Petroleum Engineering

College of Engineering and Mines
Department of Petroleum Engineering
907-474-7734
www.uaf.edu/cem/pete/

B.S., M.S. Degree

Minimum Requirements for Degree: 134 credits

The mission of the petroleum engineering program is to provide its students with quality education and training in the field of petroleum engineering through effective teaching, research and public service, with emphasis on Alaska petroleum resources.

Petroleum engineering offers a unique look at the challenging problems confronting the petroleum industry. This program requires an understanding of many disciplines including mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology and engineering science. Courses in petroleum engineering deal with drilling, formation evaluation, production, reservoir engineering, computer simulation and enhanced oil recovery.

The curriculum prepares graduates to meet the demands of modern technology while emphasizing, whenever possible, the special problems encountered in Alaska. Located in one of the largest oil-producing states in the nation, the UAF petroleum engineering department offers one of the most modern and challenging degree programs available.

The petroleum engineering program educational objectives are:

  1. Provide students with a broad knowledge of the principles of petroleum engineering and their application.
  2. Provide students with the knowledge and skills required to design and analyze petroleum engineering problems, taking into account, safety, environmental and societal impacts.
  3. Provide students with the skills necessary to perform in the multi-disciplinary environment of the 21st century.
  4. Provide students with appreciation for the value of continuing professional development in maintaining their professional competence.
  5. Assure that graduates from the program are well-prepared to succeed in their professional careers, whether they pursue graduate studies or enter the work force in industry, academia or government.

For more information about the Petroleum Engineering Program mission, goals and educational objectives, visit www.uaf.edu/cem/pete/about/.

Major — B.S. Degree

  1. Complete the general university requirements. (As part of the core curriculum requirements, complete: MATH F200X, CHEM F105X and F106X, and LS F101X.)
  2. Complete the B.S. degree requirements. (As part of the B.S. degree requirements, complete: MATH F201X, PHYS F211X and F212X.)
  3. Complete the following program (major) requirements:*
    ES F201—Computer Techniques—3 credits
    ES F208—Mechanics—4 credits
    ES F331—Mechanics of Materials—3 credits
    ES F341—Fluid Mechanics—4 credits
    ES F346—Basic Thermodynamics—3 credits
    GE F261—General Geology for Engineers (3)
         or GEOS F101X—The Dynamic Earth (4)—3 – 4 credits
    GEOS F370—Sedimentary and Structural Geology for Petroleum Engineers—4 credits
    PETE F103—Survey of Energy Industries—1 credit
    PETE F104—Fundamentals of Petroleum—1 credit
    PETE F205—Fundamentals of Drilling Practices—1 credit
    PETE F206—Introduction to Petroleum Production—1 credit
    PETE F301—Reservoir Rock and Fluid Properties—4 credits
    PETE F302—Well Logging—3 credits
    PETE F303W—Reservoir Rock and Fluid Properties Laboratory—1 credit
    PETE F407—Petroleum Production Engineering—3 credits
    PETE F411W—Drilling Fluids Laboratory—1 credit
    PETE F421—Reservoir Characterization—3 credits
    PETE F426—Drilling Engineering—3 credits
    PETE F431—Natural Gas Engineering—2 credits
    PETE F456—Petroleum Evaluation and Economic Decisions—3 credits
    PETE F466—Petroleum Recovery Methods—3 credits
    PETE F476—Petroleum Reservoir Engineering—3 credits
    PETE F478—Well Test Analysis—2 credits
    PETE F481W—Well Completions and Stimulation Design—3 credits
    PETE F487A—Petroleum Project Design**—1 credit
    PETE F487BW,O—Petroleum Project Design—1 credit
    PETE F489—Reservoir Simulation—2 credits
    Engineering elective***—3 credits
    Technical elective****—3 credits
  4. Complete the following program (major) requirements:
    MATH F202X—Calculus III—4 credits
    MATH F302—Differential Equations—3 credits
    MATH F310—Numerical Analysis (3)
         or ES F301—Engineering Analysis—3 credits
  5. Complete the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (as approved by the Board of Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors).
  6. Minimum credits required—134 credits

* Student must earn a C grade or better in each course.

** PETE F487A is prerequisite for PETE F487B. Must take both courses to meet the oral communication and writing intensive requirements.

*** As approved by advisor (e.g. ME F416 or ES F307).

**** As approved by advisor (e.g. CE F603).