<p>I’m looking to apply to the dual degree program (M.Eng Petroleum Engineering/ MS petroleum Economics) they have set up with IFP-School. </p>
<p>MY PROFILE:
-BS Mechanical engineering
-3.48 GPA
-Practice GRE: 1200-1300
-Internships:
24 months in Alberta oil sands
(16 months for a geotech/environmental firm)
(8 months with Canadian Natural Resources (CNRL) in mining)
-12 extra Economics credits
-14 extra Geology credits</p>
<p>If you have gone there, what was your internship experience like, GPA and GRE scores?</p>
<p>This is my last post on this thread. In response to the OP, I’ve seen civil engineers work for oil companies but my safest bet would be chemical engineering or mechanical engineering (mechanical engineering is the preferred everywhere). I’ve asked a lot of oil companies recruiters and most of them say their companies rotate their engineer positions in upstream/downstream. I know several chemical students doing frack jobs for their internships. </p>
<p>Majority of students major in other engineering because they like doing what they do but I bet they didn’t know much about oil jobs. Those that do would be the smart ones by taking internships in oil companies and crossover petroleum classes. </p>
<p>If you want to have backup option in case of future changes, mechanical engineering is the way to go. Alternatively, talk to your head of the department (mechanical) about your goals and they will tell you to look for oil internships and take petroleum classes as electives and that will get you the same opportunity as petroleum students. </p>
<p>Trust me, the most credential resources is your school departments, alumni network, recruiters at career fairs.</p>
<p>MQ1993, go for what you want but just for statistics and you can check on it if you like. Go to courses schedule sites of each university that offer the very first petroleum class. This will give you a gauge on of how many students are picking petroleum and you must know that jobs in petroleum isn’t too plentiful as any other engineering. To confirm this, check with the internship postings from last fall.</p>
<p>I know Texas A&M is full… PSU class is at maximum… etc. So this will give the oil companies more options of picking the best of the very best.</p>
<p>Good luck and I hope you will find petroleum jobs as quite rewarding.</p>
<p>Just chipping in here since I’ve done a lot of research in this area.</p>
<p>Petroleum engineers are amongst the most highly compensated engineers. They are also poised to make an absolute killing in the future too. As peak oil nears, the price of oil will go up, which means everyone in the industry is going to be flush with cash. And when the supply of oil actually starts dwindling? The price of oil is going to shoot through the roof.</p>
<p>This incites free market forces. If oil is not an economically feasible energy option, then we need to find another one. Guess who’s at the helm of this research? Oil companies. Their engineers will be amongst the first to roll out the newest options, which means people working for oil companies will still be making a killing.</p>
<p>Just do some reading, man. All the information is there. Oil companies are the place to be right now - and that will be even more true in the future.</p>
<p>DartmouthForever I’d love to believe that and it does make sense. But khoiey does have a point. Getting your degree might not be THE challenge, but getting the job will be! </p>
<p>And where did you do the reading at? Would you be kind enough to mention or even send me a message?</p>
<p>I met a parent today with kid who graduated as PE a few years ago and is now enjoying a job in Alaska. sounded interesting. </p>
<p>“Then get an MBA someday, NOT straight out of college. Work for a couple years, get some experience, then start looking into MBA programs.” Yep, that is always good advise. And if you are lucky, the employer will cover some or all of the costs.</p>
<p>When we do eventually switch from petroleum to alternative energies, do you think there would be room for PetEs, it those with their skill sets? I mean, I’m thinking things like wind, tidal, and solar along with fuel cells would be the next step after petroleum declines. I just can’t see a PetE being useful in their development. It would seen to require more EEs, MEs, and maybe ChemEs. </p>
<p>I understand that this may not happen for generations so this isn’t meant to scare off potential PetEs.</p>
<p>wafee you click on one of the options on the left of the screen under “Top Forums” and you’ll see somewhere a “Start a new thread”. Click on that and ask your question.</p>
<p>Go to college, once you are an engi major you will change your mind 23 times at least your freshman year what you want to do with your life. If you stick with engi GREAT! Pick after Sophmore sciences. More than likely you will major in engi switch to Ayurvedic Studies, move on to some social science, and be a journalism, business, and enviromental science major before it is all done. </p>
<p>College is as much about learning who you are as learning stuff. You will not be the same person after your first semester, much less in 4 years. </p>
<p>No one is going to stop needing oil anytime soon, and you will be long graduated and working before petrolium engi is obsolete. Yes it is true that the industry is not as bright as it was back in the 40’s when everyone wanted a “job in plastics” but it is still going strong.</p>
<p>The field of Petroleum Engineering is actually going to be very lucrative once our ‘easily accessible’ reserves of light petroleum runs out. We will be reduced to drilling for heavy and shale oil, or to create new sources of gasoline (the main focus of most petroleum engineering jobs) from different components of petroleum. The engineering hurdles required to make cost effective fuels from heavy and shale oil are tremendous, and require brilliant and ingenious engineers.</p>
<p>To people who think we are going to run out of oil soon:</p>
<p>If the world was to run out of oil soon, there would be mass panic, gas would be $20 a gallon, and governments all over the world would use all their resources to come up with an alternative and fast. Do you really think the government would let us come so close to running out of oil before having a stable, efficient backup? Also, many common items like shampoo, cleaners, asphalt, bottles, etc. contain petroleum byproducts. Even if the world were to run out of oil in 50 years, that’s enough time to get hired and then retire.</p>
<p>And to address the issue of oil, we have plenty of it, just the majority of petrol is tied up in heavy and shale petroleum, which currently require costly and environmentally damaging refining techniques. Thus, the field of petroleum engineering will see a resurgence of popularity once companies start to develop strategies for drilling and refining hard to refine energy reserves.</p>
<p>How much better are recruiting/internship opportunities from southern or western schools than penn state? Would I still have the same opportunities to get hired in texas/california?</p>