Petroleum Engineers are responsible for creating methods to improve oil and gas production. Petroleum engineers also design new tools and machinery, Oversee Drilling Petroleum Engineer advises on technicalities that can help in achieving economic progress. They are also responsible for building and designing pipelines, oil storage facilities etc.
In order to become a successful petroleum engineer, the candidate must take up relevant courses at the undergraduate or postgraduate level in India. The popular courses to pursue a career in petroleum engineering in India are Diploma in Petroleum Engineering, B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering, BTech in Gas and Applied Petroleum Engineering, MTech in Petroleum engineering and many more.
Admissions to some of the top colleges offering these courses such as IIT Dhanbad, Amity University, NIMS University Jaipur etc are done both on the basis of merit and on the basis of entrance exams as well. Some of the common and most attempted entrance exams are JEE Main, JEE Advanced, VITEEE, BITSAT etc.
5.2 UG Preparation
5.3 PG Preparation
6.1 BTech Petroleum Engineering
6.2 BTech in Petrochemical Engineering
6.3 BTech in Gas and Applied Petroleum Engineering
6.4 BTech in Petroleum refining and Petrochemical Engineering
6.5 BTech in Petroleum Reservoir and Production Engineering
6.6 BTech in Chemical Engineering
7.1 USA
7.2 UK
7.3 Canada
7.4 Australia
All About Career as a Petroleum Engineer
| Industry | Petroleum and Mining Industry/Chemical Industry |
| Eligibility | Candidate must complete their 10+2 level exam from a recognized board and pass the entrance exam PG candidates should complete their UG degree in Petroleum engineering and have a valid GATE score |
| Average starting salary | INR 7 – 8 LPA |
| Job opportunities | Leading MNCs involved in mining and extraction business. Leading government PSUs. Educational and Research Departments |
What does a petroleum engineer do?
Petroleum engineers are associated with the following responsibilities:
- They conduct surveys at different potential sites regarding the availability of oil and gas and undertake audits and decisions about the construction of wells for profitable extraction.
- They design and develop the equipment in such a way that the extraction process becomes more efficient.
- Apart from the completion of the wells, they inject water, chemicals, and gases to improve the total yield of the wells and solve the operational problems that may arise during the production process.
- They prepare maps and surveys to monitor the performance of the reservoir sites. They also use computer applications and mathematical models to improve production.
- Petroleum engineers are responsible for addressing the energy demand. The world needs energy sources to carry on with daily activities. Thus, petroleum engineers with their cutting-edge technologies meet the world’s energy demand.
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Working Environment of the Petroleum Engineer
The general working environment of a petroleum engineer is:
- They need to work in different oil reservoirs and offshore rigs. The petroleum engineers have to travel continuously from one reservoir site to another.
- A vast majority of petroleum engineers are associated with the extraction of oil and gas. They are followed by petroleum engineers who are associated with support activities for mining and management of companies.
- They have to liaise with workers, technicians, structural engineers, and clients for efficient production.
Types Of Petroleum Engineers
After completing Graduation and post-graduation in their respective fields, candidates can seek or apply for various job opportunities for petroleum engineering that are available according to their interest. One can also find many sub-disciplines of petroleum engineering such as for example drilling engineers, reservoir engineers, etc.
The most popular petroleum engineering job profiles are mentioned below-
Reservoir Engineers
Reservoir engineers are concerned with the job role in which they need to estimate the amount of oil and gas that can be recovered from below the ground deposits of the earth which are known as reservoirs. Various research-related tasks are performed by search engineers through which find out various methods which can help in extracting oil and gas out of the reservoirs. Reservoir engineers also monitor many operations which ensure optimum recovery of these resources.
- The Minimum eligibility of a Reservoir engineer in India is a graduate degree in Petroleum Engineering or a related field with at least 3-5 years of experience.
- The skills required for reservoir engineers are technical ingenuity and commercial acumen.
- The companies in India that hire Reservoir Engineers are Shell India, Reliance Industries, ExxonMobil Company Pvt Ltd.
Drilling Engineers
This type of engineer is concerned with determining various ways to drill oil and gas Wells. They have multiple job roles because they need to take care of various factors such as safety, security, efficiency, capital and also need to take care of the fact that the joint technique being used is environmentally friendly or not.
- The minimum eligibility requirements for this job role are a diploma in petroleum engineering but most companies prefer graduate engineers.
- The skills that are required for the drilling engineer are knowledge about the estimates, safety measures, BHA designs etc.
- The top companies in India that hire drilling engineers in India are Enquest Petro Solutions Pvt Ltd, WTS Industries, Sarfarosh Bharat Company, etc.
Production Engineers
Production engineers mainly observe and take care of the Wells where oil and gas is extracted and take care of the production of both oil and gas and find out different ways to increase the extraction of oil and gas from the well. They work very closely with the drilling engineers.
- The minimum eligibility required for the candidates to be production engineers in India are a minimum graduate degree in petroleum engineering or related field. An overall experience of 2 years would be an advantage.
- The top companies that hire production engineers in India are ONGC, Indian Oil Limited, Cairn energy India, etc.
Completion Engineers
They are concerned with finishing building up wells so that the gas and oil can flow up efficiently upwards from the underground.
- The candidates should have at least a bachelor's degree in the related fields hoover, candidates with master's degrees hold an advantage.
- The top recruiters that hire completion engineers in India are ExxonMobil, Quantra, CNC, etc.
- The main skills required by the completion engineer in India are understanding of legal documents, understanding of the good design, computer skills in Excel and Word, etc.
Steps To Follow To Become A Petroleum Engineer
The candidates are required to follow a series of steps in order to become successful Petroleum Engineer.
- Decision Making: The candidates are required to check out the opportunities available in the field of petroleum and natural gas industry before they decide to pursue a career as a petroleum engineer. The candidates are required to check out their strengths and academic weaknesses to make an informed decision about choosing a career. Now, the increase in the demand for oil consumption in India is expected to grow by 4% in the coming years thus creating new employment opportunities for the aspirants in the future.
- Subject Choices: The candidates are required to take up proper subjects in their 10+2 level. The candidates are needed to take up science subjects as they need to pursue engineering courses. The candidates are required to have physics, chemistry and mathematics as their compulsory subjects. At the UG level they need to take up B Tech in Petroleum Engineering, BTech Petrochemical Engineering, BTech in Gas and Applied Petrochemical and so on.
- Preparing for Entrance examination: The candidates need to start preparing for the preparation of the entrance examination immediately after the completion of their class 10 examination. The most popular entrance examination for admission to the undergraduate course is JEE Mains. Other Popular entrance examinations are VITEEE, BITSAT, etc. Candidates can take up coaching lessons from various institutes such as Aakash, FIITJEE to get good scores in the entrance examination.
- Selecting Colleges: The candidates are required to the various rankings released by various research agencies to find out the top petroleum engineering colleges in India. The candidates are required to check out placement opportunities offered by their preferred colleges. The candidates can contact the present students as well as the alumni to gather information.
- After Qualification: The candidates after passing out are required to take up any kind of job or internship so that they can build up tangible experience. The candidates can look for internship in various online platforms such as Internshala, LetsIntern or LinkedIn
Check out the list of Top B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering colleges in India
How To Become Petroleum Engineer In India
In India if anyone is aspiring to become a petroleum engineer then he or she can apply for a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering by appearing in JEE mains entrance examination.
Candidates who desire better salary packages and job opportunities can apply for a post graduation course in masters of technology or masters of engineering by appearing for the entrance examination known as GATE.
Some universities and colleges mainly considered taking their own entrance test for providing admission to the candidates but most of the institutions in India considered gate scores valid for granting admission.
School Level Preparation
- The preparation done in school acts as a foundation for a students career. It also helps in clearing Entrance examination.
- Candidates who are aspiring to become a petroleum engineer needs to keep in mind that they must have passed 12th from recognised board with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks with physics chemistry and mathematics as main subjects.
- Candidates must have a science-based educational background in their school.
- Candidates can start preparing for the entrance examination by taking regular classes from different coaching centres.
Undergraduate Preparation
- Once the candidate gets admission in bachelors of technology or bachelors of engineering degree in the respective field he or she must now be focused on his lab and field study programs, and focusing on studying the basic engineering, geology and thermodynamics.
- Candidates studying the petroleum engineering course are required to choose a particular area of interest where they want to proceed for future jobs.
- The candidates need to pursue the chosen field during the final internship so that they gain relevant experience in the chosen field.
- After becoming a petroleum engineer candidate can also pursue for optional certification to the society of petroleum engineers.
- The candidates preparing for the PG courses should take the preparation of the GATE Exam.
Post Graduate Preparation
- Candidates who aspire for a higher pay job and better job opportunities can opt for a masters degree after their graduation.
- To apply for a masters degree in various colleges he/she needs to clear the GATE entrance examination.
- It is advisable to crack GATE examination with high scores because big institutions with best educational qualities select only those students who have a high merits scores in entrance examination. The previous year GATE score was 51.4
- Candidates can start to prepare for the PhD in Petroleum engineering course after the completion of their PG course and choose their area of focus and work on the initial draft of their thesis which they will present before the admission panel.
Check the list of Top colleges offering PhD in Petroleum engineering in India
Courses To Become A Petroleum Engineer
Some of the courses that the candidates can take up during their academic year to become a Petroleum Engineer are
BTech Petroleum Engineering
Bachelor of Technology In Petroleum engineering is a four year course where the candidates learn about the different hydrocarbons, oils and fossil fuels and the different ways to extract fossil fuels from the natural reservoir. The admission to the program is done on the basis of entrance examinations such as JEE Mains, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, etc. B.Tech in petroleum engineering is offered by top colleges such as IIT Dhanbad, Amity University Noida, NIMS University, Jaipur, etc.
BTech in Petrochemical Engineering
B.tech in Petrochemical Engineering is a full time undergraduate course for 4years. The course provides a basic knowledge about production of hydrocarbons.
Candidates graduating in B.Tech Petrochemical Engineering get job opportunities in both public and private sectors, the job positions are - Drilling Engineer, production engineer, Reservoir Engineer etc.
BTech in Gas and Applied Petroleum Engineering
Btech in Gas and Applied Petroleum Engineering is a 4 years undergraduate program that deals with the study of extraction of gas and petroleum from the wells. The candidates also learn about the purification of the purification and refinement of the crude oils and petroleum.
Candidates who pursue B.tech in Gas and Applied Petroleum Engineering get wonderful chance of working with big industrial organisation like- ONGC, Reliance Industries Ltd., Gas authority of India etc
BTech in Petroleum refining and Petrochemical Engineering
B.tech in Petroleum refining and Petrochemical Engineering is a 4year undergraduate course and branch of chemical engineering which deals with the production and Refining process of petroleum-based products which have various applications and uses.
BTech in Petroleum Reservoir and Production Engineering
B.tech in Petroleum Reservoir and Production Engineering deals with the study of exploration and production of Oil and gas from the surface of the earth.
This is a 4year full time undergraduate course, it involves upstream activities such as exploration, reservoirs and productions.
BTech in Chemical Engineering
B.Tech in chemical engineering is a four year undergraduate degree programme. B.tech in chemical engineering graduates can get job opportunities in sectors like Pharmaceuticals, oil, gas and energy etc.
How to become Petroleum Engineer Abroad
Candidates often prefer to study in the foreign colleges as they offer the best infrastructure, research facilities and better job opportunities after the completion of the course. However, the candidates are required to follow the various criteria for admission to the engineering courses.
- Check the University Ranking: The candidates are required to check ranking from the various institutes released by the various agencies such as QS or the US News. The candidates are required to conduct a thorough research on the courses offered followed by the return of investment for their preferred colleges.
- Educational qualification: The education qualification varies from one college to another. The candidates are required to submit their english proficiency tests score during the admission process. The commonly accepted english proficiency tests are IELTS and TOEFL. The candidates are required to summit the score of entrance examinations such as the SAT or GRE when and if required by the college.
USA
Following are the eligibility of becoming a petroleum engineer in the USA and average salary
Eligibility
- Candidates must have the passing certificate of their last qualifying examination. 10+2 results for Bachelor's Degree and Certificates of Graduating degree for Master's course.
- Candidates must have given a valid English Proficiency Test like - IELTS or TOEFL.
Colleges
| College Names | Average Fees |
|---|---|
| Texas A&M University | INR 29,20,000 |
| Louisiana State University | INR 21,18,000 |
| University of Texas | INR 29,11,000 |
| Texas Tech University | INR 17,80,000 |
| Pennsylvania State University | INR 26,50,000 |
Salary
The average salary of petroleum engineer in the USA is USD 101400
UK
Following are the eligibility of becoming a petroleum engineer in the UK and average salary
Eligibility
- Candidates must have a science background before applying for the course in Bachelors program and an undergraduate degree with a minimum 75%CGPA for Master's program.
- Candidates must have a 80%-90% marks in their class 12 and at least 75% marks in Mathematics.
- Candidates must have cleared IELTS with minimum score of 6.0-7.5, TOEFL with minimum score of 90-110 and 58-69 score in PTE or any other equivalent examination.
- The university might take some other entrance test if applicable.
- Candidates will require 2-3 letters of recommendation and statement of purpose to study in the UK etc as Documents.
Colleges
| College Name | Average Fees |
|---|---|
| University of Aberdeen | INR 14,50,000-INR 18,60,000 |
| Heriot-Watt University | INR 13,96,000-INR 18,00,000 |
| Imperial College London | INR 25,85,000 |
| University of Leeds | INR 20,60,000-INR 25,85,000 |
| University of Manchester | INR 17,57,000-INR 21,70,000 |
Salary
The average salary of petrom engineer in the UK is GBP 47,000
Canada
Following are the eligibility of becoming a petroleum engineer in Canada and their average salary in the nation
Eligibility
- Candidates must have an advanced level knowledge in mathematics and fundamental science.
- Must have a valid proof of language proficiency - IELTS, TOEFL etc
- Letter of reference should be submitted especially if applying for scholarship or any other financial aids.
- Scores of entrance tests like - SAT/ACT to increase the chance of admission in the university.
Colleges
| College Name | Average fees |
|---|---|
| SAIT Polytechnic | INR 16,84,000 |
| Cape Breton University | INR 19,00,000 |
| North Alberta Institute of Technology | INR 21,30,000 |
| Mohawk College of Applied arts and Technology | INR 10460,000 |
| Lakeland College | INR 986,500 |
Salary
The average salary of petroleum engineers in Canada is CAD 90,000
Australia
Following are the eligibility of becoming a petroleum engineer in Australia and their average salary in the nation
Eligibility
- Candidates must have completed the english language proficiency test (TOEFL,IELTS) and should produce it to the respective university.
- The candidates must pass the entrance exam if any for the respective universities,
- Candidates shul pass the overseas equivalent of the class 12 exam
College
| College Names | Average Fees |
|---|---|
| University of Melbourne | INR 23,00,000 |
| University of New South Wales | INR 25,39,000 |
| University of Sydney | INR 24,82,000 |
| University of Adelaide | INR 24,24,000 |
| University of Wollongong | INR 17,26,000 |
Salary
The salary of petroleum engineering in Australia is AUD 121,000
Benefits Of Career As Petroleum Engineer
Salary
Petroleum Engineers have high income and are paid big salary packages in India as well as abroad. It is one among the highest paid engineering jobs. Average salary paid to a petroleum engineer in India ranges between INR6LPA to 7LPA. An experienced petroleum engineer gets greater paycheck and perks. If hired by a renowned oil and gas company the petroleum engineer can get paid around 30LPA and will be posted as Senior Manager of the company.
Job Security
The career as petroleum engineer provides a higher chance of job security, allowances and other job perks to the employee. Petroleum can never go down in demand and thus its extraction can never go out of demand hence the need for petroleum engineers is always high.
Higher Studies
After completion of graduation and post graduation when can also opt for PhD or research based studies in petroleum engineering.
Unique Experience
Petroleum engineers who have a good experience can develop better plans for oil and gas field drilling; they can easily monitor drilling operations in the best possible ways; they can evaluate drilling equipment and its procedures; they can also analyse the performance of reserva better. Petroleum engineer because he has to work overseas and travels a lot has visited a number of countries and has a lot of experience about many places.
Top Recruiters
Many big industries, governments as well as private businesses readily recruit many petroleum engineers. Some of the recruiters are as follows
| Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) | Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) | Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) | GAIL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essar Oil | Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) | Sarfarosh Bharat Company | Esther Jeevitha |
| ExxonMobil | Rasson Energy India Pvt Limited | Fast track Lubricant Pvt Limited | Shell Oil and Gas Ltd |
| Focus Energy Limited | Ifp Petro Product Private Ltd | - | - |
Salary of a Petroleum Engineer
Petroleum engineering is one of the highest-paid engineering jobs in which the average salary package varies from INR 6 lacs per annum to INR 7 lacs per annum further the enumeration depends according to the experience skills qualification and capability of the candidate.
Know More: Salary of a Petroleum Engineer
Average Annual Salary
The average salary of different organisation are
| Name of the Organisation | Average Annual salary |
|---|---|
| ONGC | INR 10 LPA- INR50 LPA |
| BPCL | INR 3 LPA- INR 20 LPA |
| IOCL | INR 2 LPA-INR 50 LPA |
Experience Wise
The average salary based in experience are
| Seniority Level | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Junior | INR 6 LPA-INR 7 LPA |
| Middle | INR 9 LPA |
| Senior | INR 10 LPA-INR 50 LPA |
Specialization Wise
| Specialization | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Reservoir Engineer | INR 14LPA |
| Drilling Engineer | INR 9LPA |
| Production engineer | INR 2 LPA |
| Completion Engineer | INR 4LPA |
How to Become a Petroleum Engineer: FAQs
Ques: What are the pros of becoming a petroleum engineer?
Ques. What are the cons of becoming a petroleum engineer?
Ans: Statistics say that Petroleum Engineering can be one of the toughest engineering jobs which involves a lot of hard work and fieldwork. Moreover it can be stressful for People if they have to work overseas for long hours, it can have a heavy impact on their mental and physical health. Lastly it is not everyone's cup of tea to obtain Petroleum Engineering degree it requires a lot of skill set and dedication.
Ques: What can be some other career options for students who have a degree of B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering?
Ques: Name some top recruiters in India for Petroleum Engineers?
Ques: What skill sets are important to become a petroleum engineer?
Ques: How many years does it take to become a petroleum engineer?
Ques: What qualifications do you need to become a petroleum engineer?
Ques: Is it hard to become a petroleum engineer?
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