At which campus can I study this program?
Requirements for a minor may be completed at any campus location offering the specified courses for the minor. Students may not change from a campus that offers their major to a campus that does not offer their major for the purpose of completing a minor.
Program Description
The minor in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering is for students interested in the drilling and production of oil and gas. It provides an opportunity for students to understand and appreciate the relationship between petroleum and natural gas demand, production, and their environmental impact. Students are exposed to the basic courses in petroleum and natural gas extraction, particularly as they relate to drilling, production, and characterization. Advising is available through the professor in charge.
What is Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering?
Petroleum and natural gas engineers solve crucial problems related to one of the most important resources for society today: energy. It's a dynamic field that allows graduates to work in a range of environments, from the Marcellus Shale regions in the Northeast, to offshore sites in the Gulf of Mexico. The work can involve getting your hands dirty in the field or working in an office, planning out how to overcome obstacles related to drilling, production, evaluation, transportation, and storage—the entire scope of the energy extraction industry. Petroleum and natural gas engineers have the important job of assessing, locating, and extracting fuel resources while adhering to environmental standards. Petroleum engineers are also well suited to solve complex problems in aquifer cleanup of inorganic and organic contaminants and in design of geothermal energy extraction.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You want to use science and engineering principles to address the technological challenges of the petroleum and natural gas industry.
- You like traveling both within the U.S. and internationally, and working outside including in unique settings such as offshore rigs.
- You enjoy combining disciplines such as geology, physics, and math to solve problems, and using technical skills both in the office and in the field.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 23 |
Requirements for the Minor
A minimum of 23 credits is required for the minor.
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| PHYS 211 | General Physics: Mechanics  | 4 |
| PNG 405 | Rock and Fluid Properties | 3 |
| PNG 406 | Rock and Fluid Laboratory | 1 |
| PNG 410 | Applied Reservoir Engineering | 3 |
| PNG 440 | Formation Evaluation | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 9 credits of the following: | 9 | |
| Introduction to Petroleum and Natural Gas Extraction | ||
| Applied Reservoir Analysis and Secondary Recovery | ||
| Principles of Well Testing and Evaluation | ||
| Reservoir Modeling | ||
| Drilling Engineering | ||
| Drilling Laboratory | ||
| Production and Completions Engineering | ||
| Surface Production Engineering | ||
| Production Engineering Laboratory | ||
| Independent Studies | ||
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university’s academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee’s unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Yilin John Wang
Program Chair for Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
202 Hosler Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-8474
yjw2@psu.edu
Contact
University Park
JOHN AND WILLIE LEONE FAMILY DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND MINERAL ENGINEERING
113 Hosler Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-3437
eme@ems.psu.edu