Pitt announces new natural gas, renewables and oil engineering program

Pitt is offering a new undergraduate degree in engineering designed to prepare students for the energy transition from fossil fuels toward renewables.

The Swanson School of Engineering recently launched the “first-of-its-kind” Natural Gas, Renewables and Oil Engineering Program, which will start recruiting students in 2026. The chemical engineering department will house the GRO Program, which will cover both traditional energy sources, like oil and natural gas, and renewable energy sources, like solar and wind.

The emphasis on renewable energy is what sets the GRO program apart from similar programs at other schools, according to Robert Enick, a professor of chemical engineering and vice chair of research who led the program design. The GRO program will require students to take eight three-credit courses in renewables while also incorporating natural gas and oil-related training.

“This represents the most significant amount of renewable energy-related content in the country for students studying natural gas and oil engineering,” Enick said. “Ours is a more holistic program that will provide graduates with greater breadth and depth of the energy industry.”

Enick said the new program will not focus solely on renewables because the chemical engineering department wanted to ensure students would be employable in the future. 

“At the present time, there are far more opportunities for people to get into the energy industry, especially natural gas-related fields, than in a job strictly in renewable energy,” Enick said. “If we want to keep the economy going and still move towards renewables, students must have an expertise in all sources of energy.”

Enick said the transition to renewables is a difficult and expensive process but is necessary and inevitable in the future.

“We’re trying to generate students that will have the creativity and skills to actually solve these problems rather than just being worried about them,” Enick said. “We’re trying to inspire and teach them to make the energy transition towards renewables happen more quickly.”

Steve Little, chair of the chemical engineering department, said students are eligible to declare the major starting fall 2026. 

“We’ve had the largest incoming freshmen class at Pitt, and they’re going to be the first sophomores to enter the program,” Little said. 

Little highlighted the necessity for transitioning to clean energy according to projections from ExxonMobil Global Outlook. Developing countries are projected to have a 25% increase in energy use, necessitating more research into new and existing energy sources.

“The need for clean, affordable energy has never been so acute,” Little said. “We’re providing a first-of-its-kind program in the nation that is truly geared toward teaching students about the energy transition.”

Sam Orshan, a sophomore electrical engineering major, said he believes this major is important due to the growing problem of climate change today.

“Nowadays, we have to adapt what we’re learning to match what’s needed in the field,” Orshan said. “Truthfully, I’m interested to see where this major goes because I don’t know about it anywhere else.”

Orshan expressed some concern about finding employment with this degree in the future because it is the first of its kind and job postings requiring such a degree would not exist yet.

“I think with a degree like this, you’re very competitive. No one else has a degree like this,” Orshan said. “It means you have to fight a little harder to find the right job posting that will allow you to use your degree.”

Zaina Khan, a sophomore environmental engineering major, said she noticed oil-engineering classes appeared to be in the process of being phased-out. 

“There aren’t that many people taking those classes, and they’ve been offered less and less,” Khan said. “Hearing that they are creating this new degree is sort of crazy to me because it directly contradicts what I heard from the geology department.” 

Owen Cobb, a sophomore chemical engineering major, expressed concern about the specificity and applicability of the degree due to its focus on sustainability and renewables.

“I thought it was an interesting opportunity, and I could definitely see myself working in the field that GRO is involved with,” Cobb said, “but I feel like I’d rather be more general, so I could make an easier transition between all the other fields.”

Enick said the course list and program was approved about two weeks ago. He will make presentations on the GRO to the first-year class in spring 2026 when they choose their engineering departments and majors.

“We are aiming for about 20 students per class, so 60 sophomores, juniors, and seniors total,” Enick said.

According to Enick, the chemical engineering department conducted marketing studies across several states to determine student interest in this area of renewables and natural gas. Enick said the studies yielded broad interest from students of all different engineering backgrounds.

“We found that the students recognized the importance of hydrocarbons such as natural gas and oil but were particularly excited about the inclusion of renewables such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal energy,” Enick said.

Enick said the faculty is excited for students to be able to learn about all of the various sources of energy and motivate them to help solve the problems related to the energy future.

“This is the first new engineering major in a while at Pitt, and we’re looking forward to it,” Enick said. “We’ll see what happens, and we’ll go from there.”