UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Swanson School of Engineering
Natural Gas, Renewables and Oil Engineering (GRO) Proposed BS Degree Curriculum - April 2026 Revision 127 Credits (Fall 2025 Cohort) | 128 Credits (Fall 2026 Cohort and Beyond) Includes SSOE Credit Reduction Plan and Nuclear Engineering Certificate Requirements
Program Aspirations 1. ABET accreditation for Petroleum Engineering 2. Maximize education related to Renewable Energy Engineering and Energy Transition
Summary of Changes (from 131-Credit 3/7/2024 Curriculum) The original 131-credit GRO curriculum was tied for the second-highest credit load of any Pitt BS degree. The following changes reduce the total to 128 credits (127 for the Fall 2025 cohort). This plan was unanimously approved by the departmental faculty in December 2025.
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+1 credit: CHEM 0440 (General Chemistry 2 Lab) now registered as a separate 1-credit course.
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-3 credits: Senior Year numerical methods elective (MEMS 1060/IE 0015/ECE 1395) eliminated. MEMS 1060 duplicated GRO 0150; ECE 1395 had inaccessible prerequisites; IE 0015 used non-industry data sets.
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+1 credit: GRO 0150 increased from 2 to 3 credits and retitled "Numerical Methods and Data Analytics" to incorporate data analytics with oil and gas case studies.
-2 credits: GRO 0501 (Greenhouse Gas Minimization) reduced from 3 to 1 credit (correcting an inadvertent listing).
Net change: 131 + 1 - 2 - 3 + 1 = 128 credits (Fall 2026 cohort and beyond). For the Fall 2025 cohort (before the Gen Chem Lab is added as an extra credit), the total is 127 credits. Based on initial feedback (2023) and endorsement by Ron Hinn of ABET Bridge (PetE ABET PEV & Team Chair, Former EAC Chair), with a second review of ABET syllabi in February 2024.
GRO Curriculum - April 2026 Revision (127/128 Credits)
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