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Overview

Petroleum engineering is central to safe, efficient and sustainable development of oil and gas assets to meet global energy and resource demands.

Since its establishment in 1975, the GeoEnergy Engineering (IGE) at Heriot-Watt University has delivered its internationally renowned Petroleum Engineering MSc degree, providing thousands of graduates with the knowledge and skills to tackle the oil and gas industry's most challenging problems across the globe. The degree offers an interdisciplinary approach to exploration and extraction of petroleum resources.

The degree encompasses a wide range of applied petroleum engineering fundamentals, leading to development of a technically well-prepared graduate with a sound knowledge of the industry - through eight taught courses and two projects. During the field development project, students work on real field data, considering the technical, economic and environmental aspects involved. For the individual research project, students select a specialist topic, for example related to geosciences, enhanced oil recovery, production chemistry or advanced drilling and completions, offered both by the Institute and by the industry.

Degree duration

Online learning: 2½ - 8 years

Online students are expected to spend 13 to 17 study hours per week, which will allow them to complete the entire MSc degree in three to four years. The maximum permitted period of study is 8 years. Students will have a maximum of two years from registering for each taught course to successfully complete the assessment.

Graduates of our Petroleum Engineering course are much sought after by oil operating and oilfield service companies both in the UK and worldwide. Graduates go on to work for major global oil and gas operating companies, service companies as well as smaller consultancies in petroleum engineering. The course also provides an excellent springboard for graduates wishing to pursue a career in research.