2004 - 2005 Calendar

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF OIL AND GAS STUDIES

Professor and Academic Director
A. Faseruk

The Master of Oil and Gas Studies (MOGS) is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary academic program that provides a broad and fundamental knowledge of the entire oil and gas industry value chain.

The MOGS program is offered by full-time or part-time study and involves 31 credit hours of course work, including a seminar course and an integrative case study. Candidates registered on a full-time basis will normally complete the program in one academic year.

The following regulations must be read in conjunction with the GENERAL REGULATIONS of the School of Graduate Studies of Memorial University of Newfoundland.

A) ADMINISTRATION

A) ADMINISTRATION

1. The program shall be administered by an Academic Director, who shall be appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies following discussion with the Executive Director of the Oil and Gas Development Partnership(OGDP).

2. The Academic Director shall be the Chair of a Board of Studies for MOGS for the purposes of administering the program. The Board of Studies will consist of one member from each of the Faculties of Arts, Business Administration, Engineering and Applied Science, and Science, and the Executive Director of the OGDP (ex officio). Appointments of the members of the Board of Studies will be by the Dean of Graduate Studies following discussion with the Executive Director OGDP. Normally all appointments will be for a period of three (3) years.

3. A MOGS Advisory Board, composed of a broad cross-section of members from both industry and Memorial University of Newfoundland, shall be appointed. This Advisory Board will consult with industry and provide feedback on the contents, instruction and future direction of the MOGS program. The Academic Director and the Executive Director OGDP will be ex officio members of the Advisory Board, and will recommend the appointment of the Advisory Board members to the Dean of Graduate Studies, who will also be an ex officio member of the Advisory Board.

B) QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION

1. Admission is limited and competitive.

2. To be considered for admission to the MOGS program, an applicant shall normally have:
   
a) An undergraduate degree, in an oil and gas cognate discipline, with a minimum B standing, from an institution recognized by Senate; and

b) A minimum of five (5) years employment experience in the oil and gas sector.

3. In exceptional cases, applicants who have not completed an undergraduate degree may be considered for admission. Non-degree holding applicants must demonstrate significant professional experience and success in the oil and gas sector and have completed a significant portion of discipline related courses of the undergraduate degree program that meets the criteria in regulation 2.a) above.

C) DEADLINES FOR APPLICATIONS

1. Applicants seeking full-time enrolment will normally only be admitted to the program in the Fall (September) semester.

2. Applications must be submitted no later than February 15 for applicants wishing to enter full-time or part-time studies in the Fall (September) semester.

3. Applications must be submitted no later than August 15 for applicants wishing to enter part-time studies in the Winter (January) semester.

4. Individuals submitting applications later than the above dates are not assured of consideration for admission to the program in the semester desired; their applications will be considered only if time and resources permit.

D) PROCEDURE FOR ADMISSION

1. Applications for admission to the MOGS program must be made on the appropriate form and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.

2. The following documents must be submitted in support of the official application form:

a) Letter of appraisal from three referees, at least one of whom is capable of appraising the applicant's academic potential as a graduate student, and at least one of whom is capable of appraising the applicant's professional experience and/or actual or likely success in a career in the oil and gas sector.

b) Two official transcripts from each university or other post-secondary institution previously attended, to be sent directly by its Registrar (or equivalent officer) to the School of Graduate Studies. If not recorded on the transcript, official evidence of completion of an undergraduate degree must also be submitted.

3. Application files are normally evaluated after the deadline dates for application noted above and only when all required documentation has been received. 

4. Admission shall be by the Dean of Graduate Studies on the recommendation of the Board of Studies. Upon notification from the Dean of Graduate Studies of acceptance into the MOGS program, applicants must, within thirty (calendar) days, give written notice to the School of Graduate Studies of their intention to register.

E) PROGRAM OF STUDY

1. The MOGS program consists of 31 credit hours of course work. These include four compulsory, core courses (12 credit hours) shown in Table I; three elective courses (9 credit hours) drawn from Table II; a compulsory, integrative case study (3 credit hours); a compulsory seminar course (1 credit hour); and compulsory project course (6 credit hours).

2. The compulsory core courses (Table I) introduce students to the four main areas of study in the program: petroleum management, petroleum production, petroleum exploration, and petroleum policy and planning.

3. Electives allow students to specialize in one or more of the four main areas of study. Electives must be chosen from the list in Table II. The Board of Studies may from time to time and following approval add other courses to Table II.

4. The integrative case study will involve all students and a number of instructors from the different disciplines in MOGS. It is intended to integrate the decision-making process in a specific petroleum prospect from play concept, to discovery, to production and finally to product and market. A case study shall be chosen by the instructors of the four compulsory, core courses.

5. The seminar course requires students to research a specific topic in an area of interest and present the results of their research both as an oral and written presentation. Participation in the seminar course is compulsory for all students.

6. The project course will span two semesters. Normally the project course will be conducted as a group exercise to enhance the interdisciplinary nature of the project. In exceptional circumstances (e.g. off campus registrants or remote locations), the project course may be an individual undertaking. In such cases, permission of the Academic Director to register for the course is required. In the first semester, each team identifies the topic of the project, conducts the relevant literature survey, writes a proposal, and identifies a mentor or mentors. In the second semester, the team completes the project, and writes the final report. An oral presentation of the final paper may be required. The mentor(s) provides the team with technical support and guidance.

7. Candidates enrolled in part-time studies must normally complete three of the four core courses before enrolling in any of the electives, the seminar course or the project course. The integrative case study may be taken concurrently with the core courses.

8. A waiver of a core course may be granted by the Dean of Graduate Studies on the recommendation of the Academic Director if the candidate can demonstrate that the material in the course has been substantially covered by other courses taken at this or another recognized university. In such cases, the course must be replaced by another graduate course offered by Memorial University of Newfoundland. The selection of the replacement course shall be made in consultation with the candidate, and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies on recommendation of the Academic Director. The maximum number of core courses that can be waived is one and the replacement course must be taken during the candidate's period of enrollment in the program.

9. Each student's program of study must be approved by the Academic Director and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

F) EVALUATION

1. Candidates for the MOGS Degree must obtain a grade of B or better in all program courses.

2. Candidates who receive a grade of less than B in any course will be permitted to remain in the program provided the course is repeated and passed with a grade of B or better. Alternatively, the candidate may, on the recommendation of the Academic Director, and with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies, substitute another graduate course. Only one course repetition or substitution will be permitted during the candidate's program after which the candidate shall be required to withdraw from the program.

G) COURSES

The schedule of courses for the MOGS program is as follows:

TABLE I - Schedule of Core Courses

OGS 6201. Strategic Management in the Oil and Gas Industry
OGS 6401. Petroleum Production, Processing and Transportation
OGS 6601. Petroleum Exploration, Appraisal and Development
OGS 6801. Social and Economic Dimensions of Policy and Planning

TABLE II - Elective Courses

OGS 6001. Occupational Health, Safety and Environment
OGS 6002. Environmental Impact Assessment and Management
OGS 6003. Risk Analysis in the Oil and Gas Industry
OGS 6006. Project Management
OGS 6411. Facilities, Feedstock and Products
OGS 6412. Designing for and Operating in the Harsh Offshore Environment
OGS 6611. Reservoir Characterization and Management
OGS 6811. Economics of Petroleum Exploration and Development

TABLE III - Compulsory Courses

OGS 6005. Graduate Seminar
OGS 6008. Integrative Case Study
OGS 6099. Project

Please direct inquiries to rbarron@mun.ca.

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