Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering

Faculty

Assistant Professors

Nicolas Farah, Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering
Nadim Zgheib, Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering

Overview

The B.E. in Petroleum Engineering at LAU has been designed to equip students with the fundamental skills required to achieve lifelong professional growth in the field of petroleum engineering. The program covers the areas of well exploration and evaluation, well drilling and production, process engineering and lifecycle management of wells, the economics of petroleum, and petroleum regulations. The program provides special emphasis on natural gas, which is the most dominant type of hydrocarbon fuel in Lebanon.

Courses are structured to combine a sound theoretical foundation, experimentation, engineering judgment, application to case studies, and engineering design. Computer simulation and computer controls are highly emphasized throughout the curriculum. Students will be able to integrate professional, ethical, and environmental considerations into petroleum engineering design and problem solving and develop the ability to communicate engineering results effectively.

Mission

The mission of the B.E. in Petroleum Engineering is to provide a quality education in petroleum engineering that combines theory and practice for undergraduate students, and to satisfy industry demand for graduates with special education in the oil and gas industries, while helping graduates enter the market force or pursue further education at the graduate level.

Vision

The vision of the program is to prepare graduates to be technically competent, talented, creative, and ethically responsible engineers who are effective professionals in today’s work environment. Staying abreast of the latest technical software enables them to enrich their lives and make valuable contributions to their communities.

Program Educational Objectives

Upon graduation, graduates of the B.E. in Petroleum Engineering will:

achieve success in their chosen career path be it professional practice or graduate studies,
be responsible citizen engineers, and
practice the profession as demonstrated by continued professional employment, job promotion, and expanding career responsibility.

Student Outcomes

Upon completion of the B.E. in Petroleum Engineering, students will be able to:

1. apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems,
2. apply both analysis and synthesis in engineering design process, resulting on designs that meet constraints and specifications, which include societal, economic, environmental, and other factors as appropriate to the design,
3. develop and conduct appropriate experimentation and testing procedures, and analyze and draw conclusions from data,
4. communicate effectively with a range of audiences through various media,
5. demonstrate ethical principles in an engineering context,
6. recognize the ongoing need for additional knowledge and locate, evaluate, integrate, and apply this knowledge appropriately, and
7. establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, manage risk and uncertainty, and function effectively on teams.

Admission Requirements

The application process is the same as for all undergraduate programs (see Admissions). Applicants will be evaluated by the School of Engineering Admissions Council and final acceptance will be based on each applicant’s qualifications and the availability of places.

Curriculum

The total number of credits required for graduation is 150 credits, distributed as follows:

Petroleum Engineering Major Requirements (80 credits)
Mathematics and Science Requirements (18 credits)
General Engineering Requirements (34 credits)
LAC Requirements (18 credits)

These include:

6 Technical Elective courses for emphasis, depending on students’ interests and current market needs
8 courses with a separate industry standard software laboratory or physical laboratory sessions to enhance the learning experience and improve employment opportunity
A minimum residency of four years, including three summer terms

Petroleum Engineering Major Requirements (80 credits)

PTE200 Introduction to Petroleum Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE310 Transport Processes Through Porous Media (3 cr.)
PTE320 Reservoir Petrophysics (3 cr.)
PTE321 Petroleum Engineering - LAB (1 cr.)
PTE322 Fundamentals of Reservoir Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE330 Well Drilling (3 cr.)
PTE331 Drilling Fluids - Lab (1 cr.)
PTE340 Financial Management of Engineered Assets (3 cr.)
PTE431 Fundamentals of Well Test Analysis (3 cr.)
PTE432 Well Logging and Formation Evaluation (3 cr.)
PTE441 Petroleum Leasing Regulations & Practices (3 cr.)
PTE450 Introduction to Process Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE451 Petroleum Production Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE452 Petroleum Production - Lab (1 cr.)
PTE460 Natural Gas Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE461 Natural Gas - Lab (1 cr.)
PTE470 Petroleum Engineering Design (3 cr.)
PTE471 The Petroleum Engineering Profession (2 cr.)
PTE472 Modeling & Computer Applications (3 cr.)
PTE498 Professional Experience (6 cr.)
PTE543 Life Cycle & Risk Management (3 cr.)
PTE573 Detailing for Petroleum Engineers (2 cr.)
PTE601 Capstone Design Project (3 cr.)
Technical Elective Courses (18cr) ¹

¹ Technical Elective Courses (18 credits)

PTE510 Structural Engineering of Offshore Platforms (3 cr.)
PTE511 Fundamentals of Subsurface Environmental Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE512 Fixed Offshore Structures (3 cr.)
PTE513 Piping Systems (3 cr.)
PTE514 Offshore Development Practices (3 cr.)
PTE515 Thermal Recovery (3 cr.)
PTE516 Process Control & Instrumentation (3 cr.)
PTE517 Industrial Process Management (3 cr.)
PTE523 Advanced Reservoir Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE524 Reservoir Simulation (3 cr.)
PTE533 Advanced Drilling Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE534 Advanced Well Test Analysis (3 cr.)
PTE544 Petroleum Project Evaluation (3 cr.)
PTE545 Energy Finance (3 cr.)
PTE553 Advanced Production Mechanics (3 cr.)
PTE563 Unconventional Oil Exploitation (3 cr.)
PTE564 Unconventional Gas Exploitation (3 cr.)
PTE565 Water Flooding & Enhanced Oil Recovery (3 cr.)
PTE574 Artificial Lift Design (3 cr.)
PTE594 Undergraduate Research Project (3cr.)
PTE599 Directed Studies in Petroleum Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE600 Topics (3 cr.)
or any other Technical Elective course approved by the Program Steering Committee

Note that all Technical Elective courses require at least senior standing in addition to their relevant prerequisites.

Mathematics and Science Requirements (18 credits)

CHM201 Chemical Principles (3 cr.)
GNE331 Probability & Statistics (3 cr.)
MTH201 Calculus III (3 cr.)
MTH206 Calculus IV (3 cr.)
MTH304 Differential Equations (3 cr.)
MEE241 Dynamics (3 cr.)

General Engineering Requirements (34 credits)

CIE200 Statics (3 cr.)
CIE202 Mechanics of Materials (3 cr.)
CIE302 Structural Analysis I (3 cr.)
CIE303 Structural Analysis I - SOFT (1 cr.)
CIE320 Fluid Mechanics (3 cr.)
CIE321 Fluid Mechanics - Lab (1 cr.)
COE201 Computer Proficiency (1 cr.)
GNE301 Professional Communication (2 cr.)
GNE303 Engineering Ethics (2 cr.)
INE320 Engineering Economy (3 cr.)
MEE301 Thermodynamics (3 cr.)
PTE204 Geology for Petroleum Engineers (3 cr.)
SOE Signature Course 1/2 (3cr.)
SOE Signature Course 2/2 (3cr.)

LAC Requirements (18 credits)

Core Courses (6 credits)

ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.)
COM203 Fundamentals of Oral Communication (3 cr.)

Elective Courses (12 credits)

One course in social sciences (3 cr.)
One course in cultural studies, philosophy, religion, or history (3 cr.)
One course in literature and languages (English and Arabic language & literature) (3 cr.)
One course in arts (fine arts, communication arts, music appreciation, and theater) (3 cr.)

Recommended Study Plan

Year One

Fall (16 credits)

MTH201 Calculus III (3 cr.)
CHM201 Chemical Principles (3 cr.)
CIE200 Statics (3 cr.)
PTE200 Introduction to Petroleum Engineering (3 cr.)
COE201 Computer Proficiency (1 cr.)
ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.)

Spring (15 credits)

CIE202 Mechanics of Materials (3 cr.)
MTH206 Calculus IV (3 cr.)
MEE241 Dynamics (3 cr.)
PTE204 Geology for Petroleum Engineers (3 cr.)
LAC Elective (3 cr.)

Summer (9 credits)

MTH304 Differential Equations (3 cr.)
LAC Elective (3 cr.)
LAC Elective (3 cr.)

Year Two

Fall (17 credits)

CIE302 Structural Analysis I (3 cr.)
CIE303 Structural Analysis I - SOFT (1 cr.)
MEE301 Thermodynamics (3 cr.)
PTE320 Reservoir Petrophysics (3 cr.)
PTE321 Petroleum Engineering Lab (1 cr.)
INE320 Engineering Economy (3 cr.)
GNE331 Probability & Statistics (3 cr.)

Spring (17 credits)

CIE320 Fluid Mechanics (3 cr.)
CIE321 Fluid Mechanics - Lab (1 cr.)
PTE310 Transport Processes Through Porous Media (3 cr.)
PTE322 Fundamentals of Reservoir Engineering (3 cr.)
PTE330 Well Drilling (3 cr.)
PTE331 Drilling Fluids - Lab (1 cr.)
PTE340 Financial Management of Engineered Assets (3 cr.)

Summer (8 credits)

GNE301 Professional Communication (2 cr.)
COM203 Fundamentals of Oral Communication (3 cr.)
LAC Elective (3 cr.)

Year Three