Petroleum Engineering
Benefits of Petroleum Engineering Careers
As a branch of chemical engineering, petroleum engineering is the specialty that is specifically involved in finding additional deposits of petroleum below the earth's surface. While chemical engineers search for measures needed to decrease our dependency on oil, petroleum engineers continually seek additional sources of oil that may yet to have been discovered. Petroleum engineering is one of the most highly demanded engineering job fields at this moment, and job growth is expected to continually increase for the next three years at least. Students interested in the field of petroleum engineering must have a strong aptitude for science, especially chemistry and physics. These are the two most important classes found in any petroleum engineering college program.
There are three main divisions in the realm of petroleum engineering. Drilling engineers set up the drilling process, creating safe ways to reach the oil under the ground without causing sinkholes. Production engineers in petroleum engineering work to draw the oil from the earth and then create the machinery needed to turn the oil into a usable form of gasoline, heating oil, etc. Reservoir engineers help increase production of oil and gas by locating the best spot for wells. All of these branches of petroleum engineering are important to the industry, but the do face opposition from environmentalists on a regular basis making it hard for them to do their jobs in some cases.
The University of Texas in Austin has one of the nation's best petroleum engineering programs. The average tuition for an in-state resident is $10,000 a year, and for out of state students it is $26,000. Room and board fees are extra. This is an affordable college program, however, so for those who think Texas appeals to them, they should definitely look into the curriculum. The petroleum engineering curriculum requires college-level advanced math courses, fluid mechanics, materials science, thermodynamics, chemistry, physics, introduction to petroleum, economics, reservoir engineering, geology, well design, drilling, English, history, and physical education.
