Are you looking for the best petroleum engineering schools in the US?

Petroleum engineers are responsible for developing a design in the production and extraction of energy from oil and gas reservoirs. They study methods of exploring hydrocarbon and its production- from the design of technologies and facilities, to the removal of crude oil or gas and evaluation of its safety, environmental impact and performance.

Petroleum engineering degree programs concentrate on designing drilling processes and well systems, together with the fundamentals of resource valuation and oilfield economics. Undergraduate degree- holders enjoy great opportunities, especially those who came from top notch petroleum engineering schools. Individuals who pursue advanced master and doctoral degree get rewards in income and higher position.

A petroleum engineer can work in an office or in the field- overseas and domestically. He may venture in either of the following industries: consulting, digital engineering, industrial production and services. He can work as an independent contractor or as a private employee in an oil and gas company. Fresh graduates with a broad skill set and knowledge will find no trouble during employment, especially if they have finished petroleum engineering programs recognized by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Here are some of the best petroleum engineering schools in the US accredited by ABET.

1. University of Texas at Austin

This Texas- based university is the home of almost 40,000 graduates from across a wide range of baccalaureate programs. It requires undergraduate students to undergo three course categories: basic sequence courses, major sequence courses and electives.The school’s petroleum engineering program is ABET- accredited and is linked to the Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (CPGE), a top- rated research arm which supports research in nine major sponsored areas of petroleum engineering.

University of Texas at Austin is among the largest petroleum engineering school in the country with the faculty members responsible for many significant discoveries and inventions in energy research findings and a large portion of graduates serving as CEOs in top oil companies.

2. Texas A & M University

The school is located in College Station, Texas and is responsible for around 36,000 graduates from their undergraduate programs. It received nationwide recognition in the US News and World Report last 2003 for offering ABET- certified curriculum, cutting-edge facilities and being responsible for the placement of the majority of its graduates in major oil companies.

Today, the institution is manned by 29 lecturers and professors globally prominent for their previous works in the petroleum industry — 4 of whom are members of the well-known National Academy of Engineering and 14 are eminent members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

The school requires a minimum of six week internship prior to graduation that should be approved by the department. Petroleum engineering department of Texas A & M University also participates in the Cooperative Education Program and allows independent study on the field.

3. Pennsylvania State University – Main Campus

The institution offers bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in petroleum engineering with strict requirements set per type of degree. It is located in University Park, Pennsylvania and has already placed around 35,000 graduates in all of its offered courses. Last 2011, the school made 32 bachelor’s degree graduates, 21 master’s degree graduates and 6 doctoral graduates in the petroleum engineering field alone. Pennsylvania State University also promotes cooperative education and research. By 2011, the school was able to raise $113.9 million for its research expenditures.

4. University of Houston

The school is located in Calhoun, Houston and has gathered a total of 32,123 enrollees with at least 24,000 graduates. It offers bachelors to a professional degree in petroleum engineering with ABET- accredited curriculum. The university is emanated by its strategic plan to achieve 12-15 tenured faculty members, 50+ bachelors, 20 masters and 6 doctoral graduates per year.

It has also launched a three- credit course ‘Reservoir Petro physics’ on the spring of 2011. The university also updates the degree’s curriculum periodically to compete with the engineering norms in other colleges.

5. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

To date, the university has already garnered 31, 527 enrollees with more than 26,000 graduates in all programs offered. It is located in Baton Rouge, LA and is among the top petroleum engineering schools in the country. Aside from its ABET accredited curriculum, the university’s Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering has also set high standards for their undergraduate education to outscore excellent young professionals in the petroleum industry. Currently, the institution is run by 11 faculty members. The school focuses in many areas of research specialization including reservoir engineering, carbon storage, Geomechanics and cement chemistry.

These are the best US petroleum engineering schools to jumpstart your career. If you want to become one of the best in the field of petroleum engineering, then you would need to go to the best engineering school.