The first group of IGPT KFU MSc graduates has returned from London

On October 1, at the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies of Kazan Federal University, a meeting was held with the graduates of Petroleum Engineering & Geo-Energy with Machine Learning and data science (GEMS) double degree master’s program.

The master’s program is aimed at training highly qualified specialists for the oil and gas industry with the competencies and knowledge necessary to implement projects in Russia and abroad. The program is being implemented in English with the support of BP and PJSC NK Rosneft. These companies cover the costs of training and living in Kazan and London, as well as internships organization during training.

Under the terms of the program, the masters studied one year at KFU, and then studied at Imperial College London for the second year. Upon MSc completion, they were expected to defend their thesis, which everyone successfully coped with.

At IGPT KFU, the masters were welcomed by Vice-Rector for Petroleum Technologies, Environmental Management and Earth Sciences Danis Nurgaliev, Deputy Director for Marketing, Director of the Center for  Advanced Training, Quality Management and Marketing (CdoGEO) Ildus Chukmarov, Head of the Department of Hard-To-Recover Hydrocarbons Development and Operation of the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies KFU Mikhail Varfolomeev, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Hard-To-Recover Hydrocarbons Development and Operation IGPT KFU Igor Ognev and Senior Lecturer of the Department of Hard-To-Recover Hydrocarbons Development and Operation Boris Platov.

After greeting the masters, Danis Nurgaliev asked them to share their impressions of their studies.

“Two years of training passed quickly,” admits Margarita Nikolaeva. “It was interesting and quite difficult. We did not expect that the study would be so intense. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 2/3 of life in London was held in lockdown mode, so the training was carried out remotely. However, this did not prevent us from fully mastering the program and even the practical part. The thesis defense also took place online. Fortunately, each of us did an excellent job with the project.”

Under the terms of Petroleum Engineering program, after the thesis defense, the masters are distributed to workplaces of PJSC NK Rosneft subsidiaries, where they will work for at least three years.

For example, Bulat Lotfullin after defending his thesis on the In-situ Combustion Modeling started his work at Samaraneftegaz JSC. At a meeting with the leadership of IGPT, he also shared his impressions of Imperial College London.

“The organization of training was at the highest level,” says Bulat. All the classes were held strictly according to the schedule, the teachers were not late and fulfilled their duties exactly according to the program. I especially liked the level of teaching, lecturers explained each subject in a very accessible way. For example, “Fluid flow in a porous medium” and “Well testing”. These subjects used to be hard for me, but at Imperial College they became one of my favorites. I especially remember the field trip, which was organized for us after the first semester. We got a lot of useful skills that we can use in our work.”

After the conversation, a commencement took place in the area of PJSC NK Rosneft. The Masters received their diplomas from the hands of Danis Nurgaliev.

“Our masters graduated from two of the strongest universities in the oil and gas field,” says Danis Nurgaliev. “They have received wide professional knowledge and skills and are highly qualified specialists. With two diplomas in hand, our graduates can get a job in any company in the oil and gas industry.”

Mikhail Varfolomeev emphasized that the masters became the first specialists of the Petroleum Engineering double degree program.

“They received not only diplomas from two universities at once, but also knowledge from Russian and European oil and gas specialists. Having high competencies, the masters can continue their activities, and I am sure they will make an important contribution to the transition of the world to green energy, “said Mikhail Varfolomeev.

“We are very pleased with the successful return from London of our first graduates of the Petroleum Engineering double degree program,” says Ildus Chukmarov. “It is gratifying to note that among them there are students of our Translator in the Field of Professional Activity Program. At the moment, CdoGEO has improved this program to assist students in their studies in English-language master’s degree programs such as Petroleum Engineering, supplementing it with multimedia digital educational resources, inviting native speakers, strengthening preparation for the international TOEFL and IELTS exams, as well as increasing the vocabulary of professional terminology.”

In 2018, CdoGEO supported the conclusion of an agreement of intent for the implementation of the Petroleum Engineering double degree project with Imperial College London. It is important to note that the basis for the implementation of the Petroleum Engineering Master’s Program was the 3D GEO Center equipped with the most demanded software products.”