Petroleum and natural gas engineers solve crucial problems related to one of the most important resources for society today: energy. This engineering discipline is concerned with the design, implementation and management of solutions for extracting oil and gas from deposits below the Earth's surface.
What is Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering?
Petroleum and natural engineering is a field of engineering related to the production of hydrocarbons resources, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. Once oil and gas are discovered, petroleum engineers determine optimum drilling methods, implement drilling and well completion plans, monitor and manage production operations, and design reservoir development strategies. Petroleum and natural gas engineers have the responsibility of providing engineering solution which consider the impact in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts. Petroleum and natural gas engineers work closely with geoscientists and other science and technology specialists. They are also well suited to solve complex problems in geothermal energy extraction, geological carbon sequestration, and environmental remediation of soil, groundwater, and other geologic media.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You enjoy combining disciplines such as geology, physics, and math to solve complex problems of relevance to society.
- You want to use science and engineering principles to assist the challenge of global energy demands.
- You seek a profession that offers national and international networking opportunities.
- You want to work in the field, performing sophisticated computer simulations, or interpreting reservoir and production data.
Welcome to PNGE
We are committed to training tomorrow's petroleum and natural gas engineers to play an active role in the global energy scenario. These are exciting times to generate innovative engineering solutions that can assist the dual challenge of delivering reliable, low-cost energy with lower carbon emissions. We welcome students to join our program and learn the technical and engineering skills necessary for the planning and responsible extraction of crude oil and natural gas used in transportation, heating, electricity generation, and raw material for making the chemicals, plastics, and synthetic materials that are present in nearly everything we use.
Greg King
Program Chair and Professor of Practice, Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering B.S. program in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) at Penn State is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.