Hi all,
Couple of questions here:
- What is the more doable degree?
- How is each of them at A&M (difficulty, professors, coursework, etc?
- How much physics is in Petroleum Engineering?
Thank you!
Many of the same courses are required. Mechanical is more versatile, and some companies will hire an ME and train him/her to work as a PetE… PetEs work as PetEs. The degree is less versatile in that regard, but the field of petroleum engineering is itself versatile. Both degrees require the same 2 physics classes, plus statics and dynamics and thermo, etc. Other than that, I am not sure what MEs take. But you can look at the degree requirements for both degrees online. I suspect you will get MEs telling you ME is harder, and PetEs telling you PetE is harder. They are both hard. My kids love it at A&M. They don’t necessarily love engineering courses, and they think all their non-engineering courses are much easier, but they are happy in their majors and, like I said, love A&M!
I would add one thing about the PetE degree. Although companies will hire MechE and ChemE degrees, if they want a petroleum engineering major, they will look at them first and oftentimes (usually) pay them more because of their knowledge. The Petroleum Engineering degree has several Mechanical Engineering courses in the curriculum, but Mechanical has NO petroleum classes. I have asked these questions, too, as I have a son in PetE. This comes from a family member who has 30 years in the petroleum industry.
One thing that I would consider is what the job prospects might be for PE when you graduate. The major has been red-hot for years, but declining oil prices could put a damper on future hiring.
Good point @Beadreau. Petroleum is a cyclical business and always will be, so students need to be aware of the industry. Something that may be different during this downturn, though, is that several CEO’s of oil/oil service companies have publicly stated recently that they do not want to repeat what happened in the 1980’s with regard to talent. They are not going to let knowledge walk out the door and they will continue with university hiring (even though it may slow for awhile). Many experienced petroleum engineers are retiring and there’s a skills gap felt in the industry because of the way things were handled in the 80’s.
Thanks for all the replies you guys ! Although that is some important information, just wanted to really know which of the degree is more doable. I know mechanical engineering is very tedious and time consuming, how does PE compare to ME in difficulty, courseload, etc? Thanks again!
I’m sure they are both equally challenging. Take a look at the curriculum and see what classes each offers, especially the last two years. The more “doable” one might be the one you like the most 
@Babuda. I believe that Petroleum Engineering is the hardest to get into, so the competition may be slightly tougher than ME once you are in. But all the engineering majors are very challenging and filled with very smart, hard-working students.