<p>I'll be attending USC for engineering in the spring. I'm transferring from Penn State where I was majoring in petroleum engineering. USC only has mech and chem eng with a fee classes in petroleum engineering. I'm positive that this is what I want to do. I knew what USC had to offer before I transferred but I love the school. Would I be able to get a pet E job with just one of these majors or will I have to do Pet E at the grad level?</p>
<p>This isn’t my area so I could be wrong, but I would think if you major in chemical engineering and take some petroleum engineering classes, you could get a job in the petroleum industry. I have a friend majoring in chemical engineering who is interning with an oil company this summer. Hopefully someone that knows more about this can help you lol</p>
<p>Don’t take chemical engineering, you will not be hired as an UPSTREAM petroleum engineer. I’d advise you to take the mechanical engineering degree and petroleum graduate degree if possible. You will be hired much more easily and for higher salary than without a petroleum degree, however, its definitely possible to find a job. How come you plan to leave Penn State? There are so many more petroleum engineering opportunities there. It would be easy to find a good job, in fact, you would be recruited. At USC, you may struggle a little. It terms of career opportunities in the petroleum industry, Penn State is far superior. But if you love USC that much more, transfer.</p>
<p>Petroleum companies are hiring people from many different engineering backgrounds. You may be working with a more chemistry-based side of oil, or a more mechanics-based, but there are still jobs. But, as mentioned above, you will possibly have a higher salary if you have a degree in petroleum engineering.</p>
<p>I have plenty of friends from multiple schools working in the petroleum engineering field with degrees in mechanical engineering and no graduate degree in petroleum engineering as mathandscience suggested. You don’t need a graduate degree. These friends of mine work both in upstream and downstream in a variety of positions. The petroleum industry doesn’t discriminate; they just grab the people they think can help them, even if they aren’t petroleum engineers by degree. Oilfield services companies are the same way. The only real question is whether or not the companies you want to work at actually recruit at USC, and I don’t have any idea if they do or not.</p>
<p>As far as I know, the salaries of my friends (which have been in the $80,000 range starting) are not any lower than that of petroleum engineers starting with the same job title.</p>
<p>@mathandscience yes I know that Penn State is better for Pete E but I love USC. And at USC I have to pick between Mech and Chem with a focus in Petroleum Engineering which means I’d take 4 classes in pete.</p>
<p>mathandscience,</p>
<p>You will be shock to know that there are biology, zoology majors doing mud engineers! At my interning company, There is a chem E with a minor in PetE is doing drilling operations and production.</p>
<p>khoiey,</p>
<p>Yes, oil companies take anyone with talent or experience at this point. That is because of a shortage in petroleum engineering students. However, if you want the best opportunities, you should take the most related major possible. If you are a talented student with a petroleum engineering degree, they will obviously take you above anyone else with a different degree.</p>
<p>A mechanical engineering degree with focus in petroleum seems to be the OP’s best bet.</p>
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<p>That is simply not true. Most of the time it is true, but not always. They hire the people they feel will best fill the open positions, period, major notwithstanding. Often those are petroleum engineers, but certainly not exclusively.</p>
<p>What you learn in petroleum engineer as a undergrad (especially drilling) are 70% non applicable in real world. I learned more during 3 months of my internship than 1 whole year of petroleum engineering classes. Hence, you will not only have to compete with petE pool but also ME/ChemE etc. </p>
<p>If you are petE major and thinking you just need high GPA to substitute for internship experience, don’t be surprise if petroleum company would hire ME/ChemE grads over you.</p>
<p>My major as of now is declared as ChemE with a concentration in PeteE, which is 4 extra classes of actual Petroleum Engineering. I feel is I can get an intership as a PeteE I’ll be fine upon graduation. Agree?</p>
<p>ChemE with a minor in PetE along with an internship in PetE should set you up nicely upon graduation. Getting that internship, however, will be tough.</p>