Petroleum engineers earn some of the highest salaries of all occupations.
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is the primary petroleum-engineering school accreditation authority. Among ABET-accredited schools, Texas A&M University has the largest petroleum engineering department in the United States. As of February 1, 2011, the university has 390 students seeking either a master's degree or doctorate degree in petroleum engineering. Since Alaska produces about 20 percent of total U.S. oil production, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) also has one of the largest programs.
ABET Accreditation
There are 17 ABET-accredited petroleum engineering colleges in the United States. Two of the largest petroleum engineering schools are at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and Texas A&M University.
Degree and Course Offerings
Students can select one of three petroleum engineering degree options; bachelor, master's, or an interdisciplinary doctorate degree. UAF offers a Bachelor of Science degree. Spring 2011 term petroleum engineering-related classes offered at University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) include one-credit classes in Fundamentals of Drilling Practices and Introduction to Production, and three-credit classes in Reservoir Characterization, Applied Reservoir Characterization, and Water Flooding. Petroleum engineering students will take two field trips including a trip to the Kenai oil field with the American Association of Drilling Engineers and a trip to Prudhoe Bay with the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Course offerings require a minimum of five students to remain open. Other courses are offered at UAF's petroleum engineering program throughout the student's course of study. Among these classes are topics in drilling, formation evaluation, computer simulation, and enhanced oil recovery. Texas A&M University offers master's and doctorate degrees in petroleum engineering. Master of Science degrees require completion of a minimum of 32 semester hours of coursework and preparation of a satisfactory thesis. Doctorate degrees require completion of 96 semester hours of coursework and presentation of a satisfactory dissertation.
Admission Requirements
Entrance requirements for consideration for admission to the graduate petroleum engineering degree program at Texas A&M University include having a combined verbal and quantitative Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of 1050 or more. Applicants must also have achieved a score of at least 550 on the paper test or at least 213 on the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Fees and Tuition
Tuition at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Petroleum Engineering degree program varies depending on the course level of classes that the student is enrolled in. For residents, tuition is currently $147 per credit for 100- and 200-level courses, $170 per credit for 300- and 400-level courses and $338 per credit for classes in level 600 or above. Out-of-state students are charged the same tuition as residents if they are enrolled in four units or less. Out-of-state students enrolled in more than four units are charged an additional surcharge of $353 per credit hour above to the resident tuition rate. Students enrolled in the undergraduate program are considered full-time if they are enrolled in 12 or more units. Graduate students are considered full-time if they are enrolled in nine units or more.
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