Petroleum Geology
Master’s Degree Program M.S. in Geology with a Specialization in Petroleum Geology
Cohort 32 (Fall Semester 2025 – Fall Semester 2026)
Program will be taught at:
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
University of Houston
Subsequent Program (Cohort 34) Start Date: Spring Semester 2027
Future Cohorts: This program is run in cohorts, a set curriculum with students following through each course together in the total curriculum (see schedule below). New cohorts start after the conclusion of the current cohort in the same specialization. Geology cohorts are currently even numbered and Geophysics cohorts are currently odd numbered. Mid-stream admissions are possible by permission only and are not encouraged. The curriculum is linear, focused, and accelerated. The student derives the most benefit from this novel approach if started from the beginning of the program and following through the curriculum as planned until completed.
Typical Class Times: Fridays 1–5 pm, Saturdays 8 am–4:30 pm, Wednesdays, exam only 7–10 pm. Each class has three weekends with Friday and Saturday classes followed by a fourth Friday Class. The following Wednesday is the normally scheduled exam time. Schedules are subject to change due to instructor illnesses or other scheduling conflicts. Some compression or extension of class dates may be necessary.
| COURSE & DATE | INSTRUCTOR(S) |
|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | |
| 6358 - Terrigenous Depositional Systems | |
| August 29 – September 24, 2025 | Dr. William Dupre University of Houston |
| 6363 - Carbonate Sedimentology | |
| September 26 – October 22, 2025 | Dr. Jeff Dravis Rice University |
| 6372 - Petroleum Geochemistry | |
| October 24 – November 19, 2025 | Dr. Jagos Radovich University of Houston |
| Spring 2026 | |
| 6381 - Petroleum Geology | |
| January 23 – February 18, 2026 | Dr. Don Van Nieuwenhuise University of Houston |
| 6350 - Advanced Structural Geology | |
| February 20 – March 11, 2026 | Dr. Steve Naruk University of Houston |
| 6380 - Sequence Stratigraphy | |
| April 10 – April 29, 2026 | Dr. Janok Bhattacharya McMaster & University of Houston |
| Summer 2026 Proposed | |
| 6395 - Petroleum Seismology | |
| June 12 – July 1, 2026 | Dr. Hua-Wei Zhou University of Houston |
| 6390 - 3D Seismic Exploration I | |
| July 10 – July 29, 2026 | Dr. Kurt Marfurt University of Oklahoma |
| 7325 - Petrophysics and Formation Evaluation | |
| July 31 – August 19, 2026 | Dr. Michael Myers University of Houston |
| Fall 2026 Proposed | |
| 6393 - Seismic Amplitude Interpretation | |
| August 28 – September 23, 2026 | Dr. Fred Hilterman University of Houston |
| 6379 - Applied Biostratigraphy | |
| September 25 – October 21, 2026 | TBD and Dr. Peter Copeland University of Houston |
| 6351 - Basin Modeling | |
| October 23 – November 18, 2026 | Dr. Jolante Van Wijk New Mexico |
| 7301 - Capstone Project - Petroleum Geology | |
| All Semester | Faculty University of Houston |
Contact Information
Director, Professional Geoscience Programs:
Dr. Don Van Nieuwenhuise
Phone: 713-743-3423
Fax: 713-743-4544
Email: donvann@uh.edu
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
University of Houston
Houston, Texas 77204-5007