Petroleum Engineering Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Petroleum Engineering major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Engineering, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Engineering, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$120,088

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$151,638

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$162,754

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 0.7%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$3,203,902

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Architectural and Engineering Managers
SOC: 11-9041
Occupation: Architectural and Engineering Managers
$167,740
210,340
N/A
N/A
Petroleum Engineers
SOC: 17-2171
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
$141,280
18,970
N/A
N/A
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC: 25-1032
Occupation: Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
$106,120
39,910
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Petroleum Engineers

2.9%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$141,28018,970
2023$135,69020,390
2022$131,80020,540
2021$130,85022,100
2020$137,33027,850

Colleges offering Petroleum Engineering

The University of Texas at Austin

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$19k

Earnings

$65k

University of Southern California

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$42k

Earnings

$78k

Stanford University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$18k

Earnings

$110k

Missouri University of Science and Technology

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$15k

Earnings

$81k

Montana Technological University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$16k

Earnings

$64k