Petroleum Engineering Schools in the United States

If the median salary is the only factor to consider, petroleum engineering is the best engineering discipline to focus on.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2012-13 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median national annual salary for petroleum engineers is $122,280, significantly higher than most of the other engineering disciplines. Of course, actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors.

Partly fueled by the rising global demand for oil and natural gas, employment of petroleum engineers is expected to grow 17 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Oil prices will be a major determinant of employment growth, as higher prices lead to increasing complexity of oil companies’ operations and require more engineers for each drilling operation.

So, if you are planning to be part of this potentially lucrative profession, the following schools will enable you to get there.

1. The University of Texas at Austin
2. TexasA & M University
3. Pennsylvania State University
4. University of Houston
5. University of Southern California
6. Wayne State University
7. Texas Tech University
8. University of Kansas
9. West Virginia University
10. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
11. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
12. Stanford University
13. University of Wyoming
14. University of Alaska Fairbanks
15. Missouri University of Science and Technology
16. Colorado School of Mines
17. University of Tulsa
18. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
19. Marietta College

Petroleum Engineering Jobs in the United States