Marietta College

Programme overview

Marietta College’s Land & Energy Management major trains students for the public-facing, commercial roles on energy exploration and development teams. The program is one of only 11 undergraduate programs in North America accredited by the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) and the only AAPL-accredited program at a small liberal arts college. Accreditation opens access to national scholarships and allows graduates to sit for the Registered Professional Landman (RL) certification exam. Recent program outcomes reported by the department include a 100% RL exam pass rate for 2024–2025 graduates and an 88% rate of graduates employed or in graduate school within six months (five-year aggregate).

What you'll study

The curriculum gives a multidisciplinary foundation: business, geology, environmental science, communications and writing, mathematics, and computing. Students learn the professional practices of landmen—contacting landowners and communities, negotiating rights and agreements, and supporting exploration and development across fossil fuel and renewable projects (wind, solar, carbon capture). The major can be complemented by minors such as energy systems studies or energy systems engineering. Practical experience is built into the program through required internships and networking via a student landmen’s association covering the Ohio–Pennsylvania–West Virginia region.

Entry requirements

Marietta structures the major within a liberal arts core plus a specified set of major courses; students must complete the college core and the program’s required coursework to earn the major. The program page notes a rigorous course load and recommends pursuing internships as early as the summer after the sophomore year. (Specific admissions criteria and course-by-course degree audit are provided by the college.)

Career prospects

Graduates move into roles across oil & gas, midstream, renewables, government and professional services. Typical job titles and fields cited by the program include land management roles, title examiners, GIS technologists/technicians, solar and wind development managers, solar sales and installation management, and roles in law or real estate brokerage (the latter may require additional qualifications).

• Employers and internship hosts named by the program include Alliance Petroleum, Antero Resources, MarkWest Midstream, Turner Oil & Gas, Williams Midstream, Endurance Resources, Enterprise Products, and various land management firms and state agencies.
• The program reports an AAPL figure for early-career compensation (0–5 years) and strong alumni satisfaction metrics.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

Accreditation by AAPL gives students access to national scholarship opportunities. The program references individual scholarship awards from the Landman Scholarship Trust in the range of $2,500–$5,000 for AAPL student members; additional institutional and external funding sources are managed through Marietta College’s tuition and financial aid offices.