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The University offers an interdisciplinary specialization in Reservoir Characterization to students registered in an existing course-based Master’s program in the Departments of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering or GeoScience. The program integrates reservoir engineering, geology, geophysics, and reservoir characterization. The student will receive the degree offered by the home program:

Master of Engineering in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (MEng), or
Master of Science (MSc) (Geology and Geophysics)
Specialization: Reservoir Characterization (Interdisciplinary)

All students will normally be considered to have full-time status. In exceptional circumstances part-time status may be considered and must be approved by the Graduate Director.

In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies   requirements, all applicants must meet the minimum standards of the home program.

Acceptance into the Master of Engineering program would normally require the completion of the equivalent of the Bachelor of Science in Oil and Gas Engineering degree offered by the University of Calgary. However, individuals with more diverse background and industry experience may be considered for admission.

Acceptance into the Master of Science program requires the completion of a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Geophysics plus Petroleum Engineering 507 – Well Logging and Formation Evaluation, or equivalent.

Applicants with an undergraduate degree in geology must demonstrate acceptable proficiency in mathematics. It is an asset for geologists to have taken additional mathematics courses as technical electives during their undergraduate degree.

To address the broad background of students entering the Reservoir Characterization Interdisciplinary Specialization, there are three streams for completion: Geology, Geophysics and Engineering.

All students must take at least six courses at the 600- and/or 700-level.

Students in the engineering stream are required to take:

Geophysics 559 – Geophysical Interpretation
Chemical Engineering 621 – Reservoir Simulation
Chemical Engineering 661 – Geostats for Reservoir Characterization OR Geology 697 – Advanced Geostatistics
Chemical Engineering 698/Geology 698*** – Reservoir Characterization for Field Development (RCFD)
Human Resources and Organizational Dynamics 789 – Optimizing Team Dynamics

and select 4 from the following list, 2 of which MUST be geoscience:

Petroleum Engineering 543 – Geological Characterization of Oil and Gas Reservoirs
Chemical Engineering 687 – Petroleum Economics
Chemical Engineering 649 – Naturally-Fractured Reservoirs
Geology 595.03 – Reservoir Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Play Assessment
Geology/Geophysics 649 – Petrophysical Techniques
Geology/Geophysics 699.37 – Unconventional Gas Reservoir Characterization and Evaluation
Geophysics 671 – Inverse Theory and Methods
Geology 593.02 – Stratigraphy and Sedimentation of clastic rocks (Q)*
Geology 593.03 – Stratigraphy and Sedimentation of carbonate rocks (Q)*

Students in the geology stream are required to take:

Petroleum Engineering 523 – Intro to Reservoir Engineering
Chemical Engineering 621 – Reservoir Simulation
Chemical Engineering 661 – Geostats for Reservoir Characterization OR Geology 697 – Advanced Geostatistics
Chemical Engineering 698/Geology 698*** – Reservoir Characterization for Field Development (RCFD)
Human Resources and Organizational Dynamics 789 – Optimizing Team Dynamics

and select 4 from the following list, 2 of which MUST be engineering:

Engineering 407 – Numerical Methods in Engineering
Petroleum Engineering 513** – Flow in Porous Media
Petroleum Engineering 525 – Waterflooding and Enhanced Oil Recovery
Petroleum Engineering 533 – Petroleum Production Engineering
Petroleum Engineering 543 – Geological Characterization of Oil and Gas Reservoirs
Chemical Engineering 687 – Petroleum Economics
Chemical Engineering 649 – Naturally-Fractured Reservoirs
Geophysics 559 – Geophysical Interpretation
Geology 613** – Flow in Porous Media
Geology 595.03 – Reservoir Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Play Assessment
Geology/Geophysics 649 – Petrophysical Techniques
Geology/Geophysics 699.37 – Unconventional Gas Reservoir Characterization and Evaluation

Students in the geophysics stream are required to take:

Petroleum Engineering 523 – Intro to Reservoir Engineering
Chemical Engineering 621 – Reservoir Simulation
Chemical Engineering 661 – Geostats for Reservoir Characterization OR Geology 697 – Advanced Geostatistics
Chemical Engineering 698/Geology 698*** – Reservoir Characterization for Field Development (RCFD)
Human Resources and Organizational Dynamics 789 – Optimizing Team Dynamics

and select 4 from the following list, 2 of which MUST be engineering:

Engineering 407 – Numerical Methods in Engineering
Petroleum Engineering 513** – Flow in Porous Media
Petroleum Engineering 525 – Waterflooding and Enhanced Oil Recovery
Petroleum Engineering 533 – Petroleum Production Engineering
Petroleum Engineering 543 – Geological Characterization of Oil and Gas Reservoirs
Chemical Engineering 687 – Petroleum Economics
Chemical Engineering 649 – Naturally-Fractured Reservoirs
Geology 613** – Flow in Porous Media
Geology 595.03 – Reservoir Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Play Assessment
Geology/Geophysics 649 – Petrophysical Techniques
Geology/Geophysics 699.37 – Unconventional Gas Reservoir Characterization and Evaluation
Geology 593.02 – Stratigraphy and Sedimentation of clastic rocks (Q)*
Geology 593.03 – Stratigraphy and Sedimentation of carbonate rocks (Q)*
where * (Q) = quarter course taught in ½ semester; Geology 593.02 and .03 must both be taken for program credit.

** Choose only one (1) of Petroleum Engineering 513 or Geology 613.
*** To be taken in the final semester of study

The RCFD course is a team-based experience with each team required to analyze and integrate various data (e.g., seismic, logs, and production) from a real field. Each member of the team is expected to have proficiency on the software packages for geophysical interpretation, geological mapping, geostatistical modeling and reservoir flow modeling. The reservoir characterization will require the development and assessment of a geostatistical model of the field that will be used for a history match and to propose future development. The project will conclude with a formal presentation to experts from both academia and industry.