LSU first school to offer carbon capture concentration for engineering students

LSU is the first school in the country to offer a formal petroleum engineering concentration focusing in carbon capture, utilization and storage, the university announced last week.

While other institutions are also adding courses, tracks, or certificates related to this topic, the number of ongoing carbon capture and storage projects in Louisiana adds to the opportunities available to LSU students. Students in this degree path will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum engineering with a concentration in carbon capture.

The petrochemical sector in south Louisiana has doubled down on its investment in carbon capture over the past few years, as detailed in a recent Business Report feature. 

“Because Louisiana is one of the prime locations in the world to perform industrial-scale CCUS, many of our existing corporate partners have expressed interest in collaborations with LSU related to CCUS research and education,” says Karsten Thompson, chair and professor in LSU’s department of petroleum engineering.

Currently, 17 students are enrolled in the concentration, with four expected to graduate in May. The concentration consists of courses in the fundamentals of CCUS, underground geological storage, natural gas engineering, and geology or geophysics, among others. See the announcement.