Petroleum

For over 50 years, the University of Alberta has offered the only accredited BSc Petroleum Engineering degree program in Canada. Petroleum engineers are involved in the exploration and development of oil and gas fields.

Graduates from our program are involved in the exploration and development of subsurface energy resources, including oil and gas extraction, carbon and hydrogen storage, underground fluid disposal, and geothermal energy. They apply geology, physics, chemistry, and engineering sciences principles to design
processes involving fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, geomechanics, and chemistry in subsurface formations. We are proud to offer a program that provides students with a solid foundation in petroleum engineering and prepares them for successful careers in the energy sector.

Careers

Our graduates pursue careers in a variety of fields, including:

  • Resource extraction technology design
  • Policy making and consultation
  • Software development
  • Well and surface facilities design

Areas of specialization

Our program offers specialized training in the following areas:

  • Drilling and completions engineering
  • Computational fluid mechanics in porous media
  • Unconventional reservoir engineering
  • Subsurface data analytics
  • Enhanced recovery methods
  • Petroleum rock mechanics
  • Geothermal engineering
  • Carbon capture, utilization, and storage
  • Hydrogen storage
  • Gas hydrates
Faculty members