development Laboratory. For example, one of the exercises you’ll participate in involves separating the oil, gas and water in a horizontal separator after production from an oil well.
  • The major oil and gas producing and drilling service companies also offer summer internships to our students in Alaska and the Lower 48.

 
Engage in undergraduate research

  • Our research focuses on the development of oil and gas resources in Alaska. This encompasses enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and other well drilling and completion projects that involve dealing with permafrost. For example, we are currently leading the first ever field pilot on Alaska's north slope to validate the use of polymer floods for heavy oil EOR, a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

 
Participate in petroleum engineering professional organizations

  • We have very active student chapters of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the American Association of Drilling Engineers (AADE). These offer industry speaker seminars and other networking events that take your learning experience beyond the classroom.
  • You can also take part in field trips to oil and gas production facilities and participate in student paper and other competitive events that are held as part of SPE and AADE.

 
Work closely with award-winning faculty

  • Our professors include winners of the SPE Western Region Distinguished Achievement Award for petroleum engineering faculty. All are active in research and are published authors in the field of petroleum engineering.

 

What Can You Do With a Degree in Petroleum Engineering?

When you earn your degree in petroleum engineering at UAF, you can look forward to a wide range of exciting career possibilities, in Alaska and beyond. Operating oil and gas companies and service companies routinely recruit graduates of the program. A number of our petroleum engineering degree graduates have gone on to achieve high level managerial and executive level positions in the oil industry.

 

 

Course Requirements for Petroleum Engineering

Courses in petroleum engineering deal with drilling, formation evaluation, production, reservoir engineering, computer simulation and enhanced oil recovery. The curriculum prepares you to meet the demands of modern technology while emphasizing the unique challenges encountered in Alaska.

View all required classes for the degree in petroleum engineering

Bachelor’s Degree Programs Related to Petroleum Engineering

 

Get Started on Your Bachelor’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering

Take the next step toward earning your petroleum engineering degree. We have the resources to help you get started.

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Transfer to UAF

Transferring to UAF? We can walk you through the process and help make sure you get the most out of the credits you’ve earned.

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Earn your bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering at UAF. Submit your application online today.