petroleum engineering student in lab

Petroleum Engineering Ph.D.

Solutions to tomorrow's energy needs depend on you. Lead the way at North Dakota's only petroleum engineering program.

As a Ph.D. candidate in UND's petroleum engineering program, you'll become an innovative, critical thinker poised to solve today's energy problems and build technology that unlocks tomorrow's hydrocarbon reservoirs. The Department of Petroleum Engineering backed by significant support from the state and the oil industry.

Program type:
Doctoral Degree
Format:
On Campus or Online
Est. time to complete:
4 years
Credit hours:
90

Why earn a Ph.D. in petroleum engineering?

Application Deadlines
Fall:
Aug. 1
Spring:
Dec. 1
Summer:
May 1

If you're an international student, refer to the international application process for deadlines.

As a Ph.D. candidate in UND's petroleum engineering program, you'll have an inside track to participate in practical research projects in line with industry needs - and make significant contributions when you graduate.

Current petroleum engineering research includes:

  • Geomechanics, production and reservoir studies of hydraulic fracturing.
  • Studies on re-fracturing for optimization of production from unconventional shales.
  • Data driven modeling in unconventional reservoirs.
  • Petrophysical and geochemical analysis of shale oil.
  • Geophysics and seismic analysis of unconventional reservoirs.

You'll complete two consecutive semesters in residence during your first two years as a Ph.D. candidate at UND, and also complete a qualifying exam (that includes a research proposal), submit a series of peer-reviewed journal and conference papers and successfully defend a dissertation.

Petroleum Engineering Ph.D.

  • Work in world-class labs and train on cutting-edge simulators at our Collaborate Energy Complex.

  • Be on top of oil industry trends. Our Industry Advisory Council, represented by some of the state's biggest companies, regularly helps us refine our curriculum.

  • All master-level petroleum engineering courses available online.

  • Gain networking and career opportunities through relationships with the Society of Petroleum Engineers, North Dakota Petroleum Council and other groups.

  • Small class sizes + open-door policy among faculty = a rich, personalized learning experience for online and on-campus students.

  • Compete for a travel grant from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) to attend the SEG/Chevron Student Leadership Symposium.

Careers in Petroleum Engineering 

130K

Median salary in 2021 for a petroleum engineer in the U.S.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

22k

No. of petroleum engineering jobs in the U.S., 2021

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Petroleum engineers are in great demand. More than 90 percent of our graduates find jobs. Employers of petroleum engineers are involved in the following fields:

  • Petroleum exploration
  • Geologic formation characterization
  • Drilling and fracturing
  • Computer simulation
  • Equipment and process design to optimize recovery
  • Monitoring of production and processing

In addition, petroleum engineers are involved in refining, petro-chemical production and transportation of products, as well as geosciences, environmental efforts and international commerce.

Skills Learned in Petroleum Engineering Ph.D. Programs

A doctorate in Petroleum Engineering gives you the strategic skills you need, including:

  • Oil and Gas
  • Production Engineering
  • Reservoir Engineering
  • Strategic Planning

Petroleum Engineering Ph.D. Courses You Could Take

PTRE 541. Data Mining in Petroleum Engineering. 3 Credits.

This course will provide students with the fundamentals of data mining and machine learning methodologies and their applications in the petroleum industry. Students will become familiar with data mining system architecture, concepts and tasks such as data processing, data integration and classification techniques. Prerequisite: Background/knowledge of Multivariable Calculus. S, odd years.

PTRE 521. Advanced Production Engineering. 3 Credits.

Principles of development and operation of petroleum production systems. Optimization of production systems for various reservoirs. All professional components in artificial technology for oil production operations. Calculation of different skin components. Horizontal well and multilateral well performance. Formation damage. Design and optimization of surface facility. Prerequisite: Background/knowledge of Production Engineering. F, odd years.

PTRE 581. Reservoir Geophysics. 3 Credits.

This fundamental course provides students with the basic knowledge required to understand a typical 2D 3D seismic processing workflow. This covers the processing sequence, parameter selection and how to design and handle a seismic processing project. Prerequisite: Background/knowledge of Petrophysics. S, even years.

PTRE 571. Petroleum Geostatistics. 3 Credits.

The reservoir data including porosity and permeability follow the spatial statistics as there is a dependency between the data depending on their distance and position with respect to each other. This course presents the fundamental of spatial statistics with several case examples in Petroleum Engineering. Prerequisite: Background/knowledge of Calculus-based Statistics. F, even years.

PTRE 561. Natural Gas Engineering. 3 Credits.

Estimation of gas properties for well test or production data analysis using accurate correlations and laboratory data. Gas field development and material balance analysis for gas reserve calculation. Study of production and reservoir characteristics of gas and gas-condensate reservoirs. Skin effects and calculation for non-Darcy flow in gas well. Design, evaluation, and optimization of gas production and transportation system using nodal analysis. Analysis and design of gas well flow systems. Design surface facilities for gas well stream separation, dehydration, and compression. Gas processing, transportation, and metering. Gas hydrate prevention and inhibition. Prerequisite: Background/knowledge of Reservoir Engineering. S, odd years.

PTRE 510. Practical Seismic Processing. 3 Credits.

This fundamental course provides students with the basic knowledge required to understand a typical 2D 3D seismic processing workflow. This covers the processing sequence, parameter selection and how to design and handle a seismic processing project. Prerequisite: Background/knowledge of Petrophysics. On demand.

UND Petroleum Engineering Ph.D.

Best Online Petroleum Engineering Ph.D. Program

UND is a top academic and research institutions in the nation for petroleum engineering. Our program ranks among the best for educational quality, affordability, and career outcomes.

RANKED #6 BEST PETROLEUM ENGINEERING PROGRAM

Read About Award

Petroleum Engineering Research

Award winning research and training

UND won the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Williston Basin chapter of the American Petroleum Institute.

Read About Award
Explore More Options

Connect with the petroleum engineering faculty you'll work with at UND or discover additional opportunities.

Department Contact 
Vamegh Rasouli
Graduate Director
P 701.777.2131
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