Are there any CSU’s that offer a major in Petroleum Engineering? Can I get a list of California schools that offer Petroleum Engineering degrees with a low cost and high transfer rate from a community college? Thank you
I want to attend a small school that has a low cost of attending IN CALIFORNIA preferably as close to San Jose area as possible.
@ucbalumnus has a great reference list, perhaps they will post it for you.
CSU Bakersfield has an engineering sciences major with a petroleum engineering option.
Is CSU Bakersfield the only CSU to offer it?
I don’t know of any schools in California – CSU, UC, or private – that currently offer a traditional
BS in Petroleum Engineering. [ABET[/url] only lists 20 such programs in the US, and none of them are in California.
I think the only CSU that offers anything in Petroleum Engineering is Cal State Bakersfield. They offer a [url=<a href=“http://www.csub.edu/Physics/programs/index.html%5DBS”>http://www.csub.edu/Physics/programs/index.html]BS in Engineering Science with Petroleum Engineering Emphasis](http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx). This is probably more general than a traditional PetE degree, but obviously should include a lot of PetE content. My understanding is that CSUB has applied for ABET accreditation, but does not yet have it.
CSUB also offers a post-graduate [Certificate in Petroleum Engineering](http://www.csub.edu/eud/degrees/petroleum/). So you could major in some other branch of engineering (probably ChemE) at another school, then supplement your degree with the CSUB certificate.
A final option would be to consider a WUE school. California has reciprocal agreements with certain other Western states, which allow students from California to enroll in certain out-of-state schools at a discounted rate (which is significantly lower than the usual out-of-state rate). [WUE[/url] lists five out-of-state schools that offer PetE programs with discounted tuition to Californians: U Alaska-Fairbanks, Montana Tech, New Mexico Tech, U North Dakota, and U Wyoming.
The WUE programs can be a pretty good deal if you are willing to go out of state, although details vary. For example, at New Mexico Tech, Californians pay [url=<a href=“http://www.nmt.edu/scholarships-financial-aid/50-financial-aid/financial-aid/183-scholarships-a-tuition-reduction-programs-for-non-residents%5D150%”>http://www.nmt.edu/scholarships-financial-aid/50-financial-aid/financial-aid/183-scholarships-a-tuition-reduction-programs-for-non-residents]150% of the in-state tuition rate](Save On College Tuition | Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)). The [in-state tuition rate](http://www.nmt.edu/tuition-and-fees) is only $3500 per semester, so the WUE rate is $5250 per semester. That’s still very competitive with in-state tuition at CSUs.
any info on when CSUB may become accredited in PetE?
CSUB has announced that they are seeking [ABET accreditation](A Note from the Chair about ABET Accreditation of the Engineering Sciences Program | California State University, Bakersfield), but there is no timeline that I know of. Schools will not usually commit to a firm timeline for accreditation, because accreditation decisions are made by independent agencies (like ABET), and a positive outcome cannot be guaranteed.
Even if CSUB does get ABET accreditation, they might not get accreditation in PetE specifically. The engineering programs at CSUB are pretty small, and it may not be feasible for them to get separately accredited in every engineering discipline that they offer (EE, CompE, AgE, PetE, etc). Smaller schools often pursue just a single form of ABET accreditation, in “General Engineering”, and then use that as a “blanket” to cover all of their programs. At present, the CSUB PetE program is technically a “BS in Engineering Science with Petroleum Engineering Emphasis”, so it would seem to fit with that approach. But you would have to ask CSUB how they are handling it.
For the record, two private universities in California offer PetE-related BS programs:
Stanford has a BS in Energy Resources Engineering with Petroleum Engineering Emphasis. Stanford also has an MS in Petroleum Engineering.
At USC, either the BS in Chemical Engineering or the BS in Mechanical Engineering can be obtained with a Petroleum Engineering Emphasis. USC also offers a Minor in Petroleum Engineering, and an MS in Petroleum Engineering.
What jobs in the petroleum field are you particularly interested in? Many people in the industry have degrees in chemical, mechanical, geological, or mining engineering.
A PetE degree can be very limiting and very unnecessary
Instead look at ChemE, MechE or similar. You can still work in the petroleum industry, but also others.
I agree with @Hanna and @mom2collegekids.
My nephew graduated with a degree in PET engineering from Missouri; he was set to make his “millions” and was surprised since it took him almost two years to find a job. He took a job in Arkansas that has nothing to do with his major.
Part of the reason the major may be available at Bakersfield is that the town has some oil processing businesses. There are derricks all over the place. (My brother lives there and complains of the quality of air what with the farm fertilizers and the oil.) That’s the only location in California, that I know of, who would need any sort of PET engineers. Off-shore drilling in California is a BIG NO-NO! Most people major in Chem/Mech Engineering so as not to be pigeon-holed in a narrow major.