New UW Energy, Petroleum Engineering Master’s Degree to incorporate blockchain courses

The University of Wyoming has announced a new master’s degree program in energy and petroleum engineering will be the first to offer graduate courses in blockchain starting in fall 2023 at the university.

According to professor and head of the UW Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering Vamegh Rasouli, if someone holds any B.S. degree and fulfills the admission requirements of UW, they  can apply for the course-based Master of Petroleum Engineering degree.

Rasouli says the program will be offered in person on campus or remotely via distance delivery mode, or a combination of both, to meet the needs of students. He adds that the program is structured to be affordable compared to similar graduate programs offered by other institutions.

Including blockchain courses in an energy and petroleum engineering master’s degree program combines topics important to Wyoming and other regions worldwide, he said. The program is designed so that someone without an energy and petroleum engineering background, or without knowledge of blockchain, can take fundamental courses to understand how the degree applies to energy and the oil and gas industry.

“One of the blockchain courses, for example, relates to carbon capture and sequestration, which is everywhere now,” Rasouli said. “Another one is about the economy and law.”

Blockchain courses to be offered in the master’s degree program include “Fundamentals of Blockchain”; “Business Application of Blockchain”; “Case Studies in Blockchain”; “Blockchain in Energy”; and “Blockchain for Oil and Gas.”

Students enrolled in the program without an energy and petroleum engineering degree will take five core courses in petroleum engineering from the list of existing courses offered in the department, Rasouli says. These include geology and geophysics, drilling engineering, reservoir engineering, production engineering, completion and stimulation, with remaining courses from a combination of the specialized paths.

For more information, visit the UW Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering website at www.uwyo.edu/petroleum; or email pete-info@uwyo.edu or vrasouli@uwyo.edu.

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