🇺🇸 United States · Petroleum Engineer
From $155,400 / yr by industry
Mean salary — $155,400 / yr.
$155,400 / yr
💰 Pay spread — by industry / specialty
The mean is the headline; the spread is what matters.
175,000 $
Reservoir Engineer
Subsurface modeling
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
165,000 $
Drilling Engineer
Well design + execution
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
150,000 $
Production Engineer
Optimize flow + uptime
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
155,000 $
Completions Engineer
Frac / well stimulation
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
🗺️ The path — stage by stage
- 1. Bachelor (Petroleum / Mech / Chem Eng) (4 yr) — ABET-accredited
- 2. FE exam (0 yr) — Pass before grad
- 3. Engineer (4 yr) — Field rotations common
- 4. PE license (— yr) — Required for senior signoff
- 5. Senior / Lead (— yr) — Operations + capital decisions
📝 Licensing exam
PE (Professional Engineer)
FE → 4 yr experience → PE exam. Optional but career-advancing.
🏛️ Top schools
| School | Location | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| U Texas Austin (Hildebrand) | Austin, TX | Top petroleum program |
| Texas A&M Petroleum | College Station, TX | Strong industry pipeline |
| Stanford Energy | Stanford, CA | Reservoir + energy track |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | Multidisciplinary energy |
| U Tulsa Petroleum | Tulsa, OK | Industry-aligned |
🟠 Tier 3 — context only
💵 Specialties — same title, different number
| Specialty / Industry | Mean / yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reservoir Engineer | 175,000 $ | Subsurface modeling |
| Drilling Engineer | 165,000 $ | Well design + execution |
| Production Engineer | 150,000 $ | Optimize flow + uptime |
| Completions Engineer | 155,000 $ | Frac / well stimulation |
| Energy Transition Engineer | 145,000 $ | Carbon capture / geothermal |
🏢 Employer types — base vs total comp
Major Oil & Gas
Base + bonus + LTI; cyclical
Independent / Mid-cap
Higher cash, lower LTI
Service Company
Field bonus + per-diem
📈 Income across years
Engineer (entry)
95,000 $
0~3 yr
Senior Engineer
145,000 $
3~8 yr
Lead / PE
180,000 $
8~15 yr
Engineering Manager
220,000 $
15+ yr
📚 Go deeper
Four sub-pages — gift, vision, path, history.