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Engineering

Petroleum Engineers

Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.

Median salary (BLS)

$144,910

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$81k – $253k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $99,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Petroleum Engineers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$40,175–$150,500

Time to qualify

4.2 yr

Renewal

—

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    FE exam (optional — PE track)

    Certification

    The Fundamentals of Engineering exam is the first step toward a PE license; many engineering roles never need it.

    $175–$500 · 2 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Petroleum Engineers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Petroleum Engineers Intern

    Internship

    $40,720

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Petroleum Engineers

    Entry / Junior

    $81,440

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Petroleum Engineers

    Established

    $144,910

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Petroleum Engineers

    Senior

    $199,055

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
  • •Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
  • •Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
  • •Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
  • •Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Engineering

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.