LR Senergy and University of Aberdeen Unveil Distance Learning Programme for Pioneering MSc in Petrophysics and Formation Evaluation

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21 April 2015

Global energy services company LR Senergy and the University of Aberdeen have developed a distance learning programme that builds upon a collaborative initiative to attract much-needed petrophysicists into the energy industry from around the world.

The organisations joined forces to launch the MSc Petrophysics and Formation Evaluation programme, which was initially designed as a modular initiative to allow a flexible approach for people wishing to combine studies with their work commitments on a part-time basis. The current cohort of students is due to complete the programme in 2016.

In response to demand from prospective students, the basis of the programme has been extended to allow participants to study on either a full-time or a distance-learning basis.

Students can now opt to attend either the 12 month, full-time course at the University or to take the distance learning option over 24 months. The current part-time option will no longer be available on an individual basis – although it could still be tailored and delivered in-house to companies wishing to offer the training to employees.

Iain Morrison, VP Technical at LR Senergy, said: "When we developed this programme in collaboration with the University, we made it accessible to people already working in the industry with backgrounds in, for example, geosciences, physical sciences, mathematics or engineering and gave them the flexibility to study while they worked.

"While we have had good feedback from those taking part, we have had an increasing number of requests from prospective students wishing to study on a full-time basis or from other locations.  We have responded to this demand from the industry and will now offer the programme to students full-time in Aberdeen and anywhere in the world for those choosing the distance learning option.

"Even in the current oil price environment, we know that there is a significant demand for capable petrophysicists and we are committed to helping to nurture talent of the future. One of the key objectives in the design of the programme is to address the shortfall of ‘practitioners’ in the industry, who can do the job as well as understand the science and the techniques.”

David Macdonald, Professor of Petroleum Geology at the University of Aberdeen, said: "This initiative is a unique partnership between academia and industry. It unlocks the huge potential of LR Senergy’s world-class training programmes and fits well into the University’s strategy of developing a suite of Masters programmes that cover the whole exploration and production value chain.

"Students on the petrophysics programme will join a cohort of Masters students studying Petroleum Geoscience, Geophysics, Reservoir Engineering and Petroleum Engineering, making Aberdeen a global centre of excellence for petroleum education and training.”

Those taking part on a full-time basis will attend lectures, complete exams and undertake an independent project at the University over a 12 month period. Lectures are simultaneously recorded and participants of the distance learning option can either join the class via the web in real time or can subsequently watch the recording at their leisure. It will be interactive when live so that they can ask questions in a webinar style format while they can also choose to combine live classes with watching recorded lectures at a later date. Distance learners will sit exams in their respective countries.

Participants of both the distance learning and full-time programmes share the same benefits in that they will be students of the University of Aberdeen and have access to online resources and library facilities.

LR Senergy, a world-leading provider of fully-integrated project and asset development services across the energy industry, also delivers training services through its technical training division across a range of specialist disciplines including petrophysics, core analysis, geomechanics (sand production and wellbore stability), formation damage and geology.

The company’s Training group recognised the opportunity to train petrophysicists utilising the much sought after skills of its own petrophysicists. LR Senergy then approached the University of Aberdeen, world renowned for its academic credentials including its diverse energy portfolio, to support the initiative. As a result, both parties entered into a partnership to develop the programme which has since been accredited by the university.

LR Senergy already delivers specialist training to companies around the world and will be marketing this amended programme option on a global basis.