Future Petroleum Engineers Can Now Study In North Dakota

| 1/20/2012

One of North Dakota`s largest universities is expanding its curriculum to help meet the state`s need for petroleum engineers. On Thursday, the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education approved the new Department of Petroleum Engineering at the University of North Dakota. The department will be part of the UND School of Engineering and Mines (SEM) and offers the only petroleum engineering degree program in the state.

"This is a response to a very apparent need in North Dakota, with many exciting advances in the petroleum industry," said UND President Robert Kelley. "This means it`s the right time to establish a Department of Petroleum Engineering at the University of North Dakota.

El Rewini, SEM Dean, says that there`s been an enthusiastic response to petroleum studies at UND, including the Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering, which was approved by the State Board of Higher Education two years ago.

"In just one year, the program grew to 24 majors on campus and seven distance students," he said. That rate of expansion exceeds everyone`s expectations and underscores the timeliness of the Board`s move today that will broaden the scope of petroleum studies and research at UND.

The new department will house UND`s petroleum engineering program. The objective of the program is to educate petroleum engineering undergraduates prepared for advanced studies in graduate school or to compete for positions in the petroleum industry and related industries or government agencies.

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