PETROLEUM Engineering 2014/2015

Got an offer from dubai campus of heriot watt. Msc petroleum engg. How good is that at dubai campus ?

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How much are the fees for the Dubai campus, heard really good things about its structure and course


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Hi,

I am going to start studying a masters in Petroleum Engineering at Manchester this month and was wondering if anyone else is entering and gained an offer or applying this year because it is a new course at undergrad level only only 2-3 unis currently offer it.

http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/Subjects/Overview/10007798-332/ReturnTo/Search




This thread is starting to gain a lot of ground, so ill write a more detailed intro on Petroleum Engineering. Feel free to quote me if you want to ask a question.

Focused on oil + gas extraction, Petroleum Engineers are divided into three groups:

Reservoir engineers work to optimise production of oil and gas via proper well placement, production levels and enhanced oil recovery techniques. They use computer simulations to assist in the identification of risks and to make forecasts on reservoir potential.

Production engineers manage the interface between the reservoir and the well through such tasks as (but not limited to) perforations, sand control, artificial lift, downhole flow control and downhole monitoring equipment. They also select surface equipment that separates the produced fluids (oil, natural gas and water).

Drilling engineers manage the technical aspects of drilling both production and injection wells. They work in multidisciplinary teams alongside other engineers, scientists, drilling teams and contractors.

Petroleum Engineers are among the highest paid graduates because of their short supply, with many people who study in this field choosing to do so because of the travel opportunities around the world and the long holidays received in the industry. In terms of salary upon graduation, salaries range from £26'000-38'000 which even the exceptions who get paid unto £50'000. within 6 months of graduation the average employment rate reaches 95%, with the major energy companies being the leading employers (BP, Shell etc), however it is also possible to choose to work in a range of careers from investment banking to management consultancy which is not uncommon.

Most Petroleum Engineering courses at undergraduate level are essentially half Geology and half Chemical Engineering, and the interface between them is well managed and perfect for those of you who don't just want to study Geography or Science. Its quite a practical course which involves coursework, and also provides an opportunity to go on field trips.

A petroleum engineer is involved in nearly all stages of oil and gas field evaluation, development and production. The aim is to maximise hydrocarbon recovery at minimum cost while maintaining a strong emphasis on reducing environmental impact.

Almost every Petroleum Engineer is also a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineering, the global outreach for this discipline which hold loads of events and conferences. (e.g. Pet Eng students at Manchester receive £10'000 annually to spend on socials and conferences). Also there are loads of opportunity for Scholarships both from the universities to the students studying this discipline and the major energy companies, usually ranging from £500-£5000 (with the largest being the BP Stem Scholarship, constituting to £5000 annually).

This is a relatively new course at undergrad at most unis, which those that provide it being:

Manchester: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/search2014/atoz/06140/petroleum-engineering-4-years-meng/
Imperial: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/ugprospectus/facultiesanddepartments/earthscience/geologycourses
Herriot Watt: http://www.pet.hw.ac.uk
Aberdeen: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/engineering/petroleum_engineering/
Leeds: http://www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/speme/undergraduate/degree-petroleum-engineering/
Portsmouth: http://www.port.ac.uk/courses/engineering/beng-hons-petroleum-engineering/
Salford: http://www.salford.ac.uk/computing-science-engineering/subjects/petroleum-and-gas-engineering
LSB: http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/courses/course-finder/petroleum-engineering-beng-hons
Teeside: http://www.tees.ac.uk/postgraduate_courses/Engineering/PgDip_MSc_Petroleum_Engineering.cfm

It is also common to study an MSc in Petroleum Engineering by those who studied a different type of engineering and are interested in this field, with the top unis being Manchester, Herriot Watt and Imperial (with HW 2nd in the world behind Texas A&M), with most of the unis in the above list providing the course at Masters level.



Additional sites: http://www.spe.org/index.php

I graduate from the Manchester Pet Eng course this summer and I'm starting a job with Shell as Reservoir Engineer from July.

If anybody has any questions, fire away.

did you do the MEng?

No I'm doing the BEng. But I was originally enrolled for the MEng

I did an assessed internship with Shell in the summer of my 2nd year and was made a job offer. They were willing to hire me with a BEng so I switched.

No I'm doing the BEng. But I was originally enrolled for the MEng

I did an assessed internship with Shell in the summer of my 2nd year and was made a job offer. They were willing to hire me with a BEng so I switched.

What would you suggest someone looking to start the course in September to read up on over the summer?

Thanks

just out of curiosity but did you have to do tests prior to getting the internship? If so how did you practise for those..

For Shell, I did an online assessment consisting of a decision making exercise and a maths assessment.

They're pretty straightforward, but time constrained. I didn't practice, but ideally one should. There are a lot of online competency test websites out there.

Passing the online assessments leads to a 1 hour telephone interview.

Passing the interview leads to an internship, subject to suitable project availability and the candidate being suitable for a project.

I see thanks, I would imagine your job will not be based in the UK then?

I graduate from the Manchester Pet Eng course this summer and I'm starting a job with Shell as Reservoir Engineer from July.

If anybody has any questions, fire away.

Apart from yourself, how many of your peers have:

a) Gained an internship
b) Go a job secured once they graduate.

Hope you can answer this as curious. Thanks

Hugo is right regarding the difficulty of going straight into a major operator.

I was quite successful at getting interviews with the major operators, and my main tip would be that it's about far more than just your technical skills: it's about you as an individual and your soft skills as well. A first obviously helps, but they're looking for far more than that. You really need to build up a CV containing a wide range of activities, e.g. things like volunteering.

Brand is quite important to the majors. They receive a lot of negative press, but at the same time they also do a lot in the way of CSR. So do something like being a STEM ambassador, as they like things like that.

They also like people who are proactive and have done their research. With the internet, it's really easy to find information, so make use of it.

You were once a member of SPE right? Do they organize stuff you can be pro-active with? I suppose that might help quite a bit.

(a.)

I'll be honest, getting internships at major oil companies is very tough and competitive. So general numbers aren't high. Quality of CV is everything for the major oil companies and it takes a lot of time, effort, proactiveness and dedication to build up a relevant skills portfolio and a CV suited for the major companies. I'm not saying that to brag, it's just the truth.

There are 45 students in my year and only 5 of us secured internships at companies like BP, Shell.

Others have secured internships at smaller companies, some of which may or may not be related to oil and gas, but general engineering.

(b.) With regard to employment, many of my senior friends from the year above me work for major oil companies or upstream service companies and the course has a good employment track record. A lot of students go on to do an MSc at Heriot Watt or Imperial after doing the BEng here.

What sort of qualities would you think are admirable? Is the CV the best way to increase chances of getting an internship? Are internships done typically between the second and third years? Also how many companies did student submit an internship application too?

The course at Manchester is very well structured in terms of how they build up your knowledge, and relevance to the field. So it's not essential to read ahead, but if you still want to get ahead in the game I'd suggest the following -

Petroleum Engineering starts with a thorough understanding of the subsurface geology where the hydrocarbons are stored, so naturally there is a significant geological engineering component to the field.

Read up on specific terms -

Source Rock, Reservoir Rock, Seal Rock, Petroleum Migration, Trapping Mechanisms, Porosity, Permeability

A good book used in 1st Year Pet Eng is "Petroleum Geoscience - Bjorlykke" .

I also advise brushing up on calculus. A lot of first year engineering mathematics leads straight from A level Calculus.

Hello hugo !! i have done mechanical engineering and considering to do msc in petroleum or oil and gas. i have applied to robert gordon and lsbu . can u tell me which 1 is better ?

im confused because of modules of robert gordon which are not very attractive. lsbu has good modules. like drilling, reservoir or production etc. robert gordon has got none of these.

so i want to ask does module matter while getting a job ? for example rgu is not teaching drilling module . does this mean that i cant get a job related to drilling ??

or is it just the overall degree title which matters??