Scottish-Russian collaboration to provide education for Petroleum Engineering

Award Winning Scottish/Russian Collaboration Extends to Kazakhstan

A ground breaking degree course, which linked Heriot-Watt University with Tomsk Polytechnic University, in Siberia, has been so successful that it is now being taken up for use in Kazakhstan.

The MSc in Petroleum Engineering programme, launched in 2001, brought together Heriot-Watt University's Institute of Petroleum Engineering and Tomsk in a collaboration providing Masters courses and research for YUKOS in Siberia. 31 students who participated in the second year of course delivery in Tomsk will graduate at a special ceremony at the British Embassy in Moscow on 29 January '04, twenty eight with an MSc and three with a diploma. Another cohort of 45 students is already part way through the course's third year.

The success of the scheme was also recognized in London recently, when it was awarded a Highly Commended at the Energy Institute's prestigious International Platinum Award ceremony.

Now the course has been taken up by the Kazakh British Technical University's International Programme, based at the old Kazakh parliament building in Almati, and will be taught by academics from both Heriot-Watt and Tomsk Universities. The programme's start-up has been underwritten by Shell and BG.


Notes:
The MSc in Petroleum Engineering course at Heriot-Watt University evolved out of the Petroleum Industry's preference for a 12 month conversion programme for graduate engineers and scientists.
The Heriot-Watt University Masters in Petroleum Engineering course is an intensive experience lasting for 12 months, and prepares high-calibre graduates in possession of a suitable first degree in engineering, science or mathematics, for employment in the oil and gas industry.
The course quickly became recognised as the preferred route into Petroleum Engineering and annually attracts more than 400 student applications, from which a class of about 30 students is selected.
The course is multidisciplinary in nature, and covers aspects of geoscience, reservoir drilling and production engineering, and economics, stressing the inter-relation of these topics. Heriot-Watt University has been running the course on its Edinburgh campus for 27 years, with sponsorship from the British Government, and many national and multi-national oil Companies.
Students on the course in Tomsk and Edinburgh sit the same examinations. Staff from Tomsk Polytechnic University spent time at Heriot-Watt University to assimilate course material and teaching methods. Although the teaching in Tomsk is currently shared with visiting Heriot-Watt staff, the intention is to have the course taught exclusively by Tomsk Polytechnic University staff in the future.
The Heriot-Watt University Masters in Petroleum Engineering course at Tomsk Polytechnic University is funded by Yukos and is currently exclusive to Yukos staff. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a Masters course has been transferred in this way into Russia.