PETROLEUM ENGINEERING

Today in this changing and challenging world petroleum engineering is an attractive and high paying career option for the individuals aspiring for it. Typically the people hired for petroleum engineering are given the job to discover natural sources of oil and examine the same. Similarly, developing the latest machines and equipments which can be used in the extraction and processing of oil is part of the job of a petroleum engineer. Petroleum engineers have global career and are hired by global oil companies.




Career prospects very much attractive in petroleum sector as petroleum companies have great influence and usually offer attractive salaries to employees. The demand for petroleum and petroleum products is expected to increase and there would be an increased lead to creation of new jobs. In fact, there is greatest demand of efficient petroleum engineers and almost every young graduate in petroleum engineering gets a job offer from petrol and gas companies from India and overseas.

Whereas private petroleum companies today mainly offer attractive salaries to petroleum engineers, government sector oil companies are not far behind in terms of paying attractive salaries and bonuses to employees. Petroleum Engineers get the jobs mainly in oil and gas extraction, professional, scientific and technical services and petroleum refining. They may also work for companies that manufacture drilling equipment, supplies and refining processes. Those with higher degrees can opt for the research field. He/she may join research labs as scientist or research fellow to carry out the R&D activities.

Petroleum Engineering is usually divided into two parts. The upstream sector which mainly consists of activities like exploration, production and exploitation of oil and natural gases. After gaining such a qualification in petroleum engineering, the engineers work is in the exploration and production activities of petroleum and other related products. Using the latest drilling technology and geophysics for the exploration of oil reservoirs, they exploit the same for maximum output. The downstream sector involves activities such as refining, marketing and distributing of petroleum products. Production is the only work carried out in a petroleum company and the job of petroleum engineer does not get over as the oil is produced, rather, it starts at this stage. Refining process is crucial for an oil product as only then it can be used. Marketing and distributing department may require a petroleum engineer to have some management degree.



As the world is highly dependent upon petroleum as a source of energy, a career in the field is bound to be attractive and challenging. An aspirant can do a B.Tech in petroleum engineering after completing 10+2 in the science stream. Similarly, post graduate program in the field can be done after the completion of BE/BTech degree in the relevant subject. If you are an MSc in Chemistry then that also makes you eligible to do post graduation in petroleum engineering.

Research can be done in the fields of petroleum refining and petrochemicals, petroleum exploration and production and mechanical or petroleum science, etc. Considering the inclination towards petroleum engineering one should start preparing for entrance exams which are conducted by various engineering colleges. As Petroleum is available in areas which are geographically isolated places, it could be challenging to work in such a place. However, it is a highly paid career and money attracts lots of students to pursue this field of study in engineering colleges.

Top Petroleum Engineering Colleges in India

• University of Petroleum and Energy Studies


• Maharastra Institute of Technology , Pune -Maharastra


• Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering , Chennai – Tamil Nadu


• Indian School of Mines University – Jharkhand


• Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University – Gujarat

Petroleum engineering fee structure varies from colleges to colleges in India. The amount of fees is as lower to Rs. 20,000 in govt.colleges and in many other it is as high as Rs.40,000 to Rs. 90,000.



The expanding demand for petroleum products would require exploitation of oil reservoirs which consequently would need trained petroleum engineers. Currently, there is a big mismatch in the demand and supply of trained petroleum engineers in India. When Indian oil companies are going overseas and setting up oil producing units, jobs in petroleum sector are bound to increase. Moreover, India is new in imparting training skills in petroleum engineering to its youths. More than India, it is the MNCs from overseas who hire Indian petroleum engineers for their various projects.



Despite the fact that oil fields and reservoirs are diminishing, the consumption of oil is increasing rapidly. According to Exxon Mobile sources, global liquid fuels consumption rose to approximately 85 million barrels per day in the first half of 2010. It is more than 1 million barrels per day higher than the first half of 2009. There would be jobs coming up in gulf countries and other parts of Central Asia. Jobs in Russian petroleum firms would be coming up in a big way as the country is trying to exploit its huge oil reservoirs to sell out its petroleum products.

Moreover, attractive job options would be available to young petroleum engineers once production starts at Krishna-Godavari basin in India. Companies involved in oil extraction hire Indian petroleum engineers for they work at lower salaries than engineers from other countries. The organizations in which the graduates are absorbed are Reliance Industries Ltd., ONGC, Schlumberger, Shell, OIL, Gas Authority of India Ltd., British Gas, Halliburton Services, Essar Oil, GSPC, Cairn Energy, IOCL, Essar Oil Ltd., Baker Hughes, Reliance Energy, NIKO Resources, GEOENPRO, MECOM Ltd., etc.

Those who have done masters or research in petroleum engineering can work in research activities of various multinational oil companies in various R&D projects. Whereas a golden future in exploitation of ‘liquid gold’ attracts every young engineer, risks involved in it can deter many not to opt for such a career. In order to search new oilfields, at times, petroleum engineers are required to stay in remote and distant areas which are not only difficult but unattractive too. When compared with other sophisticated engineering branches such as IT, petroleum engineering professionals face numerous difficulties. No one would wish to work in remote and arid area where life becomes difficult.

On the positive side, it is a highly rewarding career and also provides opportunities to travel to distant places. Depending upon the qualification, skills and experience, roles and designations differ in the field. Some of the positions offered are Reservoir Engineer, Technical Support Engineer, Senior Geoscientist, Drill Bits System Field Engineer, Petroleum Technologist and Drilling Engineer. Other positions are Principal Reservoir Petro Physicist, Technical Support Specialist, Tender and Quotations Analyst, Geosciences Pressure Expert, Senior Petro Physicist, Senior Exploration Geologist and Process Engineer.

Petroleum Engineering Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute of Mysore Indian Oil Corporation IBP Co. Limited Lubricants India Oil Gas India Petrosil Group Shiv-Vani Universal ONGC Bharat Petroleum Reliance Petroleum Limited Essar Oil Limited Gas Authority of India Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Aban Oil India Limited Tata Petrodyne Bongaigaon Refinery Gas Projects (India) Private Limited Hindustan Oil Exploration Company Limited India LPG Kochi Refineries Limited

As in every other industry, remuneration in petroleum engineering is determined according to the knowledge, skills, qualification, capabilities and experience of the candidate. Moreover, if the candidate is from a top notch engineering college he may get a job which can pay salary between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 per month. People working in petroleum producing MNCs get an annual salary of around $100, 000.