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Petroleum Geology & Geophysics at Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University (TAMU) and Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP) have associated their experiences in research and teaching in the fields of petroleum exploration, reservoir characterization, petroleum engineering and field management to create a Master’s degree dedicated to reservoir geoscience and engineering. The TAMU departments of Geology and Geophysics and Petroleum Engineering are participating in the alliance with IFP.

The IFP was created in 1944 for the purpose of developing a high level of technical, economic and management skills in the fields of petroleum and energy. IFP trains about 500 graduate students per year in a variety of petroleum-related fields. IFP students are selected among candidates from leading worldwide engineering schools and universities; fifty countries were represented in 1999.

The joint TAMU/IFP program, formally called Reservoir Geoscience and Engineering, prepares reservoir geoscientists with a good working knowledge of petroleum geosciences and engineering for efficient collaboration on interdisciplinary teams. The Geology-Geophysics alliance with IFP began about two years ago when IFP representatives visited the TAMU Petroleum Engineering Department and invited Dr. Wayne Ahr to discuss potential collaborative programs in Geosciences. Dr. Luc Ikelle recently became involved and helped develop the current program. TAMU has a formal Memorandum of Agreement for collaborative teaching and research with IFP.

Students are admitted to both IFP and A&M by regular (for each institution) review of their academic credentials. All students in the program must be able to function in two languages, though most of the coursework in France is in English.

Students take courses both at IFP and at TAMU, and ultimately earn both a Master of Science in Reservoir Geoscience and Engineering from IFP and a Master of Science in Geology/Geophysics or Petroleum Engineering, or a Master of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering, from Texas A&M. The first group of students has already completed their first semester at A&M, and more students are expected to join in the fall of 2000.