The Boone Pickens School of Geology (BPSG) at Oklahoma State University has a strong emphasis in applied and basic petroleum related research. A majority of our faculty, including 6 endowed Professors, are actively involved at some level in the research and teaching of various aspects of hydrocarbon systems. In general, each of these faculty maintains a research group of several M.S. and Ph.D. level graduate students at any one time, and many have exceptional undergraduates involved in their programs as well as post-doctoral scholars. Currently the BPSG has 70 graduate students (45 MS and 25 PhD). A large proportion of our graduate students are working on petroleum-related theses and dissertations.
The Petroleum Geosciences Research group continues the long history of petroleum geology research at OSU. Our team integrates traditional core- and outcrop-based research with geophysics, geochemistry and remote sensing to develop depositional and diagenetic models to explain reservoir and seal evolution in conventional and unconventional petroleum systems. Our expertise in stratigraphy, sedimentation, paleontology, geochemistry, petrology, geophysics, structure, tectonics, flow modeling and spectral analysis allows us to model the evolution of petroleum systems from the molecular scale to the basin scale. Our team also evaluates geologic carbon storage, fluid-disposal in petroleum reservoirs, enhanced oil and gas recovery, and reservoir compartmentalization.
If you are interested in a career in petroleum geosciences there are opportunities at Oklahoma State University at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to learn more about the concepts behind the industry.
At the undergraduate level it’s important to get a good foundation in the major disciplines of geology, as well as expanding into some of the more focused petroleum classes. Research projects during your undergraduate education are great opportunities to be introduced to software commonly utilized in the petroleum industry. Consider talking to a professor or graduate student about how to get involved in the current projects at OSU.
As a graduate student there are many classes offered that cover topics essential to the exploration and production of oil and gas. These give students a good foundation that will be useful when starting a career as a petroleum geoscientist. Aside from the classes, a significant amount of thesis and dissertation projects at OSU directly relate to current problems and new concepts applicable in the petroleum industry.
Faculty with research in petroleum geosciences: