University of Alberta · Faculty of Science · Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Integrated Energy Geosciences

A 1.5-year course-based M.Sc. in geoscience that provides advanced training to students preparing to enter resource industries.

Program Length

1.5 Years

Graduates Since 2009

235

Capstone Credits

Capstone Duration

5.5 Months

Areas of Concentration

Four energy and resource pathways

Students build a common foundation in geology, geophysics and reservoir engineering, then concentrate their optional courses and capstone project in one of four areas.

Petroleum

Conventional and unconventional reservoir analysis, basin and petroleum systems modelling.

Geothermal

Geothermics, subsurface heat flow and reservoir assessment for low-carbon energy.

Carbon Sequestration

Seal integrity, fault reactivation and storage capacity for CCS in sedimentary basins.

Minerals in Basins

Mineral resources hosted in sedimentary basins.

The Program

Multidisciplinary training, built around teamwork

The Integrated Energy Geosciences program (IEG) emphasizes the multidisciplinary training and teamwork that characterize modern resource industries. Students take a common set of courses in geology, geophysics and reservoir engineering, plus additional courses on topics of interest in the first year. They then complete a 5.5-month capstone project that applies their knowledge and skills to a real problem in their area of concentration. Applicants should have strong undergraduate training in earth sciences (geology, geophysics), but applicants with engineering degrees will be considered, provided they have taken academic courses in sedimentology, mineralogy and structural geology.

Curriculum

Five core courses, taken by every student

Courses develop the skills required to interpret geological, geophysical and engineering datasets. We also emphasize soft skills: professional presentations, report writing and teamwork.


IPG 510	Rock Properties, Petrophysics, Well Log Analysis
IPG 512	Seismic Interpretation
IPG 514	Sedimentary Basin Analysis
IPG 516	Petroleum Production (Introduction to Reservoir Engineering)
IPG 518	Geological Reservoir Analysis
+ 5 options	Selected from 13 optional courses across EAS and Geophysics

Capstone & Internships

A real industry problem, not a thesis

All students complete a capstone project in the last 5.5 months of their program, registering for a total of 12 credits as IPG 601A and 601B. The project investigates a real problem in geoscience resource assessment or development.

Students can complete their capstone in conjunction with an industry internship, where the internship project also serves as the capstone. Students are encouraged to seek internships through their own efforts, and IEG faculty will also work to find placements. Students without an internship are supervised by a University of Alberta faculty member.

Our Graduates

235 graduates, working across the resource sector

The Integrated Energy / Petroleum Geosciences program has graduated 235 students since it started in fall 2009. Our graduates now work in diverse industries across Canada and internationally.

Large oil and gas — Canada

Imperial · CNRL · Cenovus · Suncor

Mid-size and small producers

Tourmaline · Whitecap Resources · ARC Resources · Baytex · Crestwynd · Rubellite · Spur Petroleum

International energy

Pakistan Petroleum · Repsol · Qatar Energy

Mining

Tec Resources · BHP Billiton · Lundin · Probe Metals · Baseload Energy

Government and regulators

Alberta Energy Regulator · Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board

Consulting, services and data

Cabra Consulting · Machine learning

Faculty

Who you will learn from

Nicholas Harris

Professor and Program Director

Unconventional reservoirs, hydrocarbon source rocks, geothermal and carbon sequestration reservoir analysis. Teaches IPG 518, IPG 514 and EAS 520.

David Potter

Professor

Petrophysics, rock physics, well logging and borehole methods. Teaches IPG 510.

Elena Konstantinovskaya

Instructor

Structural geology, fault hydraulic behaviour, top seal breaching and CCS geomechanics. Teaches IPG 512.

Ready to apply your geoscience to real energy problems?

You do not need to contact a potential supervisor before applying to the IEG program. Review the entrance requirements and application package to get started.