At which campus can I study this program?
Spring 2026 Curricular Update: The program description, entrance requirements, and program requirements detailed on this page are effective beginning Spring 2026. To learn more about what approved curricular changes take effect in Spring 2026, please visit the Changes to the UG Bulletin page. To view the requirements in effect for Fall 2025, please visit the 2025-26 Undergraduate Bulletin PDF.
Program Description
The minor in Subsurface Energy Engineering offers a curriculum focused on energy and subsurface systems for sustainable and cleaner energy. Students learn basic subsurface energy extraction, subsurface characterization, fluid and rock physics, and reservoir analysis for energy production and storage. They develop strategies for efficient energy use and gain theoretical knowledge and practical skills, preparing them to address current and future energy challenges with an emphasis on sustainability and safety.
The prescribed courses for this minor have a prerequisite of MATH 140 and a concurrent course: EME 303, which itself has prerequisites of (MATH 250 or MATH 251) and PHYS 211. Note that MATH 141 is a prerequisite for MATH 250 and for MATH 251. Other prerequisites may be needed depending on which additional courses are chosen.
What is Subsurface Energy Engineering?
Meeting current and future energy challenges requires significant advances to ensure safe, sustainable, and affordable access to natural resources and storage in the subsurface. Subsurface Energy Engineering is focused on designing, implementing, and managing solutions for subsurface energy production and storage. This includes geological carbon storage, geothermal energy, soil remediation, hydrocarbon recovery, carbon capture and storage, and groundwater resources. Subsurface energy engineers tackle crucial problems related to energy – one of society's most important resources. They primarily work in the upstream sector of the petroleum and energy industries, which encompasses exploration, field development, well drilling, production, and injection well optimization. These engineers determine the best drilling and completion methods, monitor and manage production operations, and devise reservoir development strategies. Their work has significant global economic, environmental, geopolitical, and societal impacts. Subsurface energy engineers are also adept at solving complex challenges in geothermal energy, geological carbon sequestration, hydrogen and energy storage, wastewater disposal, and environmental remediation of soil, groundwater, and other geological media.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You enjoy combining disciplines such as geology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics to solve complex problems of importance to society.
- You want to use science and engineering principles to tackle the challenges of global energy demands.
- You seek a profession that offers domestic and international networking opportunities.
- You enjoy working in the field, performing sophisticated computer simulations, or interpreting geologic and production data.
Spring 2026 Curricular Update: The program description, entrance requirements, and program requirements detailed on this page are effective beginning Spring 2026. To learn more about what approved curricular changes take effect in Spring 2026, please visit the Changes to the UG Bulletin page. To view the requirements in effect for Fall 2025, please visit the 2025-26 Undergraduate Bulletin PDF.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 18 |
Requirements for the Minor
A minimum of 18 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. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| EME 200 | Subsurface Energy Engineering  | 3 |
| PNG 305 | Rock and Fluid Properties | 3 |
| PNG 410 | Reservoir Engineering | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
| Energy Economics | ||
| Geo-resource Evaluation and Investment Analysis | ||
| Contaminant Hydrology | ||
| Geology of Oil and Gas | ||
| Underground Mining | ||
| Applied Reservoir Analysis and Secondary Recovery | ||
| Reservoir Modeling | ||
| Formation Evaluation | ||
| Drilling Engineering | ||
| Subsurface Storage Engineering | ||
| Production and Completions Engineering | ||
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
Hamid Emami-Meybodi
Program Chair, Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
151 Hosler Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-3987
emami@psu.edu
Molly Hanna
Academic Adviser
101A Hosler Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-8475
mkn6@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