Donate
Join
Article content

Back to STEM Careers

Explore all disciplines

Aerospace

Aerospace

Agriculture & Biosystems

Agriculture & Biosystems

Biomedical

Biomedical

Chemical Engineering

Chemical

Civil Engineering

Civil

Computer Science

Computer Science

Electrical Engineering

Electrical

Environmental Engineering

Environmental

Industrial Engineering

Industrial

Manufacturing

Manufacturing

Materials Science

Materials Science

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical

Nuclear Engineering

Mining & Metallurgical

Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear

Project Management

Petroleum

Materials Science

Project Management

Discover Petroleum Engineering

Ever wonder where the energy that powers your phone, car, and favorite apps actually comes from? Petroleum engineers help make it happen. In this career, you could work in the U.S. or around the world to discover energy resources, design new technologies, and find smarter, cleaner ways to produce oil and gas. You might help build energy sites, solve real-world problems, and use science and technology to make energy production safer and more efficient. As a petroleum engineer, you’re not just working with energy-you’re helping shape how the world powers itself in the future.

Meet the Change Makers Who Are Petroleum Engineers!

Meet Srimoyee Bhattacharya

Srimoyee is an engineer and AI expert at Shell who leads a team of AI engineers and data scientists to drive innovation.

Meet Ceola Hart

Ceola is a pipeline controller at Shell who safely moves products remotely through various pipelines from Canada to Texas and Louisiana. 

Meet Francisca Ogendele

Francisca is chemical engineer at Shell who uses her engineering and project management skills to design and build infrastructure on offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico!

Meet Sylvana Azana

Sylvana is an engineer at ExxonMobil who gets to work on top secret projects.

 

Meet Jonathan Daniels

Jonathan leads a team of production engineers at Shell who design equipment to produce oil and gas safely.

 

Petroleum Engineering Overview1

$141,280

Median salary

19,600

Number of jobs in 2024

1%

Expected job growth over next 10 years

Petroleum Engineering Jobs and Education

Bachelor’s Degree

  • Work with geologists and other scientists to discover new gas and oil fields
  • Develop a computer simulation to predict the quantity of oil or gas in an existing or newly discovered field.
  • Design equipment to extract oil and gas in a efficient and safe manner.
  • Oversee well testing to make sure operations are safe and effective.
  • Use computer-controlled drilling or fracturing to connect a larger area of an oil and gas deposit to a single well.

 

Associate Degree

  • Work in a variety of industries from power to waste to pharmacology in offices, labs, or out in the field.
  • Help find oil, natural gas, metals, and other materials and assess the environmental impact of extraction.


High School Diploma/GED + Certification

  • Inspect pressure vessels to ensure they meet safety codes and can operate safely.
  • Work with industrial machines to automate systems used in refineries and pipelines.

Explore more

Related Activities
View More Nuclear & Petroleum Activities

References:

1. US Bureau of Labor Satistics
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/petroleum-engineers.htm