University Launches Program for Aspiring Oil, Gas Entrepreneurs
Students at Texas A&M University (TAMU) will soon have the opportunity to gain valuable industry knowledge and business leadership concepts through the school’s new certificate program, the Petroleum Ventures Program (PVP).
A partnership of TAMU’s business and engineering colleges, the PVP allows petroleum engineers to learn business concepts that can help them prepare for leadership roles in oil and gas.
“For many petroleum engineers, eventually the path of their career takes them to a combination of engineering and business … many end up starting their own company,” Cathy Sliva, director of the PVP, told Rigzone. “The typical petroleum engineering curriculum at any university doesn’t usually include business. Prior to this program, [petroleum engineers] had to learn business concepts on their own or while they were on the job. The PVP will give petroleum engineering students broad business information that will be useful to them. For business students who want to focus on oil and gas, it will give them an advantage over graduates who don’t have that background.”
Two TAMU petroleum engineering graduates, Anthony Bahr and Jay Graham, gifted $12 million to fund the certificate program after identifying first-hand the student benefit of providing business education to engineering students and recognizing the benefit of finance students who are equipped with specializations in oil and gas.
Bahr and Graham, who are business partners at WildHorse Resources Management Company – which provides management and financial services to independent energy companies – felt like their gift could jumpstart the process of more engineering graduates moving into leadership roles in their companies, said Sliva.
Students enrolled in the PVP will take five additional classes. Petroleum engineering students will take mandatory business classes focused on finance plus electives; business students will take electives plus petroleum economics and project evaluation analysis and reservoir engineering classes. The first class will begin the PVP program this fall. Students must apply and go through a selection process and currently the university limits 50 to a class – 25 business students and 25 petroleum engineering students.
Sliva said there has already been great interest from students for the program. This isn’t surprising, considering the oil and gas downturn, which has been the reason for industry layoffs and a slowdown in recruiting. However, Sliva said the program isn’t in any way precipitated by the industry being in a downturn.
“I’ve been in the oil and gas industry for more than 30 years and this is my third downturn,” Sliva said. “Whether in good or bad times, additional knowledge and education is always a good thing. If I was an employer looking for a petroleum engineer and saw that a graduate had taken an extra semester to earn this certificate, I would definitely see that graduate as having an advantage.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Falcon Oil Declares Commercial Flow Test Results for Shenandoah Well
- UK Oil Regulator Publishes New Emissions Reduction Plan
- Japan Failing to Meet Corporate Demand for Clean Power: Amazon
- PetroChina Posts Higher Annual Profit on Higher Production
- McDermott Settles Reficar Dispute
- Macquarie Strategists Expect Brent Oil Price to Grind Higher
- US, SKorea Launch Task Force to Stop Illicit Refined Oil Flows into NKorea
- Russian Navy Enters Warship-Crowded Red Sea Amid Houthi Attacks
- Pennsylvania County Joins List of Local Govts Suing Big Oil over Climate
- USA Commercial Crude Oil Inventories Increase
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea
- Standard Chartered Reiterates $94 Brent Call
- India Halts Russia Oil Supplies From Sanctioned Tanker Giant
- DOI Announces Proposal for Second GOM Offshore Wind Auction
- Centcom, Dryad Outline Recent Moves Around Red Sea Region
- PetroChina Set to Receive Venezuelan Oil
- Czech Conglomerate to Buy Major Stake in Gasnet for $917MM
- US DOE Offers $44MM in Funding to Boost Clean Power Distribution
- Oil Settles Lower as Stronger Dollar Offsets Tighter Market
- UK Grid Operator Receives Aid to Advance Rural Decarbonization
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Another Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea
- Standard Chartered Reiterates $94 Brent Call