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Geoscientists should contact the Department of Geoscience and engineers should contact the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering for further information.

Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Location: Schulich School of Engineering, Room B202
Program number: 403.220.4802
Fax: 403.284.4852
Email Address: chemandpetenggrad@ucalgary.ca
Web page URL:

Department of Geoscience
Location: Earth Sciences 118
Program number: 403.220.3254
Fax: 403.284.0074
Email Address: sci.grad@ucalgary.ca
Web page URL:

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)
Master of Science in Geoscience (MSc)

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 Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ. 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 Geoscience plus a course in Well Logging and Formation Evaluation such as Petroleum Engineering 507 at the Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ, 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.

The deadline for completed applications is available on the Future Students website:

Master of Engineering in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (MEng):

Master of Science in Geoscience (MSc):

The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission.

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

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

Students in Engineering are required to take:

Geophysics 559
Chemical Engineering 621
Chemical Engineering 661
Chemical Engineering 698/Geology 698*
Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources 668

and select four from the following list, two of which MUST be Geology or Geophysics:

Students in Geology are required to take:

Petroleum Engineering 523
Chemical Engineering 621
Chemical Engineering 661 OR Geology 697
Chemical Engineering 698/Geology 698*
Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources 668

and select four from the following list, two of which MUST be Engineering:

Students in Geophysics are required to take:

Petroleum Engineering 523
Chemical Engineering 621
Chemical Engineering 661
Chemical Engineering 698/Geology 698*
Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources 668

and select four from the following list, two of which MUST be Engineering:

* To be taken in the final semester of study.

Chemical Engineering 698/Geology 698 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 modelling and reservoir flow modelling. 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.

Expected completion time is two years and maximum completion time is six years.

Supervisors will be approved by the specialization Graduate Program Director.

After the conclusion of the Capstone Project, there will be a comprehensive oral examination of each student before an examining committee that includes a faculty member from each of the three disciplines. Each student will be expected to express in-depth knowledge in their area of expertise (Engineering, Geology, Geophysics), and to have a comprehensive knowledge of the significance of the other two areas in successful reservoir characterization.

For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.