Petroleum Engineering

Job Description: Petroleum engineers research, find, and extract the natural resources of our world. These resources include oil that are part of our everyday lives. They work with other professions to discover oil reservoirs such as: geologists and other specialists. They also decide the most efficient way to abstract it from the ground, often with computer modeling. The discipline is normally requiring of you 40 to 50 hours a week sometimes becoming longer when deadlines are approaching.


Salaries: Starting out with a Bachelors degree a petroleum engineer will be making around $76,350. The average salary is $83,290. With higher degrees and more experience an engineer in this discipline could make anywhere from $90,000 and up.

Employment: In 2006, there were 26,000 engineers in this discipline. This amount is expected to raise 18% over the next ten years. Compared to other disciplines like civil this is a low employment number.

Top Schools: 1) Texas A&M University -College Station

                       2) University of Texas-Austin

                       3) Stanford University

Licensing: Licensing is required

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm