Petroleum engineers
Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
Petroleum engineers devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice. The role reports a median annual salary of $141,280 in the US and is showing modest growth of 1% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.43 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include well testing operations, mathematics, geology, chemistry, troubleshoot.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £51,366 a year for Civil engineers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £39,802 to £65,000 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2121). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Petroleum engineers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Entrance exam JEE Main (Paper 1) for B.E./B.Tech; top JEE Main scorers can sit JEE Advanced for IITs; IIT/NIT/IIIT seats allotted via JoSAA[1][2][3]
- 2 · Qualification B.Tech / B.E. in Petroleum Engineering (4 years) at an IIT, NIT or AICTE-approved college[3][4]
- 3 · Entrance exam GATE for M.Tech admission or for recruitment by public sector undertakings (PSUs) that use GATE scores[5]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- JEE (Main) — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 — Eligibility criteria (read on 2026-09-27)
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure (read on 2026-09-27)
- AICTE — Approval Process Handbook 2024-25 to 2026-27 (read on 2026-09-27)
- GATE 2027 — IIT Madras (organising institute) (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Computers and Electronics
- Chemistry
- Administration and Management
- Economics and Accounting
- Administrative
A day in the life
You start the morning reviewing overnight production figures from the wells in your field and spot one whose output has dropped sharply. You go through its pressure readings and drilling records, and discuss with the field team whether the problem lies in the rock or in the equipment. Mid-morning you draft a plan for a stimulation treatment to restore flow, specifying the fluids, pressures and safety steps. After lunch you work with geologists on computer models of the reservoir to recommend where the next well should be placed. Later you update cost estimates and expected production for the new well so management can decide whether it is worth drilling. Keeping drilling and production records up to date is repetitive but essential. Much of your time is spent on screen, though some weeks you work long stretches at a remote site. The rewarding moment comes when a well you planned starts flowing just as predicted.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.
- Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.
- Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
- Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.
- Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Petroleum engineers do?
Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
What does a typical day look like in Petroleum engineers?
You start the morning reviewing overnight production figures from the wells in your field and spot one whose output has dropped sharply. You go through its pressure readings and drilling records, and discuss with the field team whether the problem lies in the rock or in the equipment. Mid-morning you draft a plan for a stimulation treatment to restore flow, specifying the fluids, pressures and safety steps.
How much does Petroleum engineers earn?
The median annual salary for Petroleum engineers in the US is $141,280.
What is the job outlook for Petroleum engineers?
The role is showing modest growth of 1% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 19,600 workers.
How do I become petroleum engineers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Petroleum engineers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include well testing operations, mathematics, geology, chemistry, troubleshoot, manage well interaction. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Petroleum engineers?
Our AI-durability model gives Petroleum engineers a score of 0.43 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Petroleum engineers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.