How to become a Petroleum Engineer: Career Guide, Courses, Jobs, Salary, Scope

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.

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.

See: Diploma in Petroleum engineering course

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.

See: JEE Mains Registration

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.

Check: GATE 2023

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

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 

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 

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 

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 

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.