Master of Science in Petrophysics
Petrophysics is the study of the physical and chemical properties of reservoirs (rocks and fluids). It is the first such program in North America and addresses properties of subsurface rock formations and the fluids within those strata with particular application to the petroleum exploration and production industry. The course work including the graduate research project is a multidisciplinary program with Geology, Physics, and Natural Gas Engineering courses
Required Coursework for MS in Petrophysics
Admission Requirements
A bachelor's degree in Geoscience, Mathematics, Physics, or Chemistry (or related areas) is required. Students not having enough background may need to take additional undergraduate courses.
Contact
If you are interested in pursuing this program, contact Dr. Subbarao Yelisetti, the graduate coordinator for the MS in Petrophysics.
Scholarships
Students entering the master’s degree program in Petrophysics at Texas A&M University-Kingsville may apply for graduate scholarships available in the department of Physics and Geosciences and the Natural Gas Engineering program. The scholarship amount is $1,000 per academic year and is awarded based on merit and additional criteria. Scholarship recipients may be eligible for non-resident tuition waiver. Scholarships may be renewable for second year if the student maintains a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Requirements for the scholarship are below:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Have an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher and a minimum GRE composite (Q+V) score of 294.
- The student must maintain full-time status.
- Students must demonstrate exceptional academic ability and achievement.
- Students must demonstrate community/extracurricular involvement.
- Students must demonstrate leadership abilities.
- Students should list all awards and recognitions
To apply, students should submit their CV, transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters from faculty members or supervisors to Dr. Subbarao Yelisetti (subbarao.yelisetti@tamuk.edu).
Deadline for scholarship application is June 1st for Fall admission and November 15th for Spring admission.
Students currently enrolled in the master’s degree program in Petrophysics at Texas A&M University-Kingsville may apply for graduate scholarships available in the department of Physics and Geosciences and the Natural Gas Engineering program. The scholarship amount is $1,000 per academic year and is awarded based on merit and additional criteria. Scholarship recipients may be eligible for non-resident tuition waiver. Scholarships may be renewable for second year if the student maintains a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Requirements for the scholarship are below:
- Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher in the petrophysics courses taken at TAMUK.
- The student must maintain a full time status.
- Student must demonstrate exceptional academic ability and achievement.
- Students must demonstrate community/extracurricular involvement.
- Students must demonstrate leadership abilities.
- Students should list all awards and recognitions.
To apply, students should submit their CV, transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters from faculty members or supervisors to Dr. Subbarao Yelisetti (subbarao.yelisetti@tamuk.edu).
Deadline for scholarship application is July 30th for Fall and December 22nd for Spring.
Students entering the master’s degree program in Petrophysics at Texas A&M University-Kingsville may apply for graduate scholarships available in the department of Physics and Geosciences. The scholarship amount is $1,000 per academic year and is awarded based on merit and additional criteria. Scholarship recipients may be eligible for non-resident tuition waiver. Scholarships may be renewable for second year if the student maintains a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Requirements for the scholarship are below:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Have an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher and a minimum GRE composite (Q+V) score of 294.
- The student must maintain full-time status.
- Students must demonstrate exceptional academic ability and achievement.
- Students must demonstrate community/extracurricular involvement.
- Students must demonstrate leadership abilities.
- Students should list all awards and recognitions
To apply, students should submit their CV, transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters from faculty members or supervisors to Dr. Subbarao Yelisetti (subbarao.yelisetti@tamuk.edu).
Deadline for scholarship application is June 1st for Fall admission and November 15th for Spring admission.
Current Petrophysics Graduate Students
| Student Name | Expected Graduation Year | |
| 1 | Tresia Shifugula | 2026 |
| 2 | Prudhvi Raj Kumar Chuduru | 2026 |
| 3 | Lasya Reddy Koyagura | 2026 |
| 4 | Papa Kwesi K Eshun | 2026 |
| 5 | Joan E Otoo | 2027 |
| 6 | Ambitious Lifasi | 2027 |
| 7 | Clement Nuamah | 2027 |
| 8 | Jared Campbell | 2027 |
Recent Petrophysics Graduate Students
| Student Name | Graduation Year | Current Position | Thesis Title | |
| 1 | Erin Matthys | 2020 | Environmental Scientist, Atlas Technical Consultants, Houston | Integrated reservoir analysis of the Oligocene, Frio Formation 10-A reservoir sand at Rita Field, Kenedy County, Texas |
| 2 | Howard Palacios | 2020 | Senior Petrophysicist, Oxy, Houston | 3D Seismic Characterization And Prospect Assessment Of The Upper Miocene Interval, Virgo Block, Offshore Louisiana, Gulf Of Mexico |
| 3 | Ajibola Samo | 2020 | PhD Candidate, University of Houston | Reservoir characterization of the Volve field, North Sea using rock-physics modeling |
| 4 | Monica Estrada | 2020 | Project Manager, RPS, Houston | Correlating porosity, water saturation and hydrocarbon saturation characteristics of Miocene formation reservoirs from seismic and well log data in the Main Pass protraction area, Gulf of Mexico |
| 5 | Toluwalope Bamisile | 2020 | Technical Project Manager, Apple, California | Seismic Structure and Gas Hydrate Studies on the Southern Cascadia Margin Using Multichannel Seismic Data |
| 6 | Jenny Pinilla Rivera | 2022 | Senior Petrophysicist, Frontera Energy Corp. | Petrophysical Modeling of a Braided Fluvial Reservoir using Machine Learning |
| 7 | Richel Carlus | 2022 | Multichannel Seismic Velocity Analysis of Southern Cascadia Margin using Seismic Traveltime Tomography | |
| 8 | Hailey Smith | 2022 | Geoscientist, ExxonMobil, Houston | Oligocene Vicksburg Formation V-17 Reservoir Evaluation in the La Rucia North Field, Brooks County, Texas |
| 9 | William Cathey | 2023 | MS Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University-Kingsville | Seismic characterization of the Cascadia margin |
| 10 | Taiwo Osunrinde | 2023 | Geologist II, Freeport-McMoRan, Tucson, Arizona | The effect of depositional environment on sustaining a carbon storage site |
| 11 | Worlanyo Ablordeppey | 2024 | PhD Candidate, Oklahoma State University | 3D Seismic Attributes and Petrophysical Analyses for Reservoir Characterization: Mississippian Osagian and Kinderhookian, Patterson Field, Kansas, USA |
| 12 | Iris Montero Rodriguez | 2025 | Chase Formation Evaluation, Hugoton Field, Kansas using Machine Learning | |
| 13 | Ndeshihafela Kafidi | 2025 | Seismic tomography and gas hydrate potential assessment of the Cascadia margin | |
| 14 | Jaime Diaz | 2025 | Reservoir Development Geologist, Canacol Energy, Colombia | 3D Geological Modeling in a Gas Field in the Lower Magdalena Valley Basin, CDO Formation, Columbia |
