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Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University - UCAS

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2024 - 20252025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

MSc Petroleum Engineering equips you with knowledge and skills to work internationally in the oil and gas industry to the standard required. It will appeal to science and engineering graduates or those of you from a different numerate academic background who are interested in developing sustainable oil and gas assets to meet global energy and resource demands. You’ll develop skills in the fundamental concepts, theories, and principles of the main petroleum engineering and geoscience disciplines which are:

  • Reservoir engineering
  • Petroleum geology
  • Drilling engineering
  • Formation evaluation
  • Reservoir simulation
  • Petroleum economics
  • Production technology
  • Well test analysis
You’ll use leading computer software tools for design and analysis, integrate theory into practice, and understand the ethics and standards involved in professional engineering practice, using your knowledge to problem solve in a variety of contexts. As a graduate, you will be able to join an oil company asset team as a productive member and be able to apply your learning to real oilfield problems. Your studies will also provide you with multiple transferrable skills that may be of use for carbon storage and subsurface energy exploitation. Your learning environment The MSc Petroleum Engineering programme is taught though a combination of lectures, tutorials, and project work allowing you to get to know and build relationships with your teaching staff, academics, and peers. During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our specialist equipment, state-of-the-art computer technology and industry standard software. You will have the opportunity to work on real-world problems individually and collaboratively to deliver practical solutions with global impact. Industry You will learn at our Edinburgh campus and benefit from teaching and research activities at the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering. The institute is a leading centre of excellence in geoenergy engineering and applied geoscience and offers postgraduate programmes of study which meet the needs of the wider energy industry. We work closely with industry to ensure our course content is up-to-date and reflects the current and emerging needs of industry and employers. You’ll gain the right blend of knowledge, practical skills, and soft skills to set you up for life after graduation. 

Modules

You’ll take eight mandatory taught courses in semester one and semester two. You’ll be introduced to geoscience and use data to calculate the volume of hydrocarbons in the subsurface. You’ll gain knowledge of drilling engineering, formation evaluation, and reservoir simulation. Petroleum economics and production technology will also be explored, along with learning the fundamentals and applications of well test analysis for improved reservoir management. In semester three, you’ll strengthen your collaborative and communication skills through the field development project, where you will work in groups and produce a full field evaluation and development plan, using data from a real oilfield. You can customise your learning in semester three to match your specific interests or desired career pathway by choosing the topic of geoscience and engineering in which you’ll complete your detailed individual project. Projects are offered by the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering and by industry, and normally include a wide choice of experimental research, computer modelling, and real-world problems.

Assessment method

You will be assessed by coursework, exams, written reports and oral presentation, including group presentations. You’ll be supported and receive feedback throughout the programme.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for individual programmes vary, please check the details for the specific programme you wish to apply for on our website.

English language requirements

Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not been educated previously in the English language must provide evidence of their English language ability to ensure they can cope with the demands of a Heriot-Watt programme taught and assessed in English. Further information about the English Language tests that we currently accept as proof of English Language ability including our own English Language programmes, can be viewed on our website.

HWU English Language Requirements

https://www.hw.ac.uk/study/entry/english-language-requirements.htm

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.

Sponsorship information

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Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University - UCAS