College of Technology > Upstream Energy Safety Certificate
Description
This interdisciplinary certificate was created by UH Energy in 2014, supported by the C. T. Bauer College of Business, Cullen College of Engineering, the College of Law, the College of Technology, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Houston; the certificate in Upstream Energy Safety aims at advancing the knowledge and skills of working professionals. The coursework for this certificate has been designed around the understanding that working in the upstream industry requires continuous Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) training, and these courses will take recent graduates and new industry employees from “zero-base knowledge” up to the industry fundamentals. The graduate certificate program helps the student understand the value chain from a global perspective, needs and interests of the energy industry, cause and effect of industrial accidents, risk analysis and mitigation, integrity management systems and will enable participants to work in any area in the petroleum industry with a focus on enhanced judgment, practical skills, and systems level integration of HSE. Case studies will be used throughout the courses. Houston remains the global capital of the energy industry and UH is committed to training and advancing the skills of working professionals in this industry. A majority of industrial accidents that occur every year are the result of human error and/or improper training of personnel. The Upstream Energy Safety Graduate Certificate will build confidence amongst our internal and external stakeholders and will be the first step in developing a lasting culture of safety.
Specific Goals
The distinguishing elements of this graduate certificate program are:
- The practical nature of the topics addressed in HSE as experienced in the real world;
- The flexibility of the program that will exploit distance-education methods and executive training schedules to deliver individual courses on weekends and on a compressed schedule;
- The real world experience delivered by faculty and instructors with extensive industrial experience; and
- Integration of Technical, Economic and Managerial skills.
Coursework
The certificate will consist of four sequential courses, and all four will be required to complete the graduate certificate in Upstream Energy Safety:
Since this graduate certificate is an interdisciplinary program, courses will have multiple lecturers including UH Cullen College of Engineering faculty, UH College of Technology faculty, UH C.T. Bauer College of Business faculty, UH Law Center faculty, UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics faculty, UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences faculty, and industry experts.
Entrance and Certification Requirements
The certificate program’s targeted applicants for this program are working professionals in the energy industry in the greater Houston area with a minimum of a BS degree. The program will require a minimum of two (2) years industrial experience for each applicant. Military service for veterans will be considered in lieu of industrial experience. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better to receive the certificate.
Teaching Format
The classes will be taught in an executive mode and will have formal classes on Fridays and Saturdays every other week. Each course will meet for six weekends for four (4) hours each on Friday and Saturday. All classes will be recorded (using for example MediaSite®) and be available for asynchronous delivery via BlackBoard®. Homework and exams will be handled through electronic drop boxes.
One course of the certificate will be offered each quarter of the year and must be done in sequential order (SAFE 6310 , SAFE 6320 , SAFE 6330 , and SAFE 6340 ).