Courses

All courses are fully virtual and asynchronous, allowing students to access lectures at their convenience. All course materials are available online, and lectures are recorded for offline review. Each week includes scheduled discussions and assignments, providing opportunities for students to engage with peers and instructors. While office hours are held at designated times, alternative meeting times are often arranged to accommodate scheduling conflicts or different time zones.

If you have any questions about using other courses toward the CCUS MSNT degree requirements, please contact the Program Director, Dr. Yilin Fan.

Contact

Core Courses

CCUS 520: Climate Change and Sustainability (Required Course for both Certificate and MSNT)
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Manika Prasad
  • Prerequisites: No.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Fall (First 8-week) (Next offering is 26F)
  • Course Overview: This eight-week online course is intended to introduce students to the effects of atmospheric CO2 on climate, CO2 mitigation and avoidance strategies, and aspects of ESG when considering mitigation strategies. The course will provide students with much needed working knowledge about effects of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) using data, and models. It provides cause and effects of GHGs as well as potential solutions that are equitable and sustainable.
  • Learning Outcomes:
    1. Use professional communication methods; explain in written format to a non-scientific reader (general public or policy maker) the big picture of Climate Change and what is Climate Change.
    2. Use professional communication methods; communicate in written format to a non-scientific reader (general public or policy maker) the big picture of Climate Change considering the role of Carbon in climate change.
    3. Using professional communication methods, explain to a non-scientific reader the big picture of Climate Change considering How can we assess climate change – what’s the science (to the level needed to explain to general public) behind understanding the causes, and modeling for predictions.
    4. Explain in written format to a non-scientific reader (general public or policy maker) how scientists and engineers are studying solutions to climate change.
    5. Analyze and accurately discuss the analysis of data sets related to climate change and CCUS considering data sources, data errors and uncertainties, and selecting accurate and appropriate data.
    6. Balance the atmospheric carbon budget in a proposed CCUS plan; consider CCUS with an ESG perspective.
    7. Discuss, using known scientific and social science perspectives, ethical considerations, societal impacts and issues of Climate Change and CCUS that should be considered as planning CCUS.
    8. Analyze maps of climate vulnerability; discuss climate equity; assess scientific accuracy of climate maps.
EBGN 502: Political Economy of the Energy Transition (Required Course for both Certificate and MSNT)
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Ian Lange
  • Prerequisites: No.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Spring (First 8-week) (Next offering is 27S)
  • Course Overview: This course provides an overview of economics, business, and political topics that are commonly found in the energy transition. Many of the assignments relate back to skills that are needed to interact with economics, business, and policy professionals. The course is designed for students with little, if any, social science or business training. Students will build a basic knowledge of economics, finance, and business issues that are relevant to energy markets and industries.
  • Learning Outcomes:
    1. Interpret and assess basic economic intuition and lingo so that one can contribute to projects on the business side
    2. Evaluate and critique standard investment analysis techniques
    3. Describe common market structures for natural resource commodities and theorize its impact on firm behavior
    4. Name the location of basic data on energy price, production, and consumption and demonstrate its evolution over time
    5. Analyze the politics behind an aspect of the energy transition
    6. Identify key political actors in the transition
    7. Design a presentation for the business community that provides a clear value proposition.
    8. Execute an “elevator pitch” (concise and persuasive speech to spark interest) about an energy/natural resource topic.
CCUS 585: Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Capstone (Required Course for MSNT)
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Yilin Fan
  • Prerequisites: CCUS520, EBGN502
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Spring (Second 8-week) (Next offering is 27S)
  • Course Overview: In this course students will work individually and in groups to complete a project that requires them to integrate the skills and principles they have learned throughout the CCUS program curriculum and apply these skills to real systems.
  • Learning Outcomes:
    1. Assess data on climate change to identify a problem that CCUS can address
    2. Use critical thinking skills, creativity, and familiarity with current research to develop potential solutions for problems once they have been identified
    3. Identify and address knowledge gaps
    4. Engage with stakeholders to identify strengths and weaknesses associated with implementing a proposed CCUS project
    5. Effectively communicate, with both novices and experts, about scientific, economic, and policy aspects of CCUS
    6. Demonstrate the ability to productively contribute to a team identifying and proposing a CCUS project

Elective Courses

CCUS 521: Geological Carbon Capture Utilization and Sequestration
  • Elective Course for both Certificate and MSNT
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Luiz Zerpa
  • Prerequisites: No.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Other instructors involved: Dr. Steve Sonnenberg, Dr. Mark Miller, Dr. Yu-shu Wu, Dr. Luis Zerpa, Dr. Manika Prasad, Dr. Linda Battalora
  • Offering time: Fall (Second 8-week) (Next offering is 26F)
  • Course Overview: This course will cover sub-surface aspects of sustainable CCUS projects. Specifically, the topics covered will be geology of the subsurface appropriate for CCUS, how to create sustainable projects, the physics of CO2 transport, injection and storage it’s their modeling studies, practical aspects of CO2 flooding, monitoring and verification methods including seismic, gravity and electromagnetic methods, and assessing CO2 capacity and migration. Each week of the course is taught by experts in the area from geology to engineering to geophysics and covers essential topics such as Class VI CCUS wells and EPA permitting, sustainable project development, to detailed physics such as CO2 phase and flow in the subsurface.
  • Learning Outcomes:
    1. Identify screening criteria for carbon capture utilization and storage projects
    2. Learn relevant mineral reactions involving CO2 injection
    3. Understand the importance of possible induced seismicity in projects
    4. Learn physical mechanism of storage and mathematical models used to quantify the mechanisms
    5. Use Models to estimate storage of saline aquifers and oil reservoirs
    6. Understand the physical process in CO2 flow, transport and storage when stored in subsurface formations in brine aquifers and how to stimulate these physical processes numerically
    7. Design and describe an operation plan for CO2 injection
    8. Develop a monitoring and verification program using seismic methods
    9. Understand the seismic method for surface and borehole applications in CCUS projects
    10. Define concepts and properties important for geological storage; formation properties that control CO2 storage and flow
CCUS 522: Non-Geologic Carbon Capture and Utilization
  • Elective Course for both Certificate and MSNT
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Erik Menke
  • Prerequisites: No.
  • Other instructors involved: Dr. Mike McGuirk, Dr. Diego Gomez-Gualdron, Dr. Carolyn Koh
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Spring (Second 8-week) (Next offering is 26S)
  • Course Overview: Global warming due to increase in concentration of greenhouse gases is arguably the biggest societal problem of our generation and it could pose existential threat to hundreds of millions of people all around the world. There is no unique strategy to address the threats of global warming. It is going to take a concerted effort leveraging all possible technologies including renewable energies and carbon sequestration to develop solutions to this problem. This class is a part of the CCUS course which is geared towards exploring the feasibility of carbon removal for minimizing the global warming. This course specifically focuses on technologies for sequestering carbon dioxide from air or point sources and utilization and/or storage of the sequestered carbon Prerequisite: Basic understanding of engineering principles, basic knowledge of impact of greenhouse gases on global warming, ability to read research papers, ability to write reports.
  • Learning Outcomes:
    1. Use professional communication methods; explain in written format to a non- scientific reader (general public or policy maker) the big picture of global warming due to increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide
    2. Use professional communication methods; communicate in written format to a non- scientific reader (general public or policy maker) the big picture of carbon sequestration for addressing global warming
    3. Using professional communication methods, explain to a non-scientific reader the big picture of carbon sequestration including understanding the broader context of how a multi-prong approach is necessary to address global warming and specifically what technologies are available for carbon sequestration and storage
    4. Explain in written format to a non-scientific reader (general public or policy maker) how scientists and engineers are developing solutions to climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide directly from air and/or from point sources
    5. Understand the challenges and limitations of sequestering carbon dioxide directly from air and from point sources including understanding the process broadly by looking at energy utilization and economics of the process
    6. Assess the potential role of sequestration in balancing the atmospheric carbon budget in a proposed CCUS plan
    7. Discuss, using known scientific and social science perspectives, ethical considerations, societal impacts and issues of Climate Change and carbon sequestration
    8. Analyze feasibility of various approaches discussed in this course and compare with systems already in place
CCUS 525: Biological Carbon Capture and Conversion
  • Elective Course for both Certificate and MSNT
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Erik Menke
  • Prerequisites: No.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Fall (Second 8-week) (Next offering is 26F)
  • Course Overview: Plants, bacteria, and algae have evolved over billions of years to efficiently use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into useful chemicals, a potential solution to the very real problem of climate change. How do they do this? How can we take advantage of these processes? And, how can we improve on them to find practical solutions to address climate change? The purpose of this course is to answer these questions by introducing students to bioconversion, nature’s ability to convert CO2 into other molecules. In this online, asynchronous course, students will work collaboratively in small teams to discuss current literature on carbon dioxide bioconversion, evaluate the effects of various parameters on bioconversion rates and efficiencies, and design and present case studies on ways to use plants, algae, and bacteria to convert CO2 to useful material. Prerequisite: None Co-requisite: None Prerequisite: Undergraduate introductory biology course (BIOL300 and BIOL301, or equivalent),Undergraduate general chemistry course (CHGN121 and CHGN122, or equivalent).
  • Learning Outcomes:
    1. Analyze how plants, algae, and bacteria contribute to the carbon cycle
    2. Analyze how plants, algae, and bacteria contribute to the carbon cycle
    3. Analyze how plants, algae, and bacteria contribute to the carbon cycle
    4. Evaluate the effect various parameters (such as temperature, pH, salinity, light, etc.) have on the ability of bacteria to convert CO2 via photosynthesis
    5. Recommend an appropriate biological-based method for capturing CO2 and converting it to a biofuel, based on the needs and available resources of a stakeholder
    6. Demonstrate the ability to productively contribute to a team evaluating biological methods for CO2 capture and conversion
    7. Develop and deliver a presentation on biological CO2 capture and conversion catalysts to an audience of postgraduate engineers
CCUS 530: The Kinetics of Carbon Dioxide Reactions
  • Elective Course for both Certificate and MSNT
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Erik Menke
  • Prerequisites: No.
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Spring (First 8-week) (Next offering is 27S)
  • Course Overview: Course Overview: Carbon dioxide is an extremely stable molecule that stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. What makes it so stable? Why does it take so long to convert to something else? How can we, as scientists and engineers, use chemistry to turn carbon dioxide into other, useful things, like fuels and materials? The purpose of this course is to answer these questions by delving into the thermodynamics of carbon dioxide, the kinetics of CO2 reactions, and how electrochemistry, photochemistry, and catalysts can overcome these problems. In this online, asynchronous course, students will work collaboratively in small teams to discuss current literature on CO2 conversion reactions, evaluate the pros and cons of electrochemistry and photochemistry for CO2 conversion, and design and present case studies on ways to use electrocatalysts and photocatalysts to convert CO2 to useful materials. Prerequisite: None Co-requisite: None Prerequisite: Undergraduate introductory chemistry (CHGN121 and CHGN122, or equivalent),Differential equations (MATH225 or equivalent).
  • Learning Outcomes:
    1. Propose electrochemical experiments, and interpret the resulting data, that would allow you to differentiate between CO2 reaction mechanisms
    2. Propose photochemical experiments, and interpret the resulting data, that would allow you to differentiate between CO2 reaction mechanisms
    3. Explain the underlying thermodynamic problems associated with converting CO2 into other carbon-based chemicals.
    4. Evaluate CO2 conversion catalysts, based on various methods such as selectivity, turnover, activity, and cost
    5. Evaluate CO2 reaction mechanisms based on experimental data
    6. Develop and deliver a presentation on CO2 conversion catalysts to an audience of postgraduate engineers
    7. Demonstrate the ability to productively contribute to a team evaluating CO2 conversion catalysts
CCUS 598: Class VI Well Design and Permitting
  • Elective Course for both Certificate and MSNT
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Mansur Ermila
  • Other instructors involved: Dr. Jennifer Miskimins
  • Prerequisites: CCUS 521
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Fall (First 8-week) (Next offering is 26F)
  • Course Overview: Class VI wells are designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as the well type used for long-term carbon dioxide injection into deep rock formations for the purpose of geologic sequestration. Any carbon capture project in the United States is required to have a Class VI well permitted, and other countries are following this lead. This eight-week online course provides an overview of what constitutes a Class VI well and the in-depth permitting process that is associated with it. The course will review the requirements for a Class VI well application including the major components of site characterization, risk assessment, and developing a testing and monitoring program. Experts who have constructed these plans will provide guest lectures and discuss the challenges they encountered and how they overcame them. Students will work directly on a Class VI application for practical experience.
  • Learning Outcomes:
    1. Differentiate between a Class VI well and other types of well completions using EPA’s Underground Injection Control standards.
    2. Evaluate the requirements of a Class VI well application and permitting process by reviewing successful case studies.
    3. Analyze the potential leakage pathways and well integrity issues associated with a Class VI well development by reviewing sub-surface characterization models.
    4. Construct a site characterization plan for a Class VI well application.
    5. Assess the geologic and surface risks associated with a Class VI well installation using risk mitigation strategies.
    6. Investigate a testing and monitoring program for a Class VI well installation and permit application addressing various aspects of well and facility operations and environmental protection.
PEGN 506: Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods
  • Elective Course for both Certificate and MSNT
  • Main Instructor: Dr. Luis Zerpa
  • Prerequisites: PEGN424 (If you have any concerns on the prerequisites, please reach out to Dr. Luis Zerpa)
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Spring (First 8-week) (Next offering is 27S)
  • Course Overview: Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods are reviewed from both the qualitative and quantitative standpoint. Recovery mechanisms and design procedures for the various EOR processes are discussed. In addition to lectures, problems on actual field design procedures will be covered. Field case histories will be reviewed. 
GEOL 557: Earth Resource Data Science 1: Fundamentals
  • Elective Course for MSNT
  • Main Instructor: TBD
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: Fall (Second 8-week) (Next offering is 26F)
  • Course Overview: A hands-on course intended to introduce basic concepts of data science as it pertains to managing surface and subsurface Earth resources, and give examples that can be used in daily geoscience workflows.
GPGN 519: Advanced Formation Evaluation
  • Elective Course for MSNT Only
  • Main Instructor: TBD
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: TBD (If you are interested in taking this course, please contact Dr. Yilin Fan)
  • Course Overview: A detailed review of well logging and other formation evaluation methods will be presented. Course includes an overview of the logging environment, how different basic and advanced logging tools work, how logging measurements are converted to geophysical properties, how geophysical properties relate to physical and chemical properties of fluids and rocks, and how log data are tied with seismic data.
GPGN 558: Seismic Data Interpretation and Quantitative Analysis
  • Elective Course for MSNT Only
  • Main Instructor: TBD
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Offering time: TBD (If you are interested in taking this course, please contact Dr. Yilin Fan)
  • Prerequisites: GPGN461 or GPGN 561 and GEOL309 or GEOL314.
  • Course Overview: This course gives participants an understanding of how to model, understand, interpret and analyze seismic data in a quantitative manner on several worldwide projects. When you look at seismic data, how does it relate to the rock properties, what do the amplitudes mean, what is tuning, what is a wavelet, how does the seismic relate to structure, and what are seismic attributes and inversion products? How do you use this information in exploration, production and basic volumetric and economics calculations? The course will go over these topics. Students will work in teams on several modeling and seismic field data exercises around the world in most widely used software platforms (Ikon-RokDoc, Schlumberger-Petrel, GEOX, CGG-HampsonRussell). The course aims to give participants knowledge and information to assist in professional and career development and to be operationally prepared for the work environment.