Department of Petroleum Technology

Historically since early twentieth century, Kurdistan has been one of the regions of the Middle East that has been the focus of the petroleum exploration and production Most (if not all) of the activities in this respect have been carried out by western oil companies and their experts and professionals. Having domestic institutes to train academics and professionals would facilitate and expedite the development of the petroleum industry in the region. A trained domestic work force in the region would be a complementary force to the western experts and business people conducting operations in the area.

To have a successful petroleum industry, it is essential to have a solid educational foundation in petroleum technology. Establishing a petroleum technology department is the first and most efficient and important approach to succeed in the industry in the region. The ever-increasing population of the world, growing need for energy in developing countries and economical and political situation in the world in general and Middle East in particular, is putting significant pressure on the world's energy resources for more oil and gas production. Such a trend requires proper institutions, qualified academics, researchers and professionals to respond to these needs. The Petroleum Technology Department of UKH is the only qualified institution that can provide the knowledge and train the needed professionals and researchers in the region and be a strong force in the industry for many years to come.

The Petroleum Technology Department (PTD) of UKH educate, conduct research, and train students for discovery, development, production, transportation and management of petroleum resources. This mission will be achieved through an academically and technically planned program. The program emphasizes integrated multidisciplinary teamwork in classroom and research projects. Students graduating with a MS degree from UKH shall be prepared to serve in the industry anywhere in the world and their degree will be comparable to any national and international recognized programs and standards.

PTD of UKH will be the graduate petroleum technology program of choice in Kurdistan and the region. We would like to be recognized for our quality of teaching, research and training professionals in petroleum technology internationally.

The broad objectives of the petroleum technology program of UKH are: graduates of this program will be competitive in the field both professionally and academically, skilled in their profession here at home and international arenas and the institute will be regarded as success and excellent.

The specific objectives of the program that make PTD achieve its mission and vision would require:

To educate students to be petroleum technologist who are competent in exploration, drilling, well completion, production, reservoir characterization and economic evaluation of petroleum resources.
To develop graduates' ability to analyze problems and design solutions for petroleum engineering and related disciplines.
To develop students' ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.
Will be able to function on multidisciplinary teams.
To prepare graduates for effective oral and written technical communication.
To develop the ability of graduates design and analyze well system and procedures for drilling and completing wells; characterize and evaluate subsurface geological formations and their resources using geologic and engineering methods; design and analyze systems for producing, injecting, and handling fluids; apply reservoir engineering principals and practices for optimizing resource development and management; and use project economics and resource evaluation methods for design and decision making under condition of risk and uncertainty.
To understand ethical, social, environmental and professional responsibilities.

The curriculum of PTD's is designed to compete with internationally well recognized petroleum engineering departments and also accomplish and achieve the department’s vision and objectives. To materialize our ogles, all disciplines within the field of petroleum engineering in the classroom and laboratory and in research are covered.

Courses of petroleum engineering and geology such as: drilling, formation evaluation, well logging, reservoir characterization, well completion, well testing, production, reservoir simulation, economic evaluation of petroleum projects, physical geology, depositional environment, basin analysis, stratigraphy, structural geology and petroleum geology.

The proximity of the institute location to the oil fields in the region provides the student with unique opportunities for directly interfacing with the industry, while still student as well as first hand observations of the field operation. It is intended that to have proactive relationships with operating oil companies in the region. Such relationships will encourage the students, faculty members, and oil companies to have continuous mutual and productive working relationships. Students and faculty members will assist the oil companies and the oil companies will provide financial aids and real field trainings and hands on experiences to the students.

The teaching language in the institute would be English. Therefore, applicants must have passed an English proficiency test such as TOEFL (minimum 550) or equivalent tests. Applicants could be graduates of the English foundation program of UKH. Applicants would be accepted to the department based on average grade point (65 or higher). It is recommended that no more than 20 qualified applicant per year be admitted to the program. The applicants must be interviewed by the department for their scientific knowledge and English language communication ability.

It would take two to three years to complete all required credits in order to graduate from the department.

Plans are developed and contacts have been made with reputable American institutes in the field to consider the accreditation of UKH courses and degrees based on the institute’s curriculum and academic staff qualifications. Having such an international back up and qualified faculty members and solid curriculum will qualify PTD to be accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET).

A memorandum of understanding between New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech) has been achieved and signed in order to receive professors from New Mexico Tech to teach and conduct Distant Education courses here at UKH petroleum engineering courses. Students who pass these courses would receive credits for their course work from New Mexico Tech and UKH.

Research in UKH could have a significant roll in the educational process of the students and the development of the petroleum industry in the region. Such a center would provide a platform for the faculty to conduct research in their fields or/and advise the government and oil companies as they are needed. The research center also would provide the students the direct hands-on opportunity of working along side their instructors, researchers and professionals from oil companies on specific topics or projects. Initially, faculty members could compose the core of the research center and as the center grows, outside experts, adjunct instructors and oil companies' professionals could extend the scope of the center's activities to have a regional applicability and credential.