Petroleum Land Management Certificate and Course Descriptions

This certificate addresses the growing demand for well-trained and skilled petroleum land management specialists by providing a comprehensive understanding of the industry. This certificate is ideal for someone entering the petroleum land management field, or someone already in the field and seeking formal training to advance their career. The following are the six required courses to earn the certificate.

• Petroleum Land Management Fundamentals – This introductory course on petroleum land management takes a methodical approach in laying the foundational principles for oil and gas land management. Topics include a general introduction to the oil and gas lease, oil and gas law, mineral, surface and royalty rights, calculating net mineral interests, and more.

• Property and Mineral Ownership – Understanding property and mineral ownership and the transferring of title is critical for all those working in petroleum land management. This course takes an in-depth and thorough look at the subject, studying land and mineral ownership in the U.S., differing types of property ownership, the rules surrounding ownership and conveying property, varying types of conveyances, testate and intestate succession, the many types of title transfers that an result for court actions, curing land titles, and the law governing oil and gas ownership and development.

• Basic Contracts and Agreements – This course will provide an understanding of contract law, and is designed for oil and gas professionals working directly or indirectly in land or land administration. Students will understand why and when these contracts should be used and the challenges they may pose. Contracts to be examined include the Joint Venture Agreement, Area of Mutual Interest Agreement, Seismic Agreements, Surface Agreements, unit operating agreements, unit agreements, and the Farmout Agreement.

• Petroleum Land Management Practices – This course is designed to help the student understand the process of petroleum land management, including: title ownership examination, acquisition of an oil and gas lease, state regulatory commission or the Bureau of Land Management involvement, proper payment of revenue, and more.

• Calculating Oil and Gas Interests – Even those who have been doing oil and gas calculations for years would agree that calculating interests can sometimes be confusing. This course is not only fun and creative, but can also be insightful and full of hands-on oil and gas issues to master. Students will gain a larger understanding of the rules relating to title conveyances, burdens, net revenue interests, overriding royalty interests, units, payouts, non-consenting interests, and more.
• Curing Land Titles – Curing title defects is one of the most important functions of petroleum land management. This course provides a solid understanding of the critical elements surrounding marketable title, the title opinion and curative, common conflicts in a chain of title, encumbrances that are superior to the oil and gas lease, and curative pertaining to surface issues.

Division Order Analysts carry out a vital and important functions for an oil and gas company. They are often required to meticulously calculate each owner’s interest in a well, cure complex title problems, and handle substantial amounts of suspended funds. They regularly speak with mineral owners, non-operators, overriding royalty owners, title attorneys and are required to coordinate well ownership with marketing, engineering and production. After a well is drilled and is producing, they become the guardians of everyone’s interest in that producing well. The following are the six required courses to earn the certificate.

• Petroleum Land Management Fundamentals – This introductory course on petroleum land management takes a methodical approach in laying the foundational principles for oil and gas land management. Topics include a general introduction to the oil and gas lease, oil and gas law, mineral, surface and royalty rights, calculating net mineral interests, and more.

• Property and Mineral Ownership – Understanding property and mineral ownership and the transferring of title is critical for all those working in petroleum land management. This course takes an in-depth and thorough look at the subject, studying land and mineral ownership in the U.S., differing types of property ownership, the rules surrounding ownership and conveying property, varying types of conveyances, testate and intestate succession, the many types of title transfers that an result for court actions, curing land titles, and the law governing oil and gas ownership and development.

• Basic Contracts and Agreements – This course will provide an understanding of contract law, and is designed for oil and gas professionals working directly or indirectly in land or land administration. Students will understand why and when these contracts should be used and the challenges they may pose. Contracts to be examined include the Joint Venture Agreement, Area of Mutual Interest Agreement, Seismic Agreements, Surface Agreements, unit operating agreements, unit agreements, and the Farmout Agreement.

• Calculating Oil and Gas Interests – Even those who have been doing oil and gas calculations for years would agree that calculating interests can sometimes be confusing. This course is not only fun and creative, but can also be insightful and full of hands-on oil and gas issues to master. Students will gain a larger understanding of the rules relating to title conveyances, burdens, net revenue interests, overriding royalty interests, units, payouts, non-consenting interests, and more.

• Curing Land Titles – One of the most important functions in PLM is curing title defects. This course provides a solid understanding of the critical elements surrounding marketable title, title opinion and curative, common conflicts in a chain of title, encumbrances that are superior to the oil and gas lease, and curative pertaining to surface issues.

• Rightly Dividing the Division of Interest – In this course, the student will look at various elements of a contract in order to rightly divide the division of interest. The student will look at each of these elements and then examine actual deeds or contracts in order to determine proper and correct ownership outcomes.

The oil and gas lease is the foundation of every oil and gas exploration and production company. Leases and titles are the greatest assets a company can own, and the role of the oil and gas personnel who oversee and manage these documents is fundamental for the success of the company. Students will be prepared to become analysts, overseers, maintainers, and guardians of a company’s assets. The following are the six required courses to earn the certificate.

• Petroleum Land Management Fundamentals – This introductory course on petroleum land management takes a methodical approach in laying the foundational principles for oil and gas land management. Topics include a general introduction to the oil and gas lease, oil and gas law, mineral, surface and royalty rights, calculating net mineral interests, and more.

• Property and Mineral Ownership – Understanding property and mineral ownership and the transferring of title is critical for all those working in petroleum land management. This course takes an in-depth and thorough look at the subject, studying land and mineral ownership in the U.S., differing types of property ownership, the rules surrounding ownership and conveying property, varying types of conveyances, testate and intestate succession, the many types of title transfers that an result for court actions, curing land titles, and the law governing oil and gas ownership and development.

• Basic Contracts and Agreements – This course will provide an understanding of contract law, and is designed for oil and gas professionals working directly or indirectly in land or land administration. Students will understand why and when these contracts should be used and the challenges they may pose. Contracts to be examined include the Joint Venture Agreement, Area of Mutual Interest Agreement, Seismic Agreements, Surface Agreements, unit operating agreements, unit agreements, and the Farmout Agreement.

• Comprehensive Study of the Oil and Gas Lease – This course will help land management and land administration personnel manage the company’s oil and gas lease assets by providing a solid understanding of the common provisions and legal significance of an oil and gas lease. Students will better understand Termination vs. Savings clauses and will be able to evaluate the implications of modifying lease language.

• Curing Land Titles – One of the most important functions in PLM is curing title defects. This course provides a solid understanding of the critical elements surrounding marketable title, title opinion and curative, common conflicts in a chain of title, encumbrances that are superior to the oil and gas lease, and curative pertaining to surface issues.

• Mastering Lease Obligations – The lease is the foundation of every oil and gas exploration and production company. The personnel who oversees and manages these become paramount for the success of the company. Students will be given the tools to master the lease.

This class offers specialized instruction for the landman, land technician, lease or title analyst, attorney, or division order analyst. This course will cover federal and state ownership of land and minerals, state-specific title issues and statutes, specific language in conveyances, and state-specific legal concepts.

Major topics covered:

• Federal and state ownership of land
• Legal concepts
• Types of real property ownership
• The creation of varying mineral interests
• “Intent” based on words
• Who should sign the lease?

Understanding property ownership and how to chain title is critical for all those working as field landmen. This course examines land and mineral ownership, differing types of property ownership and conveyances, mineral and royalty ownership rules, and conveying property.

Major topics covered:

• Property ownership in the U.S.
• Conveyances
• The elements of a valid conveyance
• Types of conveying instruments
• Conveyances that contain reservation language
• Deeds that create future ownership
• The importance of dates and recording title
• Chaining title