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2023 Best Petroleum Engineering Schools

25 Colleges
$83,917 Avg Salary
$25,780 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Petroleum Engineering School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,256 people earned a degree or certificate in petroleum engineering, making the major the #227 most popular in the United States.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Petroleum Engineering Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Petroleum Engineering Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for petroleum engineering majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Petroleum Engineering Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Colorado School of Mines the best school in the United States for petroleum engineering students. Mines is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Golden.

On average, petroleum engineering graduates from Mines take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $505, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Petroleum Engineering at Colorado School of Mines Report

Out of the 25 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the # 2 spot on the list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

While working on their degree, petroleum engineering majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $15,709 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $242.

Full Petroleum Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin Report

#3

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

The excellent programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best petroleum engineering schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Full Petroleum Engineering at Stanford University Report

The excellent programs at Texas A&M University - College Station helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best petroleum engineering schools in the United States. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, petroleum engineering graduates from Texas A&M College Station take out $20,099 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $385, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for petroleum engineering students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Petroleum Engineering at University of Southern California

Montana Technological University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best petroleum engineering programs. Located in the remote town of Butte, Montana Tech is a public school with a small student population.

Petroleum Engineering majors at Montana Tech take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Petroleum Engineering at Montana Technological University Report

#7

University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK

University of Tulsa landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best petroleum engineering programs. University of Tulsa is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Tulsa.

While working on their degree, petroleum engineering majors at University of Tulsa accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

Full Petroleum Engineering at University of Tulsa Report

#8

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX

Texas Tech University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best petroleum engineering programs. Texas Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Lubbock.

After completing their degree, petroleum engineering graduates from Texas Tech carry an average student debtload of $26,000.

Full Petroleum Engineering at Texas Tech University Report

With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well on this year’s best schools for petroleum engineering students. UT Permian Basin is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Odessa.

Read full report on Petroleum Engineering at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

#10

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

University of North Dakota came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Petroleum Engineering Schools ranking. UND is a large public school located in the city of Grand Forks.

While working on their degree, petroleum engineering majors at UND accumulate an average of around $27,119 in student debt.

Read More…

Petroleum Engineering by Region

View the Best Petroleum Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Petroleum Engineering is one of 40 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Petroleum Engineering

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Civil Engineering 21,388
Computer Engineering 17,987
Chemical Engineering 12,917

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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