Hey Y’all, I’m currently a senior Mechanical Engineering student at a Texas institution, with a pretty good GPA and will be graduating in December. Within the past few years I have really been drawn to the oil and gas field (prior to drop of oil prices). I planned on entering into a masters program in petroleum engineering after I finished my bachelors. That being said, I have contacted Texas universities and Texas Tech said that they aren’t excepting anyone into their master’s program who does not already have a bachelors degree in petroleum due to their limitation in staff. They said that this was an issue with students who did not already have the prior knowledge that you get with the undergrad degree and that they didn’t have enough personnel to bring you up too par. The grad advisor also mentioned the amount of leveling courses that would be necessary (I.e. they don’t want to and won’t offer leveling courses). However they welcomed me to apply too the undergrad program. This is not the case for Texas A&M and U of Texas, as they are still excepting those without undergrad in petro to join their masters program. So my question is after I finish my degree in Mechanical Engineering, is it worth it to pursue a bachelors in Petroleum Engineering which would take about 2 yrs, or a masters that would require leveling and then masters courses? I know oil and gas is not in good shape right now, but have read different reports that it will be better in about two years, when I would be graduating. As well, I know many people will say that a mechanical engineering can do the work of a petroleum engineer, however I’ve read that this is not necessarily the case for reservoir emgineering, which is what I’m mainly interested in and that when highering begins again, petroleum engineers will initially be hired over others. I’ve also read that double majors (essentially what I would be) don’t give you an upper hand and that there is little worth to a Master’s in petroleum engineering. Is this true for someone that does not have the same undergrad degree? My view is that a petroleum engineering degree will get me the job I really want and the mech eng degree will be a fallback. Any insight or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!!
Short of Iran nuking Saudi Arabia, oil prices aren’t expected to recover to 2014 levels for a much, much longer time than just 2 years.
I have many friends in the oil industry and know that it hires plenty of people w mechanical engineering bachelor’s degrees, not just petroleum engineering degrees. Would make more sense for you to just get a mechanical engineering job when you graduate, and wait n see. You can always change jobs and enter the industry directly, when (and if) the industry recovers.
There’s little incremental worth in a masters in petroleum engineering.
I hope you’re not drawn to the industry just for money. The industry is a mega roller coaster, and over the last two decades, I’ve watched too many friends lose their job.
I agree that a masters in petroleum is not required to obtain the vast majority of positions in petroleum engineering. Some universities have minors in petroleum - is that an option for you?
My son is a junior in petroleum (in Texas) and here is what I have learned so far:
- No one can predict what will happen to the price of oil in one, two or ten years. It is a commodity with many factors at play - geopolitical, supply/demand, etc. If someone wants to study petroleum engineering, they better do their homework and go into it for the right reasons.
- It is true that E&P and oil service companies will hire mechanical engineers (and civil, chemical) for petroleum engineering jobs, but when my son went through the career center last fall, more than half of the recruiters would only interview petroleum engineering majors (more so for reservoir, less so for drilling). If someone majors in mechanical, for example, they would be highly encouraged to have internship experience in the oil and gas industry to make them competitive with petroleum engineering students. The current internship my son will have this summer required a petroleum engineering major.
- Get involved in the industry and create a strong network. I can't stress this enough...