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The Oil & Gas industry is fueling innovation as the demand to commit to climate change, net zero emissions and cleaner energy services accelerates. Deloitte reports on five trends to watch as we move into 2022, including a new recruiting pitch to attract and retain talent in a tight labor market.
Petroleum Engineers have a bright outlook according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics with a projected growth rate of 8 percent and a median salary of $137,330 per year. We wanted to know, which institutions are producing the most? To find out, we narrowed our dataset of over 130 million people to 3,147 Petroleum Engineers in the U.S. and found the top 10 universities by volume. Here they are:
1. Texas A&M University
Education, Oil & Energy and Information Technology are top industries across all alumni segments at Texas A&M University. This institution is No. 2 on Niche's list of Best Colleges for Agricultural Sciences in America.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $123,261
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Shell
Relevant Skills: Well Testing, Petroleum Reservoir, Formation Evaluation
2. University of Texas at Austin
Law is the most common degree earned at the University of Texas at Austin — Engineering falls in the top 10. UT Austin was also ranked No. 1 for Best Petroleum Engineering Programs by U.S. News & World Report.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $125,954
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Chevron
Relevant Skills: Well Testing, Petrophysics, Petroleum Reservoir
3. Colorado School of Mines
Lockheed Martin, Chevron and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are three top employers for Colorado School of Mines alumni. They get an Overall Niche Grade of A based on academics, diversity and value.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $117,999
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Saudi Aramco
Relevant Skills: Stimulation, Workover, Petroleum Reservoir
4. University of Oklahoma
The Defense & Space industry is seeing a slow uptick for University of Oklahoma alumni. Natural Resources is the second largest industry for this institution, but hiring is starting to trend down.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $123,097
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Bureau of Land Management
Relevant Skills: Hydraulic Fracturing, Workover, Stimulation
5. Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University ranks No. 11 for Best Petroleum Engineering Programs by U.S. News and No. 4 for Best Hispanic-Serving Institutions by Niche.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $116,637
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Chevron
Relevant Skills: Workover, Drilling Engineering, Well Testing
6. University of Houston
Schlumberger, Chevron and ExxonMobil are three of the top five employers for all University of Houston alumni. These graduates are skilled in Petroleum, Oil & Energy and Gas.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $124,630
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Chevron
Relevant Skills: Hydraulic Fracturing, Petrophysics, Formation Evaluation
7. Louisiana State University
Engineering job functions have seen an uptick in hiring for Louisiana State University alumni in the last 10 years but have experienced a slight downturn in the last two.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $119,515
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
Relevant Skills: Well Testing, Workover, Hydraulic Fracturing
8. University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Halliburton is the top employer for University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumni where the top job title is Oil Drilling Engineer. This university gets an A for athletics, diversity and campus by Niche.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $116,158
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Chevron
Relevant Skills: Workover, Production Engineering, Formation Evaluation
9. University of Tulsa
Petroleum Engineering is in the top five most common majors at the University of Tulsa. At ConocoPhilips, one of their top employers, the supply and demand of skills is almost equally matched.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $122,362
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Chevron
Relevant Skills: Petrophysics, Well Testing, Formation Evaluation
10. University of Southern California
U.S. News ranks the University of Southern California No. 27 on their list of Best National Universities. Amazon and Google are the top two employers across all alumni segments at USC.
Average Salary for Petroleum Engineers: $119,547
Top Employer for Petroleum Engineers: Chevron
Relevant Skills: Petroleum Engineering, Petrophysics, Stimulation
Who ranks No. 11? Maybe it's you.
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