Montana Tech of the University of Montana

School of Mines & Engineering
1300 West Park Street
Butte, MT 59701
Phone: 1.409.496.4101 or 1.800.445. TECH (8324)
Facsimile: 1. 406.496.4417

Department email: jevans@mtech.edu
Department website: www.mtech.edu/mines/pet_eng/

Dean: Dr. H. Peter Knudsen, Dean of School of Mines & Engineering
Chair: John G Evans, Department Head

Contact Information

Petroleum Engineering Degree Information

http://www.mtech.edu/petroleum/

Accreditation

Both bachelors and masters degrees are granted in all programs in the School of Mines and Engineering. The engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (EAC/ABET).

Curriculum Description

Undergraduate:

The primary mission of the Petroleum Engineering Program is to prepare its graduates to enter and continue the practice of Petroleum engineering at professional level. The program is designed to provide both breadth and depth across the range of topics included in curriculum.

Petroleum engineers are concerned with the design and use of wells and well systems for production oil, gas and other natural resources form the earth, and for conveying fluids into, out of, or through the ear’s subsurface for industrial, scientific or other purposes. Responsibilities of the engineering include the design of the drilling, production, recovery and field processing systems to provide the most economical recovery and utilitzation of the world’s principal source of fuels and chemical feed-stocks. Effective synthesis of these systems is based on a comprehensive knowledge of the basic mathematics, science and engineering principles.

The primary objective of the Petroleum Engineering curriculum is to impart knowledge of the physical and chemical laws and their application to the analysis and solution of engineering problems. The challenges include increasing production rates, improving recovery and protecting the environment. The development of analytical problem solving and of verbal and written communication skill is emphasized throughout the program.

Masters:

The areas of expertise that graduate students may study in Petroleum Engineering are drilling, reservoir, and production engineering. Drilling deals with all aspects of well bore drilling, casing design and cementing, and well completion. Reservoir engineering deals with all aspects of modeling the reservoir different fluid movement and maximizing oil and gas recovery. Production is primarily the science of removing the crude oil, gas, and water from the reservoir to the surface and separating and treating each fluid.

Program Admission Requirements

Undergraduate:

Graduate of accredited high school, a high school cumulative GPA of 2.50 (4.0 scale) or greater, ACT Enhanced composite score of 22 or SAT combined score of 1030, 4 yrs. English, 3 yrs. Math, 3 yrs. Social Studies to include one year of Global Studies, 2 yrs. lab science, (one year must be Earth Science, Biology, chemistry, or Physics), the other year can be from one of those sciences or another college preparatory laboratory science, and 2 yrs. chosen from the following: foreign language, visual and performing arts, computer science, or vocational education units. Engineering students at Montana Tech must complete at least 6 credits of social sciences and 3 credits of economics to satisfy ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology) curricular requirements. Engineering students must take 1) ECON 260 Principles of Economics; 2)
Six credits of social science – chosen from two possible themes – Government or Human Systems; and 3) Six credits in Humanities _ chosen from two possible themes – Western Traditions or International Studies.

Masters:

Degree Program with Thesis: This degree requires 30 semester hours with a minimum of 22 semester hours of course work plus at least six (6) semester hours in thesis research plus three (3) semester hours of graduate seminar. Of the 22 course credit hours, three (3) credit hours must be in approved non-petroleum electives. Entering graduate students will be advised on curriculum by the department graduate advisor. The student will select a thesis advisor byte ht end of the first semester and the student, in consultation with this advisor, will select a thesis committee. This committee will consist of at least three petroleum engineering faculty, a graduate school representative, and possibly a faculty member from another department.

The thesis advisor will collaborate with the student to define the student’s thesis problem. This problem will require original laboratory or theoretical work on the part of the student. The student’s thesis committee in consultation with the student will design the curriculum for each student, to be focused in the area of specialization desired by the student.

Graduate student are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA in the Master of Science Program and the accumulation of three grades of “C” in formal courses will be cause for dismissal from the program.

Degree Program with Report (Non-Thesis): The M.S. with report requires a minimum of 34 semester hours of advanced-level course work, of which three (3) semester hours may be granted for the report and three (3) semester hours of graduate seminar. The report must be prepared in a formal engineering format and be presented in an oral presentation before the graduate committee. All other requirements for this program are the same as the M. S. with thesis.

Faculty Information

Curriculum Analysis