SD School of Mines Uses Shale Plays to Advance Research, Teach Students

Rigzone: As you know, there is a real need to prepare STEM students for careers in the energy industry.

Wilson: Even more than that, our students working in the Bakken are already here in Rapid City. Companies who are recruiting to the northern-tier energy producing plays don’t have a hard time convincing our students to be here, because we’re already here.

Our geological engineers have the highest average starting salary of any of our students. It’s about $71,000 a year, and they have a 100-percent placement rate. Our overall starting average for all graduates is a little over $62,000 a year, and 98 percent of them have jobs. We’re producing a product in terms of well-prepared leaders and scientists and engineers that industry wants to hire.

Rigzone: Your program sounds quite comprehensive. Is there anything it’s not concentrating on regarding energy?

Wilson: It’s all about teaching and research. What we’re not doing is starting a petroleum engineering program. Petroleum engineering is a very specific discipline, and there are other schools that do it very well.

The energy industry needs electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, industrial engineers, metallurgical engineers who have a background in the energy business. So, we’re offering a minor in Petroleum Systems that will give engineers from any field a deeper understanding of the oil and gas business. That’s a good niche for us. Our emphasis is a little different from schools that offer a degree in petroleum engineering.