The MSc in Petroleum Engineering is a programme of lectures and project work, encompassing a wide range of petroleum engineering fundamentals, pertinent to the modern petroleum industry. Project work provides an opportunity for ideas and methods, assimilated through lectures and tutorials, to be applied to real field evaluation and development design problems.

The courses are applied in nature and have been designed so that a graduate is technically well prepared for, and has a sound knowledge of, the industry into which he or she will be recruited.

These courses provide specialist education tailored to the requirements of the upstream petroleum industry. The relevance of this education combined with careful selection of candidates has encouraged oil and oilfield service companies to target Heriot-Watt for recruitment of graduates over the years.

Course content

Core courses

• Reservoir Engineering
• Petroleum Geoscience
• Drilling Engineering
• Formation Evaluation
• Reservoir Engineering – Well Test Analysis
• Reservoir Simulation
• Petroleum Economics
• Production Technology

Projects

• Design Project
• Individual Project

A first or second class Honours degree (or equivalent) in engineering, physical science, mathematics, geoscience or a related subject. Relevant industrial experience may also be considered

September, January

The main graduate destination is the upstream oil and gas industry, however, it is expected that some graduates will find employment within both the upstream and downstream oil and gas industry. The programme is recognised by graduate-recruiting businesses globally, and many of our graduates are employed at the most senior technical and management levels in international oil and gas companies.