Energy business and finance: New Energy and Land Management Option

Beginning in the fall of 2013, the Penn State John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) will be offering a new energy and land management option as part of the bachelor of science degree in energy business and finance (EBF).

Designed in consultation with the American Association of Professional Landmen, this new option will provide expertise in the acquisition of sub-surface exploration rights and enable Penn State students to seek challenging careers as exploration Landmen. “Since the emergence of the Marcellus and more recently the Utica exploration plays in the Appalachian Basin, it has become apparent that professionally trained landmen are needed to sustain oil and natural gas exploration and development,” said Andrew Kleit, professor of energy and environmental economics and energy business and finance program officer. “The curriculum of our new energy land management option is built to meet that need.”

Undergraduate students in the EBF major who choose the energy and land management option will follow the standard EBF academic plan with emphasis in energy, business and finance during the first two years of study. The second two years of the degree program will provide a rigorous focus on land management expertise including courses in real estate fundamentals, energy law, geographic information sciences, petroleum engineering and petroleum geology. Sophomores currently in the EBF major have the opportunity to select the energy land management option in time for the fall 2013 semester, setting the stage for the EME department to graduate its first land management professionals within two years.

As the majority of today’s professionally trained landmen hail from the more traditional oil and gas oriented regions, the Penn State energy and land management option is poised to fill the void in the oil and gas industry’s ability to recruit and retain qualified candidates in the Appalachian basin. “The energy and land management option demonstrates Penn State’s commitment to partnering with industry to educate a qualified workforce interested in fulfilling their career goals in this geographic region,” Kleit explained. “We believe that a Penn State graduate who grew up in this region and chooses this career path will see tremendous success having known the area and people so well.”

Penn State’s Landman option is “business based” in one of the top Earth Science Colleges in the country. The study of the earth has been a part of the Penn State curriculum since 1859. The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is internationally recognized for research in engineering, energy, materials and earth sciences. The EBF major combines training in business, economics, finance and the physical sciences with a core of courses that focus on energy and related industries.

For More Information Visit @ http://news.psu.edu/story/276645/2013/05/09/academics/energy-business-and-finance-major-offers-new-energy-and-land