Postgraduate Taught Programme: Integrated Petroleum Geoscience

12 months full-time leading to Master of Science degree, 3 months PgCert The programme (formerly MSc in Petroleum Geology) is regarded as perhaps the best of its kind in the world. It has been running since 1973, and has achieved an excellent reputation as one of the top vocational training pathways. Graduates from this course are highly sought after by industry. The course has been rated by the Natural Environment Research Council as the best of its type in the UK and the only course of its type in Europe. The training offered in this course is also an ideal springboard into a career based on further research at PhD level and above. For Further Information Contact For further information about the programme or to discuss your application, please contact the Graduate School Admissions Unit. +44 (0)1224 272655 +44 (0)1224 272818 cpsgrad@abdn.ac.uk www.abdn.ac.uk/cops/graduate Apply Now!

Aims

The MSc in Integrated Petroleum Geoscience (formerly MSc in Petroleum Geology) aims to:

• teach the geoscience skills needed for hydrocarbon exploration and production, so that course graduates are ready to embark upon a petroleum industry career. In particular, to provide an all-round preparation for a wide-range of employment in a mobile, dynamic, wealth creating industry, and to show how integration of information across discipline boundaries can provide solutions to industrial problems.
• develop the knowledge needed to communicate with and work alongside specialists in the other engineering and scientific disciplines involved in hydrocarbon exploration and production, in small, multi-disciplinary teams.
• enhance the inter-personal and transferable skills relevant to the hydrocarbon industry today; to develop presentation and report-writing skills; to encourage team work; to stimulate creative thinking and problem-solving ability; and to foster initiative and self-discipline.

Components of the course focus on all aspects of upstream geoscience, from initial exploration for new prospects, through field appraisal and development, to maximising recovery from mature and declining fields. Topics covered include: seismic interpretation, petrophysical analysis, geochemical evaluation, sedimentology, structural analysis, and reservoir modelling. Skills in the analysis of the subsurface are further developed by field work on outcrops and by hands-on experience with core logging.

 

Skills Aquired

• seismic interpretation
• wireline log interpretation and petrophysical analysis
• working with borehole core and other samples
• sedimentological analysis
• interpreting geochemical and biostratigraphical analysis
• evaluating exploration prospects and constructing basin analysis
• calculating reserves and constructing geological reservoir models
• assisting with reservoir quality and performance prediction evaluation
• working with reservoir engineering fluid and rock data
• taking account of completion engineering and making geological recommendations
• understanding the technical and economic context of petroleum geoscience
• working in teams, but will also be capable of taking the lead when necessary
• giving oral presentations
• writing reports in a concise and effective manner
• communicating with specialists from other disciplines, in particular those involved with drilling, engineering, petrophysics, geochemistry and geophysics
• ability to audit technically the geological studies of others

 

Background to the Course

The petroleum industry is cost-sensitive and demands high levels of technical skill from its geoscience staff. One result of this has been that employers in this industry now regard the minimum entry requirement to be a higher degree. The one-year MSc course in Integrated Petroleum Geoscience at the University of Aberdeen, which has been running since 1973, is internationally regarded as one of the top vocational training pathways in the world. Graduates from this course are sought after by the industry; over the past decade, more than 95% of our graduates have found employment within three months. In the quality assessments of 1992, 1996 & 2000, the course was rated by the UK Natural Environment Research Council as probably the best of its kind in the UK, and in the latest exercise was singled out as “exemplary”.

The overall aim of our MSc course is to provide a full training in integrated petroleum geoscience, and it is the only course of this type in Europe. This is an ambitious goal, but we aim to prepare students to perform a wide variety of technical functions in a multi-disciplinary environment. The training is also valuable as a springboard for those desiring a research career or intending to do a PhD.

Our Department is well qualified to supply this type of training. For many years now, most of our research has been related to petroleum geoscience. The 1995 UK Government Technology Foresight report highlights the importance of two key research directions that we have been following for some time, namely:

• Improvements in exploration hit-rate;
• Increasing yields from existing reservoirs.

Though the wide-ranging technical content means the course is intensive, we do not neglect the need to enhance the inter-personal skills that are of such crucial importance in this industry today. As in other areas of Department life, we strive to create a supportive and friendly atmosphere. Social events and field trips are a valuable part of this.

 

Industry Interaction

A key strength of this course is that we make considerable use of our location in Aberdeen at the heart of the industry in western Europe. Guest speakers contribute their experience to the taught units. Visits are made to local companies to demonstrate technology and hardware. Use is made of the core stores in the city.

In the second half session, all of the major group exercises are done with the help of staff from local companies. Companies also provide data and practical help for the 4-month summer project, and students usually do the project with a company at their offices. Many of our staff have been employed in the industry, and all are currently involved on research with the industry. All our staff have regular interaction with industry staff, which ensures the course is kept up-to-date and focused.

MSc students have close interaction with the professional societies who meet regularly in Aberdeen:

• Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain (PESGB);
• Aberdeen Formation Evaluation (AFES);
• Energy Institute;
• Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

We host a Student Chapter of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).

 

Requirements

Because we have to assume a certain level of starting knowledge, applicants must normally have an Upper Second Class or better Honours degree (or overseas equivalent) in Geology, Geophysics, or a joint degree incorporating Geology as a major component.

It is important when submitting an application that you ensure you have completed all the necessary sections and enclosed all the relevant documentation to ensure that your application can be processed as quickly as possible.

Even if you have been educated in the medium of English you must meet our English Language requirements. These are located at www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/international/english.shtml. This programme requires that you meet the 'Postgraduate Higher' level of English proficiency. If you are in doubt about your proficiency in English, contact the British Council office or its equivalent in your country. If your first language is not English, it is important that your proficiency in English is good in order for you to study successfully at the University of Aberdeen . Without this ability you will find great difficulty in understanding lectures, producing written work and sitting examinations.

We have one intake each year in September. Late applications may be asked to wait until the next intake should the programme coordinator feel there is insufficient time to consider the application. Prospective students who require a visa to study in the UK are advised to apply as early in the year as possible to secure a place. Applications received after 30th June from students who need to apply for a visa to study in the UK will not be processed for entry in September of that year but may be considered for entry the following year as appropriate.

It is important to note that the programmes of postgraduate study at the University of Aberdeen are very competitive and the entry requirements stated are a guide to the minimum requirements, but do not guarantee entry.

 

Syllabus

The course is 50 weeks long, commencing in the last week of September each year. Training divides into six months of structured teaching, four months for the individual industry project, and smaller time segments for field work and examinations.

The first half of the structured teaching, up until the end of the calendar year, is an intensive treatment of the fundamental skills needed, the 'building blocks' of petroleum geoscience, with a particular focus toward hydrocarbon exploration. After examinations on this material in November and early January, the course integrates the material presented earlier by focusing on the application of the skills to the industry, now more with an emphasis on field development. This second phase includes a greater amount of work on presentation skills, with practical exercises spanning and integrating the sub-disciplines, and provides the opportunity to widen basic proficiency.

The last part of the course, the individual project, is an integral part of the training, and forms a large part of the assessment of each student. It is our experience that students mature greatly during this part of the course, both personally and technically.

The course content must also recognize the increasingly diverse backgrounds of the students, as more first degree courses are modularised with significant non-geological components. The course content is designed as far as possible to fill in the gaps for such students, although we rely on the students to work at making up for their own weaknesses, under our guidance. Numeracy skills are important; we advise students to assess their own needs for additional training.

 

Programme of Study

First Term

• Principles of petroleum geoscience
• Petroleum technology
• Geophysics 1 (exploration geophysics)
• Petrophysics (downhole geological and petrophysical logging methods)
• Reservoir sedimentology 1 (clastic sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy)
• Reservoir sedimentology 2 (carbonate sedimentology and diagenesis)
• Petroleum geochemistry and basin analysis
• Prospect evaluation and appraisal (threaded across two terms)
• Professional skills (threaded across two terms)

Second Term

• Geophysics 2 (reservoirs, attributes and monitoring)
• Production geology (reservoir modelling, reservoir management, and formation evaluation)
• Structural geology and basin development
• Integrated case studies and exercises

Summer Term

• Final Project

 

Team Work

Employers require graduates who not only have good academic qualifications but who also can show that they are capable of:

• Creative thinking
• Problem solving
• Project planning
• Teamwork
• Communicating effectively

We strive to create an environment within which the students can develop these skills. In particular, we encourage the students to take responsibility for their own development.

As well as the training in these aspects inherent in the course syllabus, we have two additional ways to stimulate student development.

 

Groups and Group Tutors

The MSc class is divided into groups from the very beginning of the session. We are creating a closer parallel of the way industry works, so helping the students with the transition from formal education to employment. The students are encouraged to work and act as a group in every possible way. Taking a trivial example, when it comes to getting photocopies of papers, one member of the group gets the original, rather than all the students competing.

Each group is allocated to a member of the MSc teaching staff who acts as group tutor. Usually the students would approach the tutor of the course component about technical matters, but the allocated staff member is the initial point of contact for students seeking additional help or information. Group tutors will arrange short meetings and tutorials at which the students may also raise general matters of concern that they would rather not raise in front of the whole class. Conversely, some communication with the students will be via a group representative rather than directly with each individual. The groups and the tutors are free to make use of this system in whatever way they wish.

 

Team Development Programme

All students participate in a Challenge Day in the first half session. This is run jointly with students from the MSc in Oil & Gas Enterprise Management.

Students will be trained in skills to increase their effectiveness in team work. The training is based on fun, problem-solving, and role-play. Part is taught outdoors, but is not an outward-bound course and not strenuous or dangerous. After each role-play the students learn by evaluating each exercise in discussion groups. Participation in the course will enable the students to show they are serious about developing their own skills. This will help them in the rest of the MSc course and in securing future employment.

 

Facilities

The Department is well equipped for all types of geoscience research and training.

As well as a wide range of analytical equipment, we have many state-of-the-art industry software packages on computer workstations, including the entire Landmark seismic interpretation, well log correlation, and modelling suite. The course uses the Geographix Discovery suite in the seismic components.

 

Field Trips

Studying real rocks, in the field, is undoubtedly the best way to get to understand them properly. Field work provides the opportunity to study large scale examples of a wide spectrum of geological phenomena, and to evaluate them in the context of petroleum geoscience and the hydrocarbon industry. This stimulates observation and synthesis skills, as well as reinforcing and consolidating material and ideas presented in the taught coursework.

We see it as vital to include in the course quality field work experience. It is essential not only to study siliciclastics, but to include carbonate settings (in which half the world's oil is reservoired). We also want to provide experience that is of truly international relevance, so as to help ensure the UK retains its position as a global source of expertise.

We also must allow for the fact that fewer students are coming to us with traditional single-honours geology degrees, and those with joint honours tend to have had much less experience of rocks in the field.

Helmsdale Fieldtrip

The first fieldtrip is a 3.5 day trip in November to Helmsdale. This is a relaxed and unassessed trip to examine a variety of fluvial, deltaic and marine sequences, set in the context of the changing development of extensional basins in NE Scotland from the Devonian to early Mesozoic.

Utah Fieldtrip

The main field work training is a 14-day excursion to Utah and northern Arizona, U.S.A. We have accepted the considerable extra cost, and time demands this places on the staff, as being essential to maintaining the high standards of our MSc training.

The superb rock exposures in the SW USA enables a wide range of subjects to be given quality treatment. We include: good coverage of structural geology (e.g. full-size collapsed salt anticline, fault heterogeneity and diagenesis); several different examples of carbonate sedimentology; visits to onshore oil and gas fields; and the chance to integrate study at outcrop with subsurface analysis of the same sequence in oil fields producing nearby (Paradox Basin).

We review sequence stratigraphy across an entire basin (the Cretaceous deltaic sequences in the Book Cliffs), and we demonstrate why so many companies are using this location as outcrop analogues for reservoir modelling and training. In summary, we are able to demonstrate properly a wide range of exploration and development scale geological problems.

Concerns about Fieldwork

Fieldwork is a compulsory part of this course. Fieldwork may involve crossing rough terrain, including steep gradients, rocky areas and along cliffs, and may take place during inclement weather. Any student with concerns about this, who feels adjustments or additional support may be required, should contact the University's Disability Adviser or the Department Disability Co-ordinator as early as possible. The Department is committed to making reasonable adjustments to enable students to achieve the learning outcomes of the degree programme.

 

Assessment

We have moved away from reliance on examinations, and now have a balanced mixture of assessed practical exercises, short reports, exams and a final project report (max 7500 words).

 

Funding

Prospective students are advised to visit the University's Postgraduate Funding Database.

  

University of Aberdeen Alumni Discount Scheme

The University of Aberdeen is very pleased to offer a 20% discount on postgraduate tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with a degree from the University of Aberdeen. The Alumni Discount Scheme applies to both home and overseas students, and applies to the self-funding element of the postgraduate tuition fee. This is the element of tuition fee which you are paying yourself and does not cover the element of tuition fee which is covered by a scholarship, funding body, your employer, a company, or any another source of funding. The Alumni Discount applies only to the tuition fee element and does not apply to any other costs such as additional programme costs or research costs. More Information can be found here.

 

Scholarships and Financial Support

We are fortunate in having available each year a healthy number of studentships. Of the 25 or so places on the MSc course each year, several are offered with full scholarships (NERC and Oil company studentships) though note we are unable to offer scholarships to non-British applicants. These are awarded to those judged by degree result, referee's reports and interview, to be the most promising applicants. There is of course, strong competition for these awards.

The NERC and Oil company studentships cover University tuition fees, provide a student allowance, and contribute towards fieldwork costs. Students with these awards will have to pay an additional sum (currently estimated at £250) to the department for fieldwork in the USA, as well as pay for all meals.

The remainder of places are either self-funded, or are sponsored by overseas sources such as government and industry. You may be able to get help with paying for the costs of this MSc. There are many different schemes, and they vary widely between countries. You should apply in your own country as soon as you can as competition for these scholarships is intense. We cannot keep up with every scheme in every country, but the links (left) are for a leaflet describing the main scholarship schemes that we know about.

Given the nature of global oil politics, we will not be absolutely sure we have all the studentships until Spring of each year. There is a small chance we might have to ask students to pay an additional sum for the USA fieldwork if there are large increases in the costs of the field trip (for example because the dollar-pound exchange rate changes dramatically to our disadvantage).

Please note: there will be interviews conducted for the funded places on the MSc Integrated Petroleum Geoscience Programme.

 

Careers

Over the last decade, more than 95% of the MSc graduates have immediately been employed in the oil industry or gone straight on to funded PhD research. The industry does, however, have a crudely cyclic recruitment pattern, and employment prospects fluctuate with the oil price and global politics. The trend of the oil majors in the early 1990s to "down-sizing and outsourcing" saw a shift in first destinations of our graduates towards the service and consultancy sector. At present the oil majors are desperately short of qualified staff, so have increased direct recruitment of MSc graduates.

Equal opportunities exist for men and women in offshore work, and there is no discernible bias in industry recruitment.

 

Fees

Information on tuition fees, including the current fee level, can be found on the University Registry website.

 

PLEASE NOTE: In accepting an offer for this programme you should be aware that the University makes an additional training charge over and above the standard tuition fee.  In 2011/12 this charge will be £4,500.  International students should be aware that the international field trip will be to Argentina, so they will need to check their visa status in advance of their arrival in Aberdeen and, if it is required, apply for an Argentine visa.

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