GRADUATE PROGRAM:

The Energy Resources Engineering department offers two distinct degree programs at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels.  One program leads to the degrees of M.S. or Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering, and the other leads to the degrees of M.S. or Ph.D. in Energy Resources Engineering.  The Engineer degree, which may be offered in either Petroleum Engineering or Energy Resources Engineering, is an extended form of the M.S. degree with additional coursework and research.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY - Petroleum Engineering

The Ph.D. degree is conferred upon demonstration of high achievement in independent research and by presentation of the research results in a written dissertation and oral defense.
Basic requirements include a minimum of 135 units of satisfactorily completed graduate study. Students must take at least 90 units beyond the 45 units required for the master’s degree. The 90 units are composed of a minimum of 36 units of research and a minimum of 36 units of course work. The student’s record must indicate outstanding scholarship. The student must pass the department’s qualifying examination, submit an approved research proposal, fulfill the requirements of the minor department if a minor is elected, and pass the University oral examination, which is a defense of the dissertation. The student must prepare a dissertation based on independent research and that makes a significant contribution to the field.

The specification of 36 units of course work is a minimum; in some cases the research adviser may specify additional requirements to strengthen the student’s expertise in particular areas. The 36 units of course work does not include teaching experience (ENERGY 359), which is a requirement for the Ph.D. degree, nor any units in research seminars, which students are required to attend. All courses must be taken for a letter grade, with an average grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25 in the 36 units of course work. Incoming Ph.D. students who earned their master’s degree at another institution are required to take at least 36 units of course work. No more than four of the seven courses that make up the strategic requirements for the Ph.D. qualifying exams are included in these 36 units (ENERGY 175, 221, 222, 223, 227, 240, 251). The 36 units of course work may include graduate courses in Energy Resources Engineering (numbered 200 and above) and graduate courses from other science and engineering departments. Other courses may be substituted with prior approval by the adviser. In general, non-technical courses are not approved. Students are encouraged to take the class Engineering 202W - Technical Writing, although it does not count within the 36 unit minimum.

Ph.D. students are required to take the doctoral qualifying examination at the beginning of the second year of study. Students receiving a master’s degree from the Department of Energy Resources Engineering and continuing on for a Ph.D. are required to take the qualifying examination at the first opportunity after the completion of the requirements for the master’s degree.

During thequalifying exam, students must present and defend their proposed thesis research work; the exam generally takes the form of a 20-30 minute presentation by the student, followed by 1-2 hours of questioning.  Candidates will be questioned on their research proposal as well as on their academic skill sets, as appropriate for the area they are working in.

Within a year of passing the qualifying examination, the student must prepare a short written report that contains a literature review and a research proposal. This proposal must be approved after oral examination by a committee made up of the student’s adviser and two other faculty, at least one of whom must be from the department.

The dissertation must be submitted in its final form within five calendar years from the date of admission to candidacy. Candidates who fail to meet this deadline must submit an Application for Extension of Candidacy for approval by the department chair if they wish to continue in the program.

To be eligible to enter the PhD degree program in Petroleum Engineering, students are required to hold a MS degree in Petroleum Engineering. Many students complete this MS degree at Stanford before continuing in the PhD program, however others enter the Stanford PhD program with MS degrees in Petroleum Engineering from other schools.

Ph.D. MINOR

To be recommended for a Ph.D. degree with Petroleum Engineering as a minor subject, a student must take 20 units of selected graduate-level lecture courses in the department. These courses must include ENERGY 221 and 222. The remaining courses should be selected from ENERGY 175, 223, 224, 225, 227, 240, 241, 251, 280, 281, and 284.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY - Energy Resources Engineering

In addition to the University’s basic requirements for the doctorate, the Energy Resources Engineering PhD has the following requirements:

1. Students must complete a minimum of 36 course units and a minimum of 36 research units, with a total unit requirement of 90 units.. At least half of the classes must be at a 200 level or higher and all must be taken for a letter grade. Students with an M.S. degree or other specialized training from outside ERE will generally be expected to include the classes EE 293A, EE 293B, ENERGY 221 and ENERGY 240 or their equivalents. The number and distribution of courses to be taken is to be determined with input from the research advisers and department graduate program committee. The program should contain a level of breadth (at least 4 courses, including EE 293 A and B) in energy-related subjects in addition to coursework that supports the area of the student's focus (see number 5).
2. Prior to taking the oral qualifying examination at or before the end of their 3rd academic quarter, the student must have completed 24 units of letter-graded course work, developed a written PhD research proposal, and selected a thesis committee.
3. To be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, the student must pass a qualifying examination. During the exam, students must present and defend their proposed thesis research work; the exam generally takes the form of a 20-30 minute presentation by the student, followed by 1-2 hours of questioning.  Candidates will be questioned on their research proposal as well as on their academic skill sets, as appropriate for the area they are working in.
4. The research advisers and two other faculty members comprise the dissertation reading committee. Upon completion of the thesis, the student must pass a University Oral Examination in defense of the dissertation.
5. 12 of the 36 required course units must be completed from the following list of courses. If the student has not taken EE 293A/B or their equivalent during the MS, then these courses must be taken during the PhD (they will satisfy 6 of the required 12 units).
   
   ENERGY 104. Technology in the Greenhouse
   ENERGY 252. Chemical Kinetics Modeling
   ENERGY 253. Carbon Capture and Sequestration
   ENERGY 260. Modeling Uncertainty in the Earth Sciences
   ENERGY 269. Geothermal Reservoir Engineering
   ENERGY 291. Optimization of Energy Systems
   ENERGY 301. The Energy Seminar (may be repeated for credit no more than 3 times)
   CEE 176A. Energy Efficient Buildings
   CEE 176B. Electric Power: Renewables and Efficiency
   CEE 272P. Distributed Generation and Grid Integration of Renewables
   CEE 268: Groundwater Flow
   EESS 221/CEE 260C - Contaminant Hydrogeology
   CHEMENG 130. Separation Processes
   CHEMENG 340. Molecular Thermodynamics
   EARTHSYS 247. Controlling Climate Change in the 21st Century
   ECON 250. Environmental Economics
   ECON 251. Natural Resource and Energy Economics
   EE 293A. Fundamentals of Energy Processes
   EE 293B. Fundamentals of Energy Processes
   GES170. Environmental Geochemistry
   GES 171. Geochemical Thermodynamics
   GES 217. Faults, Fractures, and Fluid Flow
   ME 131A. Heat Transfer
   ME 150. Internal Combustion Engines
   ME 260. Fuel Cell Technology
   ME 370A. Energy Systems I: Thermodynamics
   ME 370B. Energy Systems II: Modeling and Advanced Concepts
   MATSCI 156. Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries
   MATSCI 316. Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology
   MS&E 248. Economics of Natural Resources

The specification of 36 units of course work is a minimum; in some cases the research adviser may specify additional requirements to strengthen the student’s expertise in particular areas. The 36 units of course work does not include teaching experience (ENERGY 359), which is a requirement for the Ph.D. degree, nor any units in research seminars, which students are required to attend. Students are encouraged to take the class Engineering 202W - Technical Writing, although it does not count within the 36 unit minimum. All courses must be taken for a letter grade, with an average grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25 in the 36 units of course work.

PhD students entering ERE are required to hold a MS degree in a relevant science or engineering discipline, although it need not be in ERE.