Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering

For information regarding the GRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.  

Although the petroleum engineering curriculum is designed primarily for careers in the petroleum industry, it is suitable for careers in related areas such as ground water hydrology, geothermal energy, solution mining, and underground storage or disposal of fluids. Professional courses in drilling and production, well design, reservoir engineering, petrophysics, well logging, and the phase behavior of hydrocarbons systems follow basic course work in mathematics, chemistry, physics, geology, and the engineering sciences. Additionally, the faculty gives specific attention to the economic evaluation of drilling and production operations.

The department is active in obtaining summer employment in the petroleum industry for its students. The department also strongly recommends that its students join and participate, as student members, in the Society of Petroleum Engineers and take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination during their senior year as preparation for licensure as a professional engineer.

The nationally ranked Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering at LSU has alumni throughout the world working for major companies, small independent companies, government agencies, and as independent consultants.

The petroleum engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

The program educational objectives of the BS program in Petroleum Engineering at LSU are to produce graduates, who within 2-5 years after graduation and for the remainder of their careers are able to:

• Perform as engineering professionals in the oil, gas, and related industries, including academia and government, and excel in leadership, research, operational and technical roles;
• Identify opportunities, solve complex engineering problems, and make decisions and plans in the presence of uncertainty, utilizing appropriate engineering & design principles and emerging technologies;
• Effectively convey information, including technical concepts, risks, and recommendations, to and from peers, employers and employees, and the public;
• Demonstrate a high standard of professional ethics and competency throughout their careers.

The program educational outcomes require that graduates must have:

• an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;
• an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data;
• an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs;
• an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams. The disciplines judged relevant to petroleum engineers are:
  • petroleum sub-disciplines including drilling, production, reservoir, and formation evaluation;
  • geosciences including geology and geophysics;
  • other engineering disciplines, especially civil, chemical, and mechanical.
• an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;
• an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility;
• an ability to communicate effectively;
• the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global societal content;
• a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long learning;
• a knowledge of contemporary issues pertaining to energy;
• an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

Undergraduate Admission Requirements

Admission to the Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering requires that a student be admissible to the College of Engineering. In addition to the College of Engineering requirements, students must meet the following GPA requirements at the time of application for admission:

• A minimum cumulative 2.8 GPA on all course work that applies to the petroleum engineering undergraduate curriculum.

Transferring students admitted to LSU may apply to the Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering when they apply to the College of Engineering. Students who are denied admission to the department may reapply for admission in a subsequent semester.

An alternative for students who do not meet the GPA requirement but display an exceptional ability and desire to become a petroleum engineer is available. A committee including the department’s undergraduate advisor, the department’s chair, and the associate dean of undergraduate studies for the College of Engineering will meet and review appeals prior to the start of each semester. Admittance will depend on available space as well as criteria such as grades in freshman and sophomore petroleum engineering courses, relevant work experience and/or activity in student petroleum engineering organizations.

Programs

• Petroleum Engineering, B.S.P.E.