Engineering Graduate Petroleum

Learn more about Engineering Graduate Petroleum at the website RouhNeckChronicles.com.

Q: Can I attend Mechanical or Petroleum Engineering Graduate school with a B.S. in Geophysics?

A: A fairly common question from BSc graduates looking to do postgrad in engineering! I think it depends on the individual university’s entry criteria. The most advantageous entry path I can think of is relevant work experience. Work experience more often than not is a strong statement of interest compared to past academic background. I suggest you find an intern (or graduate position, if you have completed your undergrad) with an engineering firm or company that does work in the area you’re interested in e.g. oil & gas consultant engineer or exploration/drilling engineering services. With your BSc (geophysics) you should be able to get a job as a geoscientist. Work a couple of years in the field, it will look good in your CV and you can use it for entry brownie points when applying to grad school. I personally know a geophysicist who worked in our oil&gas engineering firm, who after a few years of experience went on to complete her Master of Engineering specializing in Petroleum.

Q: which is the best graduate school for petroleum engineering?

A: I am sure the University of Calgary is a good one since Calgary is the base of the petroleum industry in Canada.

I would consider the University of Texas at Austin to be one of the best in the US. Another respected rival of UT is Texas A & M which has a petroleum engineering department as well. Stanford University in California is another well respected school with a graduate program in petroleum engineering. School of Mines in Colorado is highly respected in petroleum engineering and all other petroleum related disciplines. I would consider any one of these four to be among the best, and I’m in the industry.

Here is a list of graduate programs in this field:

http://programs.gradschools.com/usa/petroleum_engineering.html

Q: What is the starting salary for petroleum graduate engineers in Canada?
What is the salary in different parts of Canada like Saskatchewan, Calgary, Edmonton etc.

A: Use salary calculator on www.monster.com

Q: Which certificates would you suggest for petroleum engineering graduates to get?
I am a petroleum and natural gas engineer. I haven’t practiced my profession but worked for oil&gas industry on a different subject. I want to get some training which I can use with my graduate diploma to get employment by oil companies.Any ideas? Software? Welding? …etc????

A: I suggest that you become certified by the state in which you practice. Also any certificates in safety related disciplines will help, such as OSHA. And yes the Colorado School of Mines is one of the finest colleges that offer these degrees.

Good Luck

Q: Would a graduate degree in nuclear engineering be a good choice,,if have undergrad in Petroleum Engineering?

A: With the current energy ordeal in our economy, absolutely. John McCain said recently in one of the debates that his plan is to open up 45 new nuclear plants by…2020? I think it was. Nevertheless, that is a lot of job opportunities for people in the nuclear field.

Q: How do I get into petroleum engineering?
I’m going into college as a freshman this year but the university that I’m going to doesn’t offer petroleum engineering as a major. I’m going to transfer to another university for graduate school but what should I do for now?

A: Go for a chemical engineering degree with a minor in geology. That will cover a lot of material that a petroleum engineer needs. In some universities you can actually get a dual degree in chemical/petroleum engineering.

Q: Should I major in chemical or petroleum engineering?
I’m 90% sure that I want to major in petroleum engineering but in the back of my mind I still have doubts. I really don’t think that the world is going to stop drilling for oil any time soon, but also most of the world is looking for alternative types of energy.

I guess my real question is that if I graduate with a petroleum engineering degree in 5 years will I get a job? I also heard stories that some oil companies will hire a ChemE for drilling positions after they have been trained. Is that true? If I get a petro E degree will I have a better chance of getting hired in an oil company than if I get a ChemE degree? I think I would, but I’m still not sure.

Thanks.

A: Sara. You’ve got it made. Women engineers earn a premium and are wanted desperately to improve diversity.

I would go for Chem Engineering.

There is a predicted peak oil, with good probability and much supporting evidence, meaning the need for oil will out-strip the discovery and production of new oil. Some disagree, and it can be very contentious. From what I have read, peak oil is coming or may have arrived. These believers say the OPEC states are not truthful in their estimates of oil availability, and it is in their interest to lie. There may be an opportunity in developing new ways to get shale oil, which is too expensive to recover at the moment and other sources, deep sea drilling is a new craze. But I believe it will be a poor choice of career in the future.

On the other hand, as you say a chem engineer can be anything, work in any field. Alternate energy sources is a great new area – geothermal, wind, solar – all need chem engrs. I say go for it.

One reason I am so supportive is my daughter, who at the age of 4 was told “trucks are for boys”. I nearly had a stroke. I did well in keeping her interested in science – I am a chemist, she is in graduate school for a microbiology MS. At the age of 12, she expressed an interest in genetics and was told by a friend’s mom, “why are you interested in that stuff?” Good thing I was unaware of that. I only wanted science to be a choice (it turned out to be microbiology or linguistics, I’d have been pleased with either, I did my job).

Very, very best of luck to you, and I am sure you will do well.

Q: How much money does a petroleum Engineer make? A petroleum Engineer who works in the Gulf for USA companies?
I’ve always wanted to be a petroleum Engineer. Can any one tell me specifically how much a petroleum Engineer who graduates from USA universities makes. And travels to the Gulf and work there for the US companies. Will he succeed or no? will he make alot of money in the Gulf? please tell me exactly what are the positive and negative things about it?

A: I’ll abbreviate Petroleum Engineer/Engineering as “PE” for sake of typing.

PEs will get paid (base) between $65,000 and $200,000, depending on many things. The low end is for new grads (not a lot of openings for them right now, so maybe even less money). The upper end is for those with special skills and a LOT of experience. If they work on off-shore rigs, they get extra pay (>10% more). Downsides are that PEs are in a highly volatile industry – they spend a lot of time unemployed, so they have to save the big bucks for when they have no income. Also, the government is doing everything it can to discourage production and expansion of the domestic industry, so it’s not growing. If you want to work in the Gulf area, contact the PE program at TAMU or U of Houston or UT-Austin, or maybe LSU. They can provide recent starting salaries and put a positive spin on things for you.

Q: Picking a school for Petroleum Engineering between LSU, UT of Austin, and TAMU?
Like above. Which school would be the best choice to go for a career as a petroleum engineer. Im currently in college and i plan to transfer to one of the 3 schools down the road. I want to get into a school that has a nice and fun environment but will allow me to actually have a job and some connections to getting a job after i graduate. Because i know that with certain degrees its not always about what you know but who you know as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

A: TAMU and UT are you’re best bet as far as everything goes. Texas A&M grads rule the industry and they watch out and support each other. My dad is a PETE engineer and of the 8 people who got promotions 6 of them were Aggies (he’s one as well). However, LSU is not a bad choice but is the weakest of the three. I am currently attending LSU because It’s ny far the cheapest of the 4 I was considering. UT of Austin, LSU, TAMU, and the University of Oklahoma. TAMU and UT are EXTREMELY expensive (if you are out of state) and if you choose to go there you have to decide for yourself if the ends justify the means. Are those “connections/support” worth $80-100k+ more than a degree at LSU? I decided not. If you can afford to, and receive enough scholarships, you’d be foolish not to. I just started at LSU and am looking to go to OU. They have a program were you can get your bachelors and MBA in 5 years. UT does as well (but again, it’s very pricey). Goodluck with ur decision.

Q: Is PETROLEUM ENGINEERING still a degree worth getting.?
I’ll be graduating in 3 years and I’m thinking about Petroleum Engineering but I’m not too sure about the employment opportunities. I hear the field is not going to grow, but there are going to be a lot of retirements so there will be a lot of open positions. What are my chances of getting a job. Also, what kind of lifestyle do these people have with regards to family and friends.

A: Since I am a petroleum engineer I do disagree with Jordan. In any degree you can play two different roles:
1-A lazy student who won’t get anything.
2-An active one who will be better than his or her Teachers.
Petroleum Engineering consists of various disciplines like Geophysics, Geology, Fluid and Rock Mechanics, Chemical Engineering and etc.
You are the one to decide which way your life would be. You have to be honest with yourself and know in which way you are most talented. Generally there are some different classifications of your future job e.g Physician, Engineering, Arts, Science, literatures and etc.
In any cases there are lots of branches. If you are interested in Engineering this is time to think about which branches of engineering you should apply.
Anyway, about petroleum engineering I can say “it worth”. This is very practical and any theory you learn in university is applied in the oil industries. Frankly, one of the most practical engineering is petroleum one.
As I’m concerned, world is becoming hungry of oil more and more. You can check it out by looking into the oil prices since at least 5 years ago.
However, if you are going to choose petroleum engineering be careful about its branches. Because they work in many different categories and places. Some are in office and do simulations and some are completely in the field and away from their families. Some are in the lab and some are doing all aforementioned.

Q: Tasks of electrical engineer in petroleum marine services companies?
What are the Tasks of electrical engineer (recently graduated) in petroleum marine services companies in the sea sites

A: Im not an electrician, but I do work offshore.
Basically you will be a sparky in a zone 1 rated work setting.
Zone 1 is the area immediately around a wellhead, storage vessel or refinery, where all electrical gear must be intrinsically safe so no sources of ignition can occur. Oil platforms, drill rigs, FPSO’s tankers etc will all be zone 1 for this purpose. the rules for work in these areas are quite strict, as the stakes are quite high.

Q: Whats my chance of getting into UT at Austin for petroleum engineering?
My SAT scored were 620 math 560 reading and 500 writing. After high school I joined the military and through the military I passed a calculus CLEP test so hopefully that will meet my calculus requirement for admission. I also graduated 41 out of 404, with a GPA of 3.945.

A: I am a bit confused. Is the GPA that you quoted above your high school GPA and is it unweighted? Did you take any other courses through the military?

The above information is needed to make a guessimation of your admission chances for UT Austin./

Q: Mining or Reservoir Engineering (Petroleum)?
In June I will graduate with a BS in Chemical Engineering. I am Planning to get a Master.
I know that Petroleum earns more but mining engineers get to work 12 days then have 12 days off. thats very appealing to me

Any advice ?
This might be a stupid question but How did you decide what you wanted?

A: I have been an engineer for 19 years and my advice for you is simply to do what interests you the most. Do not go after the money, it will never be enough to pay for a job you basically did not want.

Q: Petroleum Engineering Major?
I’m thinking about changing my major to Petroleum Engineering. Is the job outlook good for Petroleum Engineers. Would it be hard to find a job after I graduate? Could I go into other Engineering disciplines (such as Chemical) with a PE major?

A: I’m sure you can get a job with petroleum, there is so much going on right now and so many new off shore drilling technologies that are continually growing.

Q: Graduate Materials Science + B.S. Chemical Engineering?
I’m currently a chemical engineering senior who’s considering studying Materials Science & Engineering for graduate school (MS/Ph.D.). There is a lot of cross-over between the two fields, but if I do this, am I undermining my ability to get a pure chemical engineering job, e.g. petroleum, pharmaceutical, food process, etc. Will employers not hire me because my graduate degree is in Materials Engineering? For example, I have an M.S. in MSE and B.S. in Chem E, will Exxon-Mobil not hire me for a process engineering position? Opinions from hiring managers would be appreciated.

A: As you say, there’s a lot of overlap. I can see you having an advantage in, say, catalytic conversion research.

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