Energy Geoscience Program

The Professional Science Master's Program at Rice, offers a curriculum with focus on developing a holistic and practical knowledge of the industry. Additionally, Rice University via its collaborative programs in the heart of the Energy Capital, Houston, enables valuable exposure to the oil and gas industry forums, internships and industry mentors. This offers further competitive advantage for its graduates providing them with direct industry insights.

– Tauseef Salma, Vice President, Global Chemicals, Baker Hughes, a GE Company

Students in the Professional Master’s Program benefit from Rice’s highly recognized academic resources enhanced with professional components that together foster the development of essential science, communication, and management skills. The (Subsurface Geoscience) track creates a rare breed of well-prepared professionals possessing the wide range of abilities necessary to devise innovative and pragmatic approaches to tackle difficult industry problems.

– André Erlich, Chief Information Officer, Schlumberger Ltd. (retired)

Overview

The Energy Geoscience (formerly Subsurface Geoscience) program is geared for students who have a geoscience background and would like to become proficient in their area of interest. Students can choose from four focus areas that will prepare them to apply geological knowledge and geophysical methods to find and develop reserves of oil and natural gas; or to hone their skills in manipulating and managing energy-related data, or refit or expand their skill-set to the new areas of the on-going energy transition.

The core requirements for the degree are strong technical courses, management and policy courses, with communication skills training, and include an industrial internship or work experience. Students select a group of elective courses from a focus area (see below), or from a variety of other courses related to their interests.

  • The Energy Data Management focus area prepares students to understand exploration and production as a data-driven business, to become data enabled geoscientists to match demands in the energy industry.
  • The Geology focus area prepares students with strong skills in using seismic and other geophysical methods along with geological principles to find oil and natural gas, including topics addressing the ongoing energy industry transition
  • The Geophysics focus area prepares students to become technical experts in aspects of seismology, including topics addressing the ongoing energy industry transition.
  • The Energy Transition and Sustainability focus area (available in Fall 2022) will address geoscience methods that are going to be needed in a successful energy transition, such as geo-thermal, carbon sequestration and storage, minerals, etc

Faculty involved in the Energy Geoscience Program:

  • Julia Morgan, Chair, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences

DEEPS Professors:

Adjunct Faculty: