Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Energy Transition Systems
Uganda is entering commercial oil production at precisely the moment the global energy system begins to turn away from it. Pretending either fact away would be a disservice to students. This programme trains people who can operate the petro...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Petroleum production and facilities engineer
- process engineer
- pipeline and terminal engineer
- HSE and environmental compliance officer
- energy economist and transition analyst
- downstream and logistics manager
- regulator
- petrochemical operations engineer.
Employer types
- Upstream operators and service companies
- the refinery and pipeline projects
- the Petroleum Authority of Uganda and the Ministry of Energy
- downstream distributors
- energy trading and logistics
- development finance and sovereign funds
- and consultancies.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- A domestic sector entering peak recruitment, with an explicit transition skills differentiator that protects graduates over a forty year career.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Energy Transition Systems. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 110 | Engineering Mathematics I Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| ECE 111 | Geology for Petroleum Systems Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 112 | Chemistry and Thermodynamics Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 113 | Technical Drawing, Data and Field Practicum Performance | 3 | 1-0-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 130 | Engineering Mathematics II Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| ECE 131 | Fluid Mechanics and Transport Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 132 | Reservoir Rock and Fluid Properties Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 133 | Energy, Development and Resource Governance Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 210 | Drilling Engineering and Well Systems Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 211 | Reservoir Engineering Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 212 | Production Engineering and Artificial Lift Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| ECE 213 | Statistics, Uncertainty and Decision Analysis Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I Performanc | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| ECE 230 | Surface Facilities and Process Engineering Performance | 6 | 3-2-4 |
| ECE 231 | Process Safety and Risk Management Objective | 2 | 1-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| ECE 310 | Pipelines, Terminals and Midstream Systems Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 311 | Petroleum Economics and Project Evaluation Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 312 | Environmental Management, Spill Response and Biodiversity Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| ECE 313 | Digital Oilfield and Production Analytics Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II Performanc | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| ECE 330 | Refining, Petrochemicals and Value Addition Both | 6 | 4-2-2 |
| ECE 331 | Local Content, Contracts and Revenue Management Objective | 2 | 1-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| ECE 410 | Gas Systems, LPG and Gas to Power Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 411 | Energy Transition Scenarios and Stranded Asset Risk Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 412 | Carbon Management for Hydrocarbon Operations Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| ECE 413 | Specialisation Elective I Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Preparation Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| ECE 430 | Energy Systems Capstone: Real Operator or Regulator Commission Performance | 9 | 0-2-16 |
| ECE 431 | Decommissioning, Legacy and Just Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| ECE 432 | Engineering Economics and Project Management Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| ECE 433 | Professional Practice, Ethics and HSE Certification Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
Total credit units: 178
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Energy Transition Systems
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
176
22 CU of 176 CU completed by the end of this step (13%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems FluencyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual Judgement CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary Mastery CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C7Problem Framing and Systems Thinking CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C12Stewardship and Public ContributionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Ethical and Contextual Judgement · Disciplinary Mastery · Problem Framing and Systems Thinking · Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Explain petroleum geology, reservoir behaviour and production systems.
- PLO 2Design and evaluate surface facilities, separation and processing operations.
- PLO 3Apply process safety, environmental management and spill response to international standard.
- PLO 4Model project economics under oil price, carbon price and demand decline scenarios.
- PLO 5Analyse local content, revenue management and resource governance in the Ugandan context.
- PLO 6Plan gas to power, petrochemical or downstream diversification of a hydrocarbon asset.
- PLO 7Manage the workforce and asset consequences of energy transition.
Why this programme exists
Uganda is entering commercial oil production at precisely the moment the global energy system begins to turn away from it. Pretending either fact away would be a disservice to students. This programme trains people who can operate the petro...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes in Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics (at least two), plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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