The Professional Land Management (PLM) Certificate Program is a six-month, self-paced certificate program includes six monthly modules covering land practices critical to the work of a landman including chaining title, negotiating leases, calculating interests, oil and gas law, federal laws, contract negotiations, and curing title. Upon the successful completion of all six modules, students will receive a Professional Land Management Certificate from Midland College.

The Division Order (DO) Certificate Program is a six-month, self-paced course with monthly modules covering division order practices, land titles, leasing, calculations, oil and gas law, contracts, and federal laws. Upon the successful completion of all six modules, students will receive a Division Order Certificate from Midland College.

The Lease Certificate Program is a six-month, self-paced course with monthly modules covering all aspects of the work of a lease and title analyst including real property law, essential elements of an oil and gas lease, lease interpretation and analysis, changes of ownership, oil and gas law, and federal and state leases. Upon the successful completion of all six modules, students will receive a Lease Certificate from Midland College.

Each module spans about one month in length and, depending on the student, requires approximately 12 hours to complete. This includes reading assignments, viewing video lessons, participating in discussion boards, completing a class project, and passing the online final exam.

The format is self-paced with students able to complete the course work at their convenience and on their own schedule. For some modules, attendance at an industry event (in person or online) may be required and details will be provided at the start of that module.

No degree is required to take these courses.

No pre-requisites are required to take these certificate programs.

These courses are open to anyone interested in beginning or advancing a career in land management or division order management. There are no course prerequisites or degree required to register.

Yes. Our course content is based on the industry, laws, and practices in the United States, so please be mindful that not all the content will be applicable or correct in other countries.

Yes, you will receive an alphabetical and numerical grade in the class. Official transcripts of the course are available upon request but will only show an “S” for Satisfactory or a “U” for Unsatisfactory.

The course is designed for working professionals, so it is created as a fully, self-paced, online solution. There are no set times for the class to meet. There are specific sections during each module where student-sharing via group discussion boards, chats, and other interactive elements are provided.

There is a required, self-guided field trip in Module 1 for PLM students to visit and write a report on their local county courthouse land records. For students taking all six modules of the certificate programs, there is a field trip in Module 6 to attend a monthly meeting of your local chapter of the AAPL (American Association of Professional Landmen), ALTA (Association of Lease and Title Analysts), and/or NADOA (National Association of Division Order Analysts).

No. You may begin the course at any module. Each module is self-contained, so students can take them in any sequence that their schedules allow.

Yes. If you’d like to brush up on just one or a few content areas, simply make note of when that module is scheduled and register to join the class.

You must register by the deadline, but the coursework is self-paced, so you have flexibility as to the day you begin the module. We suggest starting that first week so that you can space out the work and learning to participate with fellow students in the online discussion board and forums.

Unfortunately, Midland College does not allow for late registrations. Each module repeats every six months so you may join the next conduct of that specific module. Also, you may start your program at any module open for registration and do not have to proceed sequentially from Module 1.

No. The modules are purposely conducted on a schedule so that fellow students may participate in shared learning via online discussion boards and chat as well as interact with the instructor for that month’s topic.

Absolutely. Alyce Hoge is available throughout the module to answer questions and participate in the group discussion boards and forums.

We conduct the full certificate series twice per year. With Module 1 classes beginning each April and October. The schedule for each course is as follows:

Professional Land Management

Division Order

Lease

Midland College PPDC can invoice companies directly. Please email cepetroleumtraining@midland.edu to provide billing information and request to be invoiced. List the name of student(s) and what module(s) they are attending, company name, attention, address, phone number, and email address. PPDC will need to register the student(s).

No group discounts offered at this time.

For scholarship questions, please contact PPDC at 432-683-2832 or cepetroleumtraining@midland.edu.

Yes. For the Professional Land Management course, students will use the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) Land Reference Guide. The study guide is $50.

For the Division Order course, students will use the National Association of Division Order Analysts: Certified Division Order Analyst Study Guide. The study guide may be downloaded for free with $75 NADOA membership.

For the Lease course, students will use the National Association of Lease and Title Analysts: Certification Manual Guide. The study guide may be downloaded and is $100.

Yes, participation for this course and access to the study guide requires students to be, or become, a member of the National Association of Division Order Analysts (NADOA); visit: https://www.nadoa.org/. Membership is $75 per year and requires sponsorship by two members. If you need support in finding a sponsor, please contact your instructor.

No, although membership in the national organization is highly recommended for networking and educational purposes.

Yes. If you need support in finding two sponsors to join NADOA, please contact Alyce Hoge – your instructor – at 832-298-7791 or ahoge@landtraining.net. We’ll help you find contacts to get started with your membership.

No, only the national organizations provide the testing for certification. The courses are, however, an excellent test preparation for the certification exams.

The national certifications all require a certain number of years of experience to sit for their certification exams. There is no such experience requirement for the PLM, DO or Lease Certificates. These certificates are a recognized credential in the industry and an impressive addition to a resume.

Yes, the courses are eligible for recertification credits upon request. Please let us know before the module starts so we can apply for the credits. Contact Midland College at 432-683-2832 or CEPetroleumTraining@midland.edu.

Yes. Alyce Hoge provides in-house training and keynotes for organizations and industry associations. To discuss your needs, please call 832-298-7791 or email ahoge@landtraining.net.