Executive Education: Graduate Energy Program Report

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For more on Oil and Gas Investor’s Executive Education Special Report check out Energy Schools Are Getting Down to Business featured in the March 2022 issue.

Graduate energy education takes multiple forms, and it could help industry professionals, including executives, address the sector’s present and future challenges. These brief overviews of U.S.-based graduate business and technical programs are intended to help readers identify programs relevant to them.

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Undergraduate Minor, M.S. and Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering

■ Program Highlights: Oklahoma State University’s petroleum engineering programs are geographically well positioned in one of the most active E&P areas in the country.

■ Tuition: Students pursuing their M.S. degree are funded between $26,000 and $27,000 per year, and students pursuing their Ph.D. degree are funded between $27,000 and $30,000 per year. Additionally, graduate students receive free health insurance.

■ Web address: ceat.okstate.edu/che/cheand-pete-programs.html

Housed in the School of Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University (OSU) offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in petroleum engineering. In general, all the admitted graduate students receive graduate research assistantships with an opportunity to work on one or more federal, state and/or industry-sponsored research projects. Research projects involve various fundamental and applied research topics in and beyond petroleum engineering and relevant to current and future energy needs as well as economic and environmental sustainability. The graduate research laboratories are located in state-of-the-art facilities and are well-equipped with various high-end experimental and simulation technology. Current research topics include unconventional oil and gas, geothermal, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and water purification. The graduate programs offer different research tracks in the energy space of petroleum or renewables.

Undergraduate students majoring in engineering and engineering technology that wish to prepare for graduate degrees or positions in the petroleum industry can complete the minor in petroleum engineering. Undergraduate students have many opportunities to receive scholarships and undergraduate research assistantships.

OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology has first-class faculty with strong support from local and national oil and gas operators, service companies and close ties to the Hamm Institute for American Energy, giving their students the expertise they need to be successful in their careers. OSU’s petroleum engineers will be hands-on with the understanding of formation rock, applied mechanics, materials, fluid behavior and application of their effects on reservoir, drilling and completion economics, and environmental sustainability. Students who graduate from OSU’s programs will develop a team-oriented, problem-solving attitude that is required in the industry.

TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

Energy MBA and Energy Certificate

■ Program Highlight: Texas Christian University offers multiple completion tracks (standard and accelerated) with evening-only format either on campus or via remote live learning.

■ Tuition: For the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the estimated total tuition cost for the standard-length Energy MBA is $85,458 and $74,784 for the accelerated track. The energy certificate is $17,110.

■ Web Address: neeley.tcu.edu/energymba

With a faculty ranked No. 1 in the world by The Economist, Texas Christian University’s (TCU) Neeley School of Business provides globally recognized graduate business education, and its Energy MBA program draws from the core Neeley MBA curriculum while adding select courses and experiences exclusively focused on the energy industry.

The 42-hour Energy MBA program consists of 25.5 hours of core courses, 10.5 hours of energy-specific courses, which include an international trip, and six hours of business or energy electives. An accelerated completion track is available, which cuts the total semester hours from 42 to 36 by eliminating certain courses for students who meet specific requirements. The energy certificate consists of nine hours with focus on sustainable energy and ESG.

The Energy MBA program can be completed in person at TCU’s Fort Worth campus or remotely. Courses are offered only in the evenings, which allows working professionals to continue their careers alongside their MBA studies.

TULANE UNIVERSITY

M.S. of Management in Energy

■ Program Highlight: Unique course offerings provide hands-on experience, and specializations allow students to customize their education to meet their career goals.

■ Tuition: For the 2021 to 2022 academic year, the estimated total cost of the MME program, including tuition and university fees, is $69,130.

■ Web Address: freeman.tulane.edu/ graduate/master-management-energy

The M.S. of management in energy (MME) program at Tulane University’s A. B. Freeman School of Business has been designed with the input of energy leaders to provide students with knowledge and skills that are relevant and practical. Students are immersed in the business of energy with a particular focus on finance, preparing them to enter the energy professional services.

Experiential learning is a hallmark of the MME program. Among the unique course offerings available to MME students, courses taught in the Trading Center replicate real-world trading experience, with access to the software and research databases used in the industry. The Burkenroad Reports, the first university-sponsored securities analysis program, assigns students to cover a public, small-cap energy company. After conducting research and interviewing executives, students write a comprehensive analyst report.

The STEM-designated MME program can be completed in 10 months, though it can be extended to 18 months to involve a summer internship. The program notes it has a consistent 100% graduation rate.

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER BUSINESS SCHOOL

Global Energy Management Program

■ Program Highlight: Students and alumni have life-long access to an allenergy, global community and current curriculum.

■ Website: business.ucdenver.edu/industry/ global-energy-management

People, purpose and energy are at the core of energy programming at CU Denver Business School. Anticipating a need for workforce mobility within global energy management (GEM) has delivered an all-energy business curriculum since 2009. Continued success has provided the program with the ability to expand and offer market-driven professional development opportunities across organizational levels and academic backgrounds. Graduate certificate pathways allow individuals to tailor professional development in the areas of financial management, energy transition, renewable energy and ESG. For more tactical skills, there are non-credit courses in data analytics, trading and hedging, energy and commodity analytics, all in accessible formats.

Deep ties with the energy industry ensure educational offerings are relevant and practical as well as keep pace with the industry’s rapidly evolving needs. At the forefront of these efforts are the program’s faculty, who are recruited for their extensive experience in energy. Additionally, GEM is the only program to offer a rotating Executive in Residence, providing students with direct access to multiple industry leaders. Furthermore, GEM’s Industry Advisory Council offers continual guidance on changing industry needs and trends.

Lastly, learning and accessibility do not stop at graduation. Alumni are welcomed back to audit any graduate course at no charge and have access to all Executives in Residence. Over the past decade, the program has built a tight knit and global community ready to lead any company through the energy transition.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA– CHAPEL HILL

MBA in Energy

■ Program Highlight: Coverage of the entire energy value chain ensures that the UNC MBA in energy students have a full understanding of the industry.

■ Tuition: Estimated total tuition costs vary depending on state residency. For North Carolina residents, total tuition and mandatory fees come out to $51,152, and it costs $66,840 for non-North Carolina residents.

■ Web Address: kenan-flagler.unc.edu/ energy-center

Over the course of two years, students at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) can earn an MBA in energy at the Kenan-Flagler Business School and receive a comprehensive education in the entire energy value chain. In courses based upon actual energy operations and deals, with faculty applying the skills they developed in their own industry careers, energy MBA students at UNC receive a specialized energy business education that is directly applicable to their careers.

As part of the program, students gain access to the Kenan-Flagler Energy Center, which enhances the student experience through career-focused events and conferences, research assistantships, curriculum development, internship assistance and access to faculty and industry professionals.

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

EMBA in Energy

■ Program Highlight: OU’s EMBA in energy offers specializations in hydrocarbons or renewables to provide executives with the full tools to navigate the energy transition.

■ Tuition: The total cost of the program, including tuition and fees, is $85,500.

■ Web Address: ou.edu/price/mba/embainenergy

University of Oklahoma’s (OU) nationally ranked EMBA in energy program offers students a 15-month curriculum that will prepare them to thrive during the industry’s transition to renewable and alternative energies. Unlike most other EMBA programs in the U.S., the program’s curriculum is entirely focused on the energy industry, with all components of the program having been designed with the real-world needs and challenges of energy professionals in mind.

Adapting to the increased sense of urgency around transition, the EMBA program has developed two specializations, hydrocarbons and renewables, to better prepare students to innovate and lead in the growing fields of renewable energy, alternative fuels and electrification.

An integral component of the EMBA program is its international residency module, which grants students the opportunity to take courses in Europe. In addition to the international residency, the EMBA program has two domestic residencies that take place on campus, one at the start of the program and another at its conclusion.

Due to the intensive nature of its curriculum, which will equip students with knowledge on topics such as decarbonization and energy economics, the university recommends that students set aside at least 25 hours per week to absorb new materials, complete assignments and work with their classmates on team exercises.