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General Petroleum Engineering

Types of Degrees General Petroleum Engineering Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Petroleum Engineering can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Bachelor’s Degree	489
Master’s Degree	183
Doctor’s Degree	82

What General Petroleum Engineering Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Petroleum Engineering build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Petroleum Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Petroleum Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a General Petroleum Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Petroleum Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Petroleum Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Petroleum Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Python	Object or component oriented development software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Dassault Systemes CATIA	Computer aided design CAD software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Petroleum Engineering graduates include:

• Instructor
• Adjunct Professor
• Agricultural Engineering Teacher
• Radar Engineering Teacher
• Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Automotive Engineering Teacher
• Design Teacher
• Motion and Time Study Teacher
• Geological Engineering Teacher
• Aeronautical Engineering Professor
• Technical Professor
• Chemical Engineering Professor
• Electronics Teacher
• Metallurgy Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Petroleum Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	34.0%
Bachelor’s degree	25.9%
Post-master’s certificate	13.5%
Master’s degree	11.1%
Post-doctoral training	10.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.1%
First professional degree	1.0%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Petroleum Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 80.7% of General Petroleum Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	146	19.3%
Men	609	80.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Petroleum Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	238	31.5%
Asian	26	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	116	15.4%
Black or African American	27	3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.4%
Two or More Races	25	3.3%
Race Unknown	11	1.5%
International Students	309	40.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Petroleum Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Petroleum Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$68,881
4 years	$97,016
5 years	$103,379

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $103,379 — roughly 50% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Petroleum Engineering Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for General Petroleum Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	3	6
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Petroleum Engineering Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Petroleum Engineering graduates earn a median of $97,016 four years after completion — roughly 155% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Petroleum Engineering	14.25
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering	14.0802
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General	14.0201
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other	14.0299
Agricultural Engineering	14.0301
Architectural Engineering	14.0401
Astronautical Engineering	14.0202
Biochemical Engineering	14.4301
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering	14.0501
Biological/Biosystems Engineering	14.4501
Ceramic Sciences and Engineering	14.0601

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.