PETEN-MS - Petroleum Engineering (MS)
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Program Overview
The objective is to prepare the student for professional work in the energy industry, or for doctoral studies, through completion of fundamental courses in the major field and in related sciences as well as independent research.
Students entering the graduate program are expected to have an undergraduate-level engineering or physical science background. Competence in computer programming in a high-level language (course Programming Abstractions or the equivalent) and knowledge of engineering and geological fundamentals (course Fundamentals of Petroleum Engineering, course Well Log Analysis I, and course Sediments: The Book of Earth's History) are prerequisites for taking most graduate courses.
Coterminal M.S. Program in Petroleum Engineering
The coterminal B.S./M.S. program offers an opportunity for Stanford University students to pursue a graduate experience while completing the B.S. degree in any relevant major. Petroleum Engineering graduate students generally come from backgrounds such as chemical, civil, or mechanical engineering; geology or other earth sciences; or physics or chemistry.
The two types of M.S. degrees, the course work only degree and the research degree, as well as the courses required to meet degree requirements, are described above in the M.S. section. Both degrees require 45 units and may take from one to two years to complete depending on circumstances unique to each student.
Requirements to enter the program are: three letters of recommendation from faculty members or job supervisors, a statement of purpose, scores from the GRE general test, and a copy of Stanford University transcripts. While the department does not require any specific GPA or GRE score, potential applicants are expected to compete favorably with graduate student applicants.
University Coterminal Requirements
Coterminal master’s degree candidates are expected to complete all master’s degree requirements as described in this bulletin. University requirements for the coterminal master’s degree are described in the Coterminal Master's Degrees section. University requirements for the master’s degree are described in the Graduate Degrees section of this bulletin.
After accepting admission to this coterminal master’s degree program, students may request transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy requirements for the master’s degree. Transfer of courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case by case basis.
In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken prior to the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.
Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.
The University requires that the graduate advisor be assigned in the student’s first graduate quarter even though the undergraduate career may still be open. The University also requires that the Master’s Degree Program Proposal be completed by the student and approved by the department by the end of the student’s first graduate quarter.
A Petroleum Engineering master's degree can be used as a terminal degree for obtaining a professional job in the engineering or energy industries, or in any related industry where application of physical principles or computer simulation skills are required. It can also be a stepping stone to a Ph.D. degree that usually leads to a professional research job or an academic position.
Students should apply to the program any time after they have completed 120 undergraduate units. Contact the Department of Energy Resources Engineering to obtain additional information. Students should have a background at least through course Ordinary Differential Equations with Linear Algebra and course Programming Methodology and course Programming Abstractions before beginning graduate work in this program.
Director of Graduate Studies
No more than one incomplete grade at any time
A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0
A grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 each quarter
A minimum of 15 units completed within each two quarter period (excluding Summer Quarter).
Unless otherwise stated by the instructor, incomplete grades in courses within the department are changed to 'NP' (not passed) at the end of the quarter after the one in which the course was given. This one quarter limit is a different constraint from the maximum one-year limit allowed by the University.
Academic performance is reviewed each quarter by a faculty committee. At the beginning of the next quarter, any student not in good academic standing receives a letter from the committee or department chair stating criteria that must be met for the student to return to good academic standing. If the situation is not corrected by the end of the quarter, possible consequences include termination of financial support, termination of departmental privileges, and termination from the University.
Students funded by research grants or fellowships from the department are expected to spend at least half of their time (a minimum of 20 hours per week) on research. Continued funding is contingent upon satisfactory research effort and progress as determined by the student's advisor. After Autumn Quarter of the first year, students receive a letter from the department chair concerning their research performance. If problems are identified and they persist through the second quarter, a warning letter is sent. Problems persisting into a third quarter may lead to loss of departmental support including tuition and stipend. Similar procedures are applied in subsequent years.
A balanced master's degree program including engineering course work and research requires a minimum of one maximum-tuition academic year beyond the baccalaureate to meet the University residence requirements. Many full-time students spend at least one summer to complete the research requirement. An alternative master's degree program based only on course work is available, also requiring at least one full tuition academic year to meet University residence requirements.
M.S. students who anticipate continuing in the Ph.D. program should follow the research option. M.S. students receiving financial aid normally require two academic years to complete the degree. Such students must take the research option.
The candidate must fulfill the following requirements:
Register as a graduate student for at least 45 units.
Submit a program proposal for the Master's degree approved by the advisor during the first quarter of enrollment.
Complete 45 units with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0. This requirement is satisfied by taking the core sequence, selecting one of the seven elective sequences, an appropriate number of additional courses from the list of technical electives, and completing 6 units of master's level research. Students electing the course work only M.S. degree are strongly encouraged to select an additional elective sequence in place of the research requirement. Students interested in continuing for a Ph.D. are expected to choose the research option and enroll in 6 units of course Master's Degree Research in Energy Resources Engineering. All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Complete 3 units of course ERE Master's Graduate Seminar. These units do not count toward the 45 units of course work required for the M.S. degree.
Students entering without an undergraduate degree in Petroleum Engineering must make up deficiencies in previous training. Not more than 10 units of such work may be counted as part of the minimum total of 45 units toward the M.S. degree.
Research subjects include certain groundwater hydrology and environmental problems, energy industry management, flow of non-Newtonian fluids, geothermal energy, natural gas engineering, oil and gas recovery, pipeline transportation, production optimization, reservoir characterization and modeling, carbon sequestration, reservoir engineering, reservoir simulation, and transient well test analysis.
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Students choosing the self-funded course-work-only option for the M.S. degree may substitute an additional elective sequence in place of the research.