Petroleum Engineering

Help ensure safe, innovative, environmentally sound, and economically viable extraction of the world’s oil and gas resources.

Global energy consumption is growing rapidly as the world is developing. However, oil and gas resources will be much less accessible in future, and far more advanced technology will be required to extract them. This means that the future hydrocarbon production will deal with unconventional resources, such as shales, gas hydrates and tar sands; it will take place in deep waters (> 2 km); or it will occur in “difficult” regions such as the Arctic region. The petroleum industry therefore needs more highly qualified engineers specializing in a wide range of areas.

Study programme focus

Safe, innovative, environmentally sound, and economically viable extraction of oil and natural gas requires knowledge of geophysics and rock mechanics, thermodynamic and chemical properties of oil and gases and their flow—in rocks and pipelines. The MSc programme in Petroleum Engineering thus covers a wide range of courses in these specific areas.

Focus areas

The Petroleum Engineering programme allows you to specialize in one of the two following focus areas:

• Reservoir Engineering (oil production and engineering)
• Reservoir Geophysics (oil production and geology)

You should be aware that your choice of courses in your individual study plan offers a high degree of flexibility. Therefore, you have every opportunity to design your own study programme and career by choosing from the wide range of courses offered at DTU. 

Programme provision

To obtain the MSc degree in Petroleum Engineering, the students have to fulfil the following requirements:

• Have passed General Competence Courses adding up to at least 30 points
• Have passed Technological Specialization Courses adding up to at least 30 points
• Have performed a Master Thesis of at least 30 points within the field of the general program
• Have passed Elective Courses to bring the total number of points of the entire study to 120

Only applicants holding either a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, a Bachelor in Engineering or a Bachelor of Natural Science degree can be admitted to a Master of Science in Engineering programme. From September 2017 the bachelor degree must be less than 10 years old.

The individual MSc Eng programme states in detail which bachelor programmes qualify and whether applicants have to complete supplementary educational activities.

Requirements for supplementary educational activities can equate to up to 30 ECTS credits and are specified in the form of a list of courses under the individual MSc Eng programmes.

The specific requirements must be met before graduating from the bachelor programme or in connection with conditional admission to a particular MSc Eng programme. The courses must be passed prior to the commencement of studies within one year from the conditional admission.

Supplementary educational activities in connection with conditional admission to an MSc Eng programme do not form part of the MSc Eng programme, and partial tuition fees are charged. If the supplementary courses have not been passed within the deadlines specified, the conditional admission to the programme is withdrawn.

The Master of Science in Engineering programmes are offered in English. Therefore applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English (B-level, IELTS, TOEFL- or Pearson test).

Academic requirements for this programme

National students

Prerequisites, Bachelor of Science in Engineering from DTU

The following BSc Eng programmes at DTU entitle students to admission to the MSc Eng programme in Petroleium Engineering:

• Civil Engineering
• Earth and Space Physics and Engineering
• Electrical Engineering (until September 2016)
• Physics and Nanotechnology
• Chemistry and Technology
• Mathematics and Technology
• Environmental Engineering (until September 2016)

Students holding a degree from one of the following BSc Eng programmes at DTU 

• Electrical Engineering (from February 2017)
• Environmental Engineering (from February 2017)
• Network Technology and IT
• Medicine and Technology 
• Mechanical Engineering
• Software Technology

have access to be admitted subject to having completed the following as part of their bachelor programme: 

• Minimum 20 ECTS points of mathematics, including differential equations
• Minimum 20 ECTS points in physics and chemistry. A candidate should have solid skills in several subjects like: Mechanics of liquids and solids, flows, thermodynamics, physical chemistry, mixtures, surface chemistry. 

Students holding a different BSc in engineering or natural science may be admitted based on an individual evaluation, however a solid knowledge of mathematics, thermodynamics and physics is required.  

Prerequisites, Bachelor of Engineering  from DTU

The following Bachelor of Engineering programmes at DTU entitle students to admission to the MSc Eng programme in Petroleium Engineering until September 2016:

• Arctic Technology
• Electrical Engineering
• Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Students holding a degree from one of the following B Eng programmes at DTU

• Arctic Technology (from February 2017)
• Electrical Engineering (from February 2017)
• Chemical and Biochemical Engineering (from February 2017)
• Civil Engineering (Lyngby Campus)
• IT (Lyngby campus)

have access to be admitted subject to having completed the following as part of their bachelor programme: 

• Minimum 20 ECTS points of mathematics, including differential equations
• Minimum 20 ECTS points in physics and chemistry. A candidate should have solid skills in several subjects like: Mechanics of liquids and solids, flows, thermodynamics, physical chemistry, mixtures, surface chemistry. 

Prerequisites, Bachelor of Science in Engineering from other Universities

Students holding the following BScs  in natural science may be admitted: 

University of Copenhagen:

• BSc in Physics
• BSc in Chemistry

Aarhus University: 

• BSc in Geoscience
• BSc in Physics
• BSc in Chemistry
• BSc in Mathematics

if they have passed the following as part of their bachelor programme: 

• Minimum 20 ECTS points of mathematics, including differential equations
• Minimum 20 ECTS points in physics and chemistry. A candidate should have solid skills in several subjects like: Mechanics of liquids and solids, flows, thermodynamics, physical chemistry, mixtures, surface chemistry.

International students

Prerequisites, International students

• Minimum 20 ECTS points of mathematics, including differential equations
• Minimum 20 ECTS points in physics and chemistry. A candidate should have solid skills in several subjects like: Mechanics of liquids and solids, flows, thermodynamics, physical chemistry, mixtures, surface chemistry.

Bachelors in petroleum engineering, physics, chemistry, applied mathematics, chemical engineering, geoscience, environmental engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering are invited to apply for the programme, provided that they fulfill the listed academic requirements.

Merits and qualifications of other applicants will be considered individually based on the material submitted. Applicants must have solid skills in thermodynamics, physics, analytical and applied mathematics.