MSc Petroleum Engineering

Applicants are normally expected to have at least a 2.2 UK honours degree or equivalent qualification. A wide range of degree subjects are acceptable, including petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, chemical process engineering, oil and gas engineering.

Students with a degree awarded outside the UK must also meet the University's minimum English language requirements.

International applicants who need a student visa to study in the UK should check our web pages on UKVI-compliant English language requirements. The University also provides pre-sessional English language courses if you do not meet the minimum English language requirement.

For general information please see our overview of entry requirements

International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more

These courses provide specialist education tailored to the requirements of both the upstream and downstream petroleum industry. The relevance of this education combined with careful selection of candidates has encouraged oil and gas companies to target our graduates for recruitment over the years.

The petroleum industry is subject to dramatic changes of fortune over time, with the oil price capable of very rapid rates of change in either direction. Petroleum, however, remains the dominant source of energy, with current world production of oil and gas at record rates. In this environment, companies face increasing technological and commercial challenges to keep their wells flowing and are increasingly dependent on input from petroleum engineers and geoscientists.

It is widely recognised that a steady influx of fresh people and ideas is vital for the longer-term success and stability of an organisation, and it is therefore expected that recruitment will continue, especially for those with motivation and the appropriate qualifications.

Engineering Research Project

You investigate an area of engineering and work independently to a level recognised to be at the forefront of the discipline. The topic can be in the form of a research project or a design project. Key skills in research and in knowledge application and creation will be developed through keynote lectures and self-managed independent study. You are required to demonstrate the capacity for a comprehensive and objective analysis, and for developing innovative and constructive proposals for the solution to the project topic.

Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production Engineering

This module will provide a detailed understanding of hydrocarbon exploration and production. The module will cover different methods of hydrocarbon exploration, drilling engineering, the process of well completion, and work-over. Moreover, it covers the oil and gas production systems including wells, pipelines, separators and chokes. The inflow performance relationships (IPR) for oil and gas wells, as well as well performance analysis will be included in this module. The module will also provide the understanding for surface production facilities and operations used in crude oil treatment and natural gas re-conditioning such as sweetening and dehydration.

This module will be delivered through a combination of lectures and tutorial sessions.

Petroleum Chemistry

The module provides you with an understanding of crude oil fractions and components enabling you to study the phase behaviour of reservoir fluids as a function of temperature and pressure. We use different equations of state to analyse the pressure-volume-temperature correlations. You explore how constructing compositional fluid models, using an industry-standard reservoir simulator, enables you to investigate reservoir fluid properties and behaviour. You also discuss oil field corrosion and scaling mechanisms as well as monitoring and inhibition methods. This module is delivered through lectures, tutorials, and IT laboratory sessions. You are assessed by an in-course assessment (30%) and exam (70%).

Petroleum Economics and Simulation