University of Calgary suspends admission for oil and gas engineering program
The University of Calgary has suspended admission for its oil and gas engineering bachelor program amidst a downturn in Canada’s energy sector and a transition towards a more renewable future.
In fact, enrollment for the program has hit an all-time low with only about 10 students registered over the course of the last two years.
Those existing students will still be able to complete their studies, but Prof. Arin Sen, head of the department of chemical and petroleum engineering said the university has no intention to abandon oil and gas studies.
“This wasn’t a decision that we made lightly and we certainly had a lot of engagement, but we had a lot of decline in the demand,” Sen said.
“That’s obviously something that we need to take into consideration and the other is that there's a changing energy landscape that we see here in Alberta, and even beyond Alberta you can see changes globally going on.”
Sen added that the goal is to now focus on how to better train students and give students further access to knowledge, especially in the world of digital technologies.
“We need to give students a chance to learn about what geothermal means, what hydrogen energy means, wind and solar, and then package that together, so when students graduate from here, they are actually stronger and will be able to better perform once they go into whichever segment of the energy industry that they end up.”
The university has plans to allocate further resources to better support students wanting to work in the energy sector, including oil and gas.
NOT A SURPRISE
The news of a suspension does not come as a surprise for Nima Macci, a former chemical engineering student who was chair of the 2021 Alberta Student Energy Conference.
She says energy firms have already rebranded themselves to students over the years and many of her colleagues are noticing a shift in the energy landscape.
“Through the conference, what we saw was a lot of anxiety, kind of being associated with the idea of going back into oil and gas, or being pigeonholed into one career, especially in an industry that had kind of a precarious future,” Macci said.
“For the longest time we've seen oil and gas as the primary source of energy. Nowhere do I see oil and gas ever becoming obsolete in any form, but we do need to diversify and it's shifting the conversation to incorporate companies like clean tech firms, renewable energy sources as well which I think is a great opportunity.”
ENERGY TRANSITION LEADS TO GREATER OPPORTUNITY
Mitch Jacobsen graduated from the University of Calgary’s oil and gas engineering program in 2015, but has since made a drastic shift in his career plans.
He started out as a water strategist in the oil and gas sector, looking for creative ways to conserve water, but realized a new opportunity in the beverage industry.
“When I looked at packaging on beverages I wanted to find the most sustainable packaging, in terms of water usage fossil fuel usage carbon emissions, and that's really how we got into it.”
Jacobsen stepped away from his oil and gas career in January of 2020 and founded Rviita Energy Tea.
He says his background in oil and gas engineering prompted him to create juice products made out of linear low density polyethylene and an environmentally-friendly 100 per cent recyclable aluminum and plastic layer.
“I think the future of the oil and gas industry is really more moving towards those sustainable technologies,” Jacobsen said.
“We produce some of the cleanest oil and gas in the world so I hope this program at UofC comes back in the future because it creates so many new jobs and opportunities and it educates the next generation of engineers that need to take sustainability initiatives.”
Other students like Amanda Quinn, who is currently enrolled in the UofC energy engineering program agree that petroleum engineering is still a very useful degree that her colleagues should have the option to enrol in.
“To take away petroleum engineering means you're taking away the opportunity for people to get their master's in petroleum engineering and potentially their doctorate too,” Quinn said.
“We need the experts on petroleum engineering to be there to help us with the transition of it, because they might know the best way of how, how we attain oil, how we process it, and how we refine it more efficiently.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau's latest pre-budget pledge targets millennial moms, vowing $1B in loans for more child-care spaces
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
How do you navigate the social media minefield with your kids?
Growing fears about social media's harm have sparked lawsuits against social media companies from hundreds of school districts in the United States and now Canada. CTVNews.ca wants to know whether your children are addicted to social media or if you have concerns about their usage of platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and X.
BREAKING Calgary officer charged after allegedly assaulting handcuffed man
A Calgary police officer has been charged after allegedly assaulting a handcuffed man two years ago.