Marietta College offers a unique opportunity to study petroleum engineering in a small college environment. You'll benefit from small class sizes compared to those at the large public universities that offer the degree. We make a special effort to try to help every student interested in a summer internship find one, even during their freshman year.
-- Dr. Robert W. Chase, Chair, Dept. of Petroleum Engineering & Geology

Degrees Offered:
Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering

Admission inquiries
Office of Admission 800-331-7896
Email: admit@marietta.edu

To inquire about this program, contact:
Dr. Robert W. Chase
740-376-4776

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Special Feature
Marietta is the 9th largest undergraduate petroleum engineering program in the United States, and because we don't have a graduate program -- which is very unusual -- you're the focus. Our professors are wholly dedicated to making sure you receive a comprehensive and in-depth education in the areas of drilling, production, and reservoir engineering.

About Feature 1

Petroleum Engineering

Starting salaries for petroleum engineers are the highest of all engineering disciplines. Add a degree from one of the top programs in the country to that, and you can see the potential of majoring in petroleum engineering at Marietta. Here, we blend the best of two distinct worlds -- the hands-on, practical application of an engineering program and a broad educational background that includes courses in leadership and an extensive study abroad program. The result: a graduate who can think globally, approach problems analytically, and communicate effectively.

Working on teams in an industry-style setting, seniors in the program work through a comprehensive, integrated engineering design project. The project begins with a discovery well drilled in the Enterprise Field, moves through drilling, reservoir, production, and facilities tasks, and concludes with the design of a waterflood installation. Non-technical professional components that include on social, economic, and environmental issues complement the project, thus reinforcing the premise that the liberal arts background our students receive prepares them to think beyond just the technical side of the petroleum business.

 

click to expandAdmission to Pre-Petroleum Engineering

The Pre-Petroleum Engineering Program can accommodate no more than 90 first-year students. Priority will be given to students with the highest academic promise and to those who declare an intention to major in this subject before April 1.

This field of study relies heavily on mathematical skills. Students accepted into the entering class must be ready for calculus in the first year. An ACT score in math below 25, an SAT in math below 570, or a score on our math placement test that indicates a need for Intermediate Algebra (MATH 080), predict that a student is not ready to begin in Pre-Petroleum Engineering as a first-year student. Students needing MATH 080 will not be accepted into the Pre-petroleum Engineering Program, but may be able to join later when their performance in math indicates a readiness for Calculus.

Pre-petroleum students who do not have a GPA above 2.000 at the end of the first semester and those who do not have at least a 2.500 GPA in 32 hours of required courses at the end of the first year will be required to seek another major. Conversely, first-year students of high ability who were accepted into the College, but could not begin in Pre-petroleum Engineering because of space limitations may be eligible to join after successfully finishing their first semester at Marietta College. Students transferring into the program from another campus should have a GPA of at least 3.000.

 

 

Facilities

You'll have access to a drilling and completion fluids lab, a core fluids and analysis lab, and a natural gas lab for the research you'll be performing on campus. But you'll also regularly carry out field studies at oil and gas wells located throughout the region.

 

Required Courses

All petroleum engineering majors take the following courses:

  • Petrophysics
  • Core Analysis Laboratory
  • Drilling and Completion Fluids
  • Well Control and Casing Design Laboratory
  • Hydrocarbon Phase Behavior
  • Reservoir Engineering
  • Drilling Engineering
  • Production Systems Engineering I
  • Production Systems Engineering II
  • Formation Evaluation
  • Enhanced Recovery
  • Natural Gas Engineering
  • Transient Pressure Analysis
  • Senior Capstone Design Seminar

Requirements for a Minor
Chemistry 131 and 133; Computer Science 210; and Petroleum 216, 301, 302, 317, 341, 343

click to expandPlaces a Degree Can Take You

Internships
In addition to the valuable education you'll receive in the classroom, as early as the summer after your freshman year you can take on paid summer internships with companies like Marathon Oil, Chevron, Unocal, Schlumberger, and Exxon Mobil. The internship is a great way to discover if petroleum engineering is right for you. It's also a great way in to a permanent position with the company.

Clubs & Organizations
Petroleum engineering majors are eligible for Pi Epsilon Tau, the national honor society for petroleum engineering students.

Majors can also join the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). Through a vast array of SPE programs, ranging from publications to international and regional conferences, this is a terrific resource for information on the industry and for networking with industry professionals.

 

click to expandSuccessful Alumni

Our graduates are highly sought after, and they occupy some of the top management positions in Fortune 500 oil companies. Others pursue careers in business, law, and environmental engineering. Those who don't go directly into a career are accepted into top-ranked graduate programs. You'll find Marietta graduates working for:

ARAMCO
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Kuwait Oil Company
Salimyah, Kuwait

Qatar General Petroleum Corporations
Doha, Qatar

Chevron Overseas Petroleum, Inc.
San Ramon, CA

Marathon Oil Company
Carlsbad, NM

Columbia Natural Resources
Charleston, WV

Marathon Oil Company
Houston, TX

Exxon Mobil
Houston, TX

Chevron Texaco
Lafayette, LA

Schlumberger
Rock Springs, WY

Halliburton
Lafayette, LA

 

click to expandScholarship Opportunities

The David A. Bartlett Memorial Scholarship assists qualified students majoring in petroleum engineering.

The Harry H. Beren Scholarship is awarded to worthy students in the Edwy R. Brown Department of Petroleum Engineering who need financial assistance.

The Alan Adrian Hardwick Boggs Scholarship provides assistance to a deserving student pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering. Preference is given to a fourth-year student with the highest grade-point average in the humanities.

The Robert L. Brace Memorial Scholarship provides assistance to a deserving student majoring in petroleum engineering.

The Robert M. Cunningham Petroleum Engineering Scholarship is awarded annually to a junior or senior petroleum engineering major who, in the opinion of a faculty committee, "best represents the entrepreneurial spirit and creative energy that characterized the founders of the nation's petroleum industry."

The Doy C. Deem Scholarship aids qualified students in petroleum engineering.

The Paul Fulton Memorial Scholarships are awarded annually to students majoring in petroleum engineering or geology and provide support for student research projects.

The Eggleston-Ekas Scholarship assists deserving students at Marietta, with a first preference given to students interested in the study of biology, chemistry, or petroleum engineering.