Petroleum Engineer Salary

It is all because of the science of petroleum engineering, that we can use fuel for vehicles and gas for cooking food. Petroleum engineering is one of the incredible fields of engineering that deals with extraction of oil and natural gas from the deposits below the Earth's surface. And the main duty of a petroleum engineer is to extract these oils and gases in the cheapest and safest way. A petroleum engineer may also work as a faculty for an engineering school or university or he/she may also work as a consultant for a private or government industry.

The career of a petroleum engineer provides great opportunities to explore various energy sources and hence demands, traveling all around the world. This job is the best job for students interested in earth sciences and for those who love exploring mountains, oceans and deserts. Scroll down and get to know more about the educational requirements, jobs and duties, career opportunities and salary range of a petroleum engineer.

Job Description of a Petroleum Engineer

The basic educational requirement to become a petroleum engineer, is to obtain a Bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering, or chemical and mechanical engineering. For obtaining a job related to research or teaching, a student may be required to obtain a Master's degree in petroleum engineering. After acquiring the education for petroleum engineering, a student can apply to various private industries. In the initial phase, a student has to undergo rigorous training to understand the proper techniques of fuel extraction. After some years of work experience, many petroleum engineers begin a private consultancy of their own. While some prefer to join the educational sector and guide future petroleum engineers.

As mentioned earlier, the main duties of a petroleum engineer is to extract natural gas or oil, with the most economic method in the safest manner. When a site for extraction is finalized, a petroleum engineer has to analyze the area and design an extraction tool that will help to extract oil or the natural gas, without causing a spill and wastage. Some petroleum engineers also travel to various foreign countries to find out reserves of oil and natural gas. They have to discover areas from which energy can be extracted. Petroleum engineers have to work in conjunction with other earth science professionals, like geologists. With the help of other professionals they analyze the properties of the reservoir and find out the best method for drilling. After that, the petroleum engineer has to evaluate the total cost of fuel extraction. Once the fuel extraction process begins, the petroleum engineer has to monitor the tools and the labors involved in extraction.

A petroleum engineer has a very vigorous work-schedule, and may have to work at a stretch for 10 days. Petroleum engineers who work at oil production sites have to work in irregular timings, since the fuel extraction goes on day and night. Now, let us take a look at the average salary, earned per year.

Salary of a Petroleum Engineer

Petroleum engineer salaries are governed by various factors and hence, vary to great extent. The petroleum engineer starting salary is $83,121 per year and is one of the highest starting salaries that a student can earn. Thus, we can say that petroleum engineering is among the highest paying careers of engineering. Further, the petroleum engineer salaries also depend up on the industry. The petroleum engineer salary range for oil and gas industry is $83,444 to $134,069, while that for the oil and gas extraction is $82,071 to $152,605. Other factors that influence the salary of a petroleum engineer are, degree and work experience, and given below are tables that provide figures related to these petroleum engineer salaries.

On the Basis of Educational Qualification

Educational Qualification	Salary (in $)
Master of Science (Petroleum Engineering)	76,399 to 144,846
Bachelor of Science (Petroleum Engineering)	93,740 to 150,637
Bachelor of Science (Chemical Engineering)	87,894 to 126, 760
Bachelor of Science (Mechanical Engineering)	78,440 to 110,000

On the Basis of Work Experience

Work Experience (in years)	Salary (in $)
Less than 1 year	64,866 to 90,800
1 to 4	72,625 to 94,720
5 to 9	87,095 to 120,403
10 to 19	101,139 to 150,722
20 or more	118,588 to 185,582

Due to the increasing demand for alternative energy sources, many petroleum engineers are using their talent for finding clean and harmless energy fuels. A job as a petroleum engineer is quite exciting, with so many opportunities to explore the world. But, this job is quite risky, since one has to work with energy sources and there are chances of mishaps, due to technical or manual problems. The above given figures are approximate and can vary with geographical location. So, if you want to become a petroleum engineer, obtain the required educational degree and explore the world to provide energy to humanity.