Curriculum in Doctor of Philosophy - Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
A candidate for the Ph.D. degree with a major in petroleum and natural gas engineering must comply with the rules and regulations as outlined in the WVU Graduate Catalog and the specific requirements of the Statler College and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department.
Program Requirements
The doctor of philosophy degree with a major in petroleum and natural gas engineering is administered through the college’s interdisciplinary Ph.D. program. The research work for the doctoral dissertation must show a high degree of originality on the part of the student and must constitute an original contribution to the art and science of petroleum and natural gas engineering.
All Ph.D. degree candidates are required to perform research and follow a planned program of study. The student’s research advisor, in conjunction with the student’s Advising and Examining Committee (AEC) will be responsible for determining the plan of study appropriate to the student’s needs. The underlying principle of the planned program is to provide the students with the necessary support to complete their degree and prepare them for their career.
Curriculum Requirements
| A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required in all courses | ||
| Course Requirements * | ||
| All students are required to take Graduate Seminar (PNGE 796) for each semester enrolled. | ||
| A maximum of three credit hours each of Graduate Seminar (PNGE 796) and Independent Study (PNGE 795) can be counted towards meeting the coursework requirements. | ||
| Research | 24 | |
| Research | ||
| Select the following based on degree path: | ||
| Any BIOM, CE, CHE, CHEM, CPE, CS, EE, GEOL, IENG, IH&S, MAE, MATH, MINE, PNGE, PHYS, SAFM, SENG, or STAT courses 500-799 | 24 | |
| Examinations | ||
Qualifying Exam | ||
Candidacy Exam | ||
Final Exam | ||
| Total Hours | 48 | |
Examinations
Qualifying Exam
All students must take and pass a written qualifying examination. Normally, the qualifying examination is given no later than one semester after completion of eighteen credit hours toward the doctoral degree. This examination is designed to assess the basic competency of students in the petroleum and natural gas engineering field to determine whether or not they have sufficient knowledge to undertake independent research.
Candidacy Examination
In order to be admitted to candidacy, the student must pass a candidacy exam, which is designed to evaluate the student’s overall ability to engage in high-level research. A student must pass the qualifying examination prior to taking Candidacy Exam. The Candidacy Exam is administered by the student’s AEC and requires preparation and defense of the dissertation research proposal. The Candidacy Exam may also include testing on material in related fields, as deemed necessary by the AEC.
A student who has successfully completed all coursework, passed the qualifying and candidacy exam and successfully defended the research proposal is defined as one who is a candidate for the Ph.D. degree.
Final Examination
At the completion of the dissertation research, candidate must prepare a dissertation and pass the final oral examination (defense) administered by his/her AEC.
In order to complete the Ph.D. requirements, a student must pass a final oral examination on the results embodied in the dissertation. This examination is open to the public and, in order to evaluate critically the student's competency, may include testing on material in related fields, as deemed necessary by the AEC. In addition, since the Ph.D. degree is primarily a research degree that embodies the results of an original research work and represents a significant contribution to scientific literature, the student must submit a manuscript on this research to the AEC.
Suggested Plan of Study
It is important for students to take courses in the order specified as much as possible; all prerequisites and concurrent requirements must be observed. A typical doctoral degree program that completes degree requirements in three years is as follows.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PNGE 796 | 1 | PNGE 796 | 1 |
| Course | 3 | Course | 3 |
| Course | 3 | Course | 3 |
| PNGE 797 | 2 | PNGE 797 | 2 |
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PNGE 796 | 1 | PNGE 796 | 1 |
| PNGE 797 | 2 | PNGE 797 | 2 |
| Course | 3 | Course | 3 |
| Course | 3 | Course | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PNGE 796 | 1 | PNGE 796 | 1 |
| PNGE 797 | 8 | PNGE 797 | 8 |
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Total credit hours: 54 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
- Graduates will have in-depth knowledge of petroleum and natural gas engineering principles and applications to function effectively in their profession or continue their education.
- Graduates will have the ability to perform independent research to solve engineering and scientific problems encountered in their profession.
- Graduates will have in-depth petroleum and natural gas scientific and engineering knowledge to provide high quality education in petroleum and natural gas engineering.