Petro-Jobs by Groundwork Analytics

How to Become a Petroleum Engineer

Oil & Gas Industry Career Guide · 3 current openings

Avg. Salary

Not listed

Open Positions

3

Education

Petroleum Engineering

Companies Hiring

3

What Does a Petroleum Engineer Do?

A Petroleum Engineer applies engineering principles to extract oil and natural gas from reservoirs beneath the earth's surface. This broad role encompasses aspects of drilling, reservoir, production, and completions engineering depending on the organization and career stage. Petroleum Engineers evaluate the economic viability of hydrocarbon deposits, design extraction methods, and work to improve recovery rates using advanced technologies and data analysis.

Education & Certifications

Required Education

B.S. in Petroleum Engineering

Key Certifications

PE License FE/EIT

Key Skills to Develop

Based on 3 current job listings for Petroleum Engineer roles

excel (2) drilling (2) reservoir simulation (1) production optimization (1) petrophysics (1)

Typical Career Path

1

Entry Level (0-3 years)

Junior Petroleum Engineer / Field Petroleum Engineer. Building foundational skills, learning tools, working under supervision of senior engineers.

2

Mid Level (3-7 years)

Petroleum Engineer. Leading small projects, mentoring juniors, developing specialized expertise in key areas.

3

Senior Level (7-15 years)

Senior Petroleum Engineer / Lead Petroleum Engineer. Technical leadership, major project ownership, cross-functional collaboration.

4

Management (15+ years)

Engineering Manager / Director. Strategic planning, team management, P&L responsibility.

View detailed career path with current openings →

Salary Expectations

Avg. Minimum

N/A

Avg. Maximum

N/A

Jobs with Salary

0 of 3

BLS Reference: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median salary of $130,850 for Petroleum Engineers (SOC 17-2171) nationally (2024).

Companies Hiring Petroleum Engineers

Huntington Bank (1) Huntington National Bank (1) Texas Christian University (1)

Current Petroleum Engineer Openings

Managing Director - Petroleum Engineer

Huntington Bank

TX Full-Time Not listed

Managing Director - Petroleum Engineer

Huntington National Bank

Texas, UNITED STATES Full-Time Not listed

Associate/Full Professor and Holder of the Ross B. Matthews Professorship in Petroleum Engineering

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX Full-Time Not listed

Ready to Start Your Petroleum Engineer Career?

Upload your resume to see how your skills match current Petroleum Engineer job requirements.

Check How Your Skills Match →

More Career Guides

How to Become a Project Manager How to Become a Process Engineer How to Become a Mechanical Engineer How to Become a Field Engineer How to Become a Reservoir Engineer How to Become a Production Engineer How to Become a Data Scientist How to Become a Facilities Engineer How to Become a Operations Engineer How to Become a Instrument Engineer

Compare Petroleum Engineer With Other Roles

Petroleum Engineer vs Project Manager Petroleum Engineer vs Process Engineer Petroleum Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer Petroleum Engineer vs Field Engineer Petroleum Engineer vs Reservoir Engineer Petroleum Engineer vs Production Engineer Petroleum Engineer vs Data Scientist Petroleum Engineer vs Facilities Engineer