Department website: https://pnge.statler.wvu.edu
Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (B.S.P.N.G.E.)
Nature of the Program
Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering is concerned with design and application aspects of the discovery, production, and transportation of oil and natural gas resources.
Professionals in this field must have a thorough understanding of the geological principles relating to the occurrence, discovery, and production of fluid hydrocarbons. The petroleum and natural gas engineer must know and be capable of applying both conventional engineering design principles as well as those pertaining specifically to the field of petroleum and natural gas engineering. These are developed in the petroleum and natural gas engineering courses in the curriculum. In addition, a strong foundation in mathematics and the sciences broadens the future engineer’s professional capabilities. Because many engineers will be employed as supervisors or executives, managerial and social skills are also emphasized.
Students in PNGE enroll in rigorous individual courses in all basic areas of petroleum and natural gas engineering, basic science, mathematics, geology, and humanities and social sciences. The petroleum and natural gas engineering curriculum also contains significant laboratory components aimed at reinforcing the knowledge gained in the classroom. In the senior year, technical electives are offered in which the student may obtain additional depth of knowledge in specific areas of petroleum and natural gas engineering technology. Each student is individually mentored by a member of the petroleum and natural gas engineering faculty.
Students gain practical experience and first-hand knowledge of many aspects of petroleum and natural gas engineering through close proximity to the industry in West Virginia and surrounding states. Production sites, secondary and enhanced oil recovery projects, compressor stations, gas storage fields, and corporate offices all provide excellent opportunities for our students. Additional experience is provided through modern, well-equipped laboratories within the department and the University. Students are urged to gain field experience through summer employment in the industry.
Students are offered the opportunity to enter all phases of the petroleum and natural gas industry in meaningful and important jobs, continue their education towards advanced degrees, or in some cases pursue a combination of professional employment and continued education. The Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Petroleum Engineering.
Program Educational Objectives
- The graduates will be successful in their professional careers as petroleum engineers in the energy industry, government agencies, and/or post-graduate education.
- The graduates will continue to develop professionally and serve in leadership roles.
- The graduates will be successful in demonstrating their obligations to the profession, to their employer, and to society.
The foundation for achieving program objectives is established through a rigorous curriculum that provides the students with:
- An understanding of scientific and engineering principles and the application of these principles in solving petroleum and natural gas engineering problems using modern tools
- An integrated design experience leading to a capstone design course
- A balanced and rounded education to recognize the need for developing technical communication and teamwork skills, as well as understanding the engineer’s professional, ethical, and societal obligations
Faculty
Chair
- Samuel Ameri - M.S.Pet.E., P.E. (West Virginia University)
Formation Evaluation
Professors
- Kashy Aminian - Ph.D. (University of Michigan)
Graduate Coordinator. Natural Gas Engineering, Unconventional Reservoirs - Shahab Mohaghegh - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
Intelligent Systems, Shale Analytics
Associate Professor
- H. Ilkin Bilgesu - Ph.D., P.E. (Pennsylvania State University)
Drilling and Production Engineering - Ebrahim Fathi - Ph.D. (University of Oklahoma)
Phase Behavior
Adjunct Professors
- Alan Brannon - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Petroleum Engineering Fundamentals - Josh Dalton - MSPNGE (West Virginia University)
Drilling and Completion - Pramod Thakur - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
Coalbed Methane
Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study
Curriculum in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
Students must meet the following criteria to qualify for a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering degree:
- Complete a minimum of 128 credit hours
- Satisfy WVU's undergraduate degree requirements
- Satisfy Statler College's undergraduate degree requirements
- Complete all courses listed in the curriculum requirements with the required minimum grades
- Attain an overall grade point average of 2.00 or better
- Attain a WVU grade point average of 2.00 or better
- Attain a Statler grade point average of 2.00 or better
- A maximum of one math or science courses with a grade of D+, D, or D- may apply towards a Statler College degree
- Complete a survey regarding their academic and professional experiences at WVU, as well as post-graduation job placement or continuing education plans.
The Statler GPA is computed based on all work taken at WVU with a subject code within Statler College (BIOM, BMEG, CE, CHE, CPE, CS, CSEE, CYBE, EE, ENGR, ENVE, ETEC, IENG, IH&S, MAE, MINE, PDA, PNGE, SAFM, SENG) excluding ENGR 140, ENGR 150, and CS 101. The WVU GPA is computed based on all work taken at WVU. The Overall GPA is computed based on all work taken at WVU and transfer work.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 16 | |
| Fundamentals of Engineering Requirements | 5 | |
| Math and Science Requirements | 37 | |
| Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering Program Requirements | 70 | |
| Total Hours | 128 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 5, 6, and 7 | 15 | |
| ENGR 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| Total Hours | 16 | |
Fundamentals of Engineering Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum grade of C- is required in all Fundamentals of Engineering courses. | ||
| ENGR 101 | Engineering Problem Solving 1 | 2 |
| Engineering Problem Solving (Select one of the following): | 3 | |
| Introduction to Chemical Engineering | ||
| Engineering Problem Solving 2 | ||
| Introduction to Nanotechnology Design | ||
| Introduction to Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Design | ||
| Total Hours | 5 | |
Math and Science Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum grade of C- is required in all Math and Science courses. | ||
| CHEM 115 & 115L | Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (GEF 2B) | 4 |
| GEOL 101 | Planet Earth | 3 |
| GEOL 373 | Introduction to Petroleum Geology | 3 |
| Calculus I (GEF 3): | 4 | |
| Calculus 1 | ||
| Calculus 1a with Precalculus and Calculus 1b with Precalculus | ||
| MATH 156 | Calculus 2 (GEF 8 ) | 4 |
| MATH 251 | Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 261 | Elementary Differential Equations | 4 |
| PHYS 111 & 111L | General Physics 1 and General Physics 1 Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| PHYS 112 & 112L | General Physics 2 and General Physics 2 Laboratory | 4 |
| STAT 215 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| or IENG 213 | Engineering Statistics | |
| Total Hours | 37 | |
Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum grade of C- is required in all PNGE courses. | ||
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics (GEF 4) | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| EE 221 | Introduction to Electrical Engineering | 3 |
| MAE 241 | Statics | 3 |
| MAE 243 | Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| MAE 320 | Thermodynamics | 3 |
| MAE 331 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| PNGE 200 | Introduction to Petroleum Engineering | 3 |
| PNGE 310 | Drilling Engineering | 3 |
| PNGE 312L | Drilling Fluids Laboratory | 1 |
| PNGE 332 | Petroleum Properties and Phase Behavior (Fulfills Writing and Communications Skills Requirement) | 3 |
| PNGE 333 | Basic Reservoir Engineering | 3 |
| PNGE 400 | Petroleum Engineering Ethics | 1 |
| PNGE 420 | Production Engineering | 3 |
| PNGE 432L | Petroleum Reservoir Engineering Laboratory | 1 |
| PNGE 441 | Oil and Gas Property Evaluation | 3 |
| PNGE 447 | Introduction to Carbon Capture and Storage | 3 |
| PNGE 450 | Formation Evaluation | 3 |
| PNGE 460 | Well Stimulation Design | 3 |
| PNGE 470 & 470L | Natural Gas Engineering and Natural Gas Engineering Laboratory | 4 |
| PNGE 472 | Shale Analytics | 3 |
| PNGE 480 | Petroleum Engineering Design | 3 |
| Professional Elective (Select two of the following): | 6 | |
| Well Control and Well Control Laboratory | ||
| Applied Reservoir Engineering | ||
| Introduction to Reservoir Simulation | ||
| Horizontal Drilling | ||
| Natural Gas Production and Storage | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Cultural/Sustainability Elective | 3 | |
| Group Organization and Leadership | ||
| Energy Resource Economics | ||
| Introductory Environmental and Resource Economics | ||
| Sustainable Living | ||
| World Literature | ||
| Elements of Environmental Protection | ||
| Introduction to Critical Reasoning | ||
| History of Ethics | ||
| Sustainable Living | ||
| Social Problems in Contemporary America | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Human Diversity | ||
| Principles of Conservation Ecology | ||
| Total Hours | 70 | |
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 B.S.P.N.G.E. degree program that completes degree requirements in four years is as follows.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MATH 155 (GEF 3) | 4 | MATH 156 (GEF 8) | 4 |
| ENGR 101 | 2 | ENGR 102 | 3 |
| ENGR 191 | 1 | PHYS 111 & 111L (GEF 8) | 4 |
| CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 2B) | 4 | GEOL 101 | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 17 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PHYS 112 & 112L | 4 | MATH 261 | 4 |
| MATH 251 | 4 | MAE 243 | 3 |
| MAE 241 | 3 | MAE 331 | 3 |
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | IENG 213 or STAT 215 | 3 |
| ECON 201 | 3 | PNGE 200 | 3 |
| 17 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PNGE 332 | 3 | PNGE 310 | 3 |
| EE 221 | 3 | PNGE 312L | 1 |
| MAE 320 | 3 | PNGE 333 | 3 |
| ECON 202 | 3 | PNGE 432L | 1 |
| GEF 7 | 3 | GEOL 373 | 3 |
| Cultural/Sustainability Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PNGE 420 | 3 | PNGE 400 | 1 |
| PNGE 441 | 3 | PNGE 447 | 3 |
| PNGE 450 | 3 | PNGE 460 | 3 |
| PNGE 470 & 470L | 4 | PNGE 472 | 3 |
| Professional Elective | 3 | PNGE 480 | 3 |
| Professional Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Total credit hours: 128 | |||
Student Outcomes
Upon graduation, all Bachelors of Science of Science in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering students will have:
- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
- An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
- An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.