Petroleum Engineering

Types of Degrees Petroleum Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many petroleum engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	627
Master’s Degree	188
Doctor’s Degree	106
Basic Certificate	15
Graduate Certificate	5

What Petroleum Engineering Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, petroleum engineering majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Petroleum Engineering Majors

Petroleum Engineering majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Petroleum Engineering Majors

When studying petroleum engineering, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Petroleum Engineering Majors

As a petroleum engineering major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Petroleum Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with petroleum engineering:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Petroleum Engineers	15.1%	$137,170

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 831 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering in 2021, making it rank #174 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 85% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of petroleum engineering majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	26
Black or African American	33
Hispanic or Latino	79
White	272
International Students	185
Other Races/Ethnicities	32

Geographic Diversity

Petroleum Engineering appeals to people across the globe. About 29.5% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Petroleum Engineering

Some careers associated with petroleum engineering require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to petroleum engineering have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	60.0%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	5.4%
Master’s Degree	17.8%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	3.0%
Doctoral Degree	10.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.0%

Online Petroleum Engineering Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	7	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	23	3
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	16	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Majors Related to Petroleum Engineering

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to petroleum engineering.

Major	Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering	43,522
Electrical Engineering	27,809
Civil Engineering	20,728
Computer Engineering	18,973
Biomedical Engineering	14,006
General Engineering	12,241
Chemical Engineering	11,830
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering	9,220
Industrial Engineering	8,722
Systems Engineering	4,148
Materials Engineering	3,397
Other Engineering	3,221
Environmental Engineering	3,012
Electrical and Computer Engineering.	1,988
Operations Research	1,907
Robotics Engineering	1,759
Engineering Science	1,338
Agricultural Engineering	1,328
Construction Engineering	1,284
Architectural Engineering	1,090
Engineering Physics	1,047
Manufacturing Engineering	942
Nuclear Engineering	885
Biological Engineering	411
Marine Engineering	390
Geoscience Engineering	315
Mining Engineering	300
Textile Engineering	292
Polymer & Plastics Engineering	290
Ocean Engineering	290
Engineering Mechanics	209
Metallurgical Engineering	195
Energy Systems Engineering	187
Biochemical Engineering	141
Surveying Engineering	123
Ceramic Engineering	60
Forest Engineering	57
Paper Science & Engineering	48
Electromechanical Engineering	47
Engineering Chemistry	27

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.