TAMU vs UH Petroleum Engineering

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Sorry to remora on to the discussion but I’ve got similar questions and was hoping to get some input from those in the PetE pipeline and hopefully from some PetEng engineering.</p>

<p>Background: 33 y/o ex-military officer with Finance BA pursuing Post-Bacc in PetE. Just completed most of the minor sequence (UT-Austin) at ACC. Applied to UT-A, TAMU, TT, UH, LSU for Summer/Fall 2013 as Transfer Student/Post-Bacc. </p>

<p>Did not get into UT-A (big ego stomp). They offered 10 admits (expecting 75% yield) for 7 external transfer spots. Only info I could glean was PetE was INCREDIBLY competitive (especially now that CSE only enrolls transfers for Summer/Fall - yep, once a year). They wouldn’t tell me the number of applicants only that is was in the ‘hundreds’ and that the avg GPA of those offered admission was 4.0. That info came from Tricia Gore, A-Dean of PetEng Student Affairs.</p>

<p>Accepted to UH, TT, LSU. Still waiting to hear back from TAMU.</p>

<p>My question: I want placement with a multi-national straight away. If I get into TAMU, I will go there. If not, would it be best to stay in Texas or go to LSU?</p>

<p>If staying in Texas is advised, which school:
Texas Tech - better program but not in Houston?
UH - bad program but in Houston?</p>

<p>Any/all advice is greatly appreciated.</p>

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<p>This is the letter TAMU sent to prospective PetE admits:</p>

<p>Dear Admitted Aggie PETE Applicant,</p>

<p>The Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University, is pleased that you applied and were admitted to our top ranked petroleum engineering program. If you pursue a degree in petroleum engineering, our program is committed to providing the highest quality education available.</p>

<p>Recent data suggests that some concern about the sustainability of the entry level job market during a time of explosive growth in the number of students studying petroleum engineering in U.S. universities may be prudent.</p>

<p>Our advice is that you become aware of graduation projections and petroleum industry employment outlook for people with petroleum engineering degrees. For example, between fall 2011 and fall 2012, the number of freshmen in petroleum engineering programs in the U.S. increased from 1,388 to 2,153, a 55% jump in one year. Based on the many inquiries and applications TAMU is receiving for the petroleum engineering major, the number of U.S. students in petroleum engineering will probably continue a strong upward trend, as long as the employment market remains stable. These days, a very large number of people are already studying in petroleum engineering programs (see attachment, showing data made available through the Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE), at a time when: the number of recent graduates, who began their studies several years ago, is already at about historical highs and growing rapidly (see attachment); our program’s board of industry advisors are recommending that we “do not grow” our undergraduate program at this time; and oil and natural gas price projections and expectations of U.S. governmental policy influences are viewed as not particularly encouraging by the U.S. petroleum industry.</p>

<p>We are not trying to discourage you from a career that we think is among the most fascinating, dynamic, challenging careers that exist. However, we also want you to know that the Aggie PETE program is doing the right thing by providing you with information that could end up being important to your future.</p>

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<p>You are a veteran. I’ll send you a private mail with some advice.</p>

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<p>Well, looks like I have to have 15 posts to send you a private, so I’ll just post here.</p>

<p>It looks like the same thing that happened when they said Pharmacists were in high demand. Now there is an oversupply. I guess the petroleum engineering field filled up way too fast.</p>

<p>Let me tell you what I know and what information I have.</p>

<p>I have family and friends that work in the industry and I’m currently studying Petroleum Technology and Safety Technology at Nicholls State University in South Louisiana.</p>

<p>I have family that works for Chevron, Exxon, and Shell. I have friends that work for Hilcorp, W&T, H&P, Conoco, Murphy, Cameron, Halliburton, BHP, Wood Group, Patterson, and Blake International. They are all at different levels of the totem pole from vice presidents, drilling superintendents, rig managers, safety mangers, project managers, engineers, specialists, operators, electricians, and roughnecks. </p>

<p>What I do know is that your military background is a tremendous bonus in your favor. Oil companies love leadership skills, and nothing shows that more than being a military officer. Assuming you have good record and excellent communication skills you should be a shoe in. I would also say that you are at the right age to do a career transition and would bring a lot to the table in terms of life experience. </p>

<p>The oil industry is in a boom state with the fracking technology, offshore projects, and excessive drilling projections due over the next decade. We had a meeting with Chevron recently and they are projecting that they will increase their production by 20 percent by 2020. I would imagine that a lot of the other companies are predicting similar projections. A good rule of thumb is to watch Exxon, all the majors tend to follow suit.</p>

<p>That being said there are a lot of people in Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum Geology, Petroleum Technology, and Safety Programs all across the gulf south. There will be because the salaries are excellent, the bonuses are great and the lifestyle is very enjoyable. Especially if you are single, don’t mind traveling or being offshore for extended periods of time. Be prepared to be in remote locations as well. </p>

<p>Engineering jobs vary depending if you are hired for the office or in the field. Drilling companies are hiring excessively right now and the pay is great. In my courses we have been studying a lot of career forecasts and projections. It seems there will be an oversupply of Petrol Engineers and the numbers don’t lie. However, this will only last if the trend continues. If it doesn’t continue, we will see a big drop in those numbers. I can also guarantee you, and anyone else who has worked in the industry can tell you, the oil industry goes through periods of boom and slumps. The next slump could just be around the corner. As long as the prices stay like they are it will stay steady, however none of that is guaranteed.</p>

<p>If I were you I would go for Texas A&M, Texas Tech, University of Texas, LSU, or UL-Lafayette. The degree itself is what matters, not where you go. Some of the companies like Shell, don’t recruit from UL. Also, Chesapeake doesn’t recruit from LSU. Odd I know, but you may want to look that up depending on what company you want to end up with. UL is very nice because it is in Lafayette. It is one of the industry’s major hubs and Chevron, Halliburton, Chesapeake, and the others recruit a lot from there. I can tell you that LSU’s program is packed. I was there but left when I figured out I wasn’t engineering material and wanted to go more towards the operations management and safety side. I’m a better communicator than a calculator. UL has a smaller atmosphere and the professors really tend to care and get involved with their students. I have a good friend of mine that graduated from there Mech E program and he got several offers for jobs from GE Oil and Gas, Cameron, and others. He graduated 3.7, and interned with GE. You will need a good GPA to stay competitive in this market. I hope you love math and physics. </p>

<p>You would probably make a really good field engineer because your leadership skills on a drill site or with a service company would be excellent. All the Pete E programs are good, however I would stay along the gulf coast. I would also seek internship opportunities as soon as possible in your college studies. Try first year you are in if possible. Networking is very crucial; I suggest you join Society of Petroleum Engineers and the American Association of Drilling Engineers. Attend as many meetings, conferences, and luncheons to rub elbows, network, and get possible job opportunities. I know a few people that were given job offers from these events.</p>

<p>You say you want to work with a multi national/international, most oil companies are international so I will assume you mean a super major, like an exxon, chevron, shell, conoco, bp, bhp, ect. I assume an actual operating company, not a service company like a Halliburton or Baker Hughes, or a Drilling Contractor like Transocean, Seadrill, or Diamond. You could also find work with the manufacturers like VAM, TenarisHydrill, GE, or Cameron just to name a few. Are you dead set on becoming a production, drilling, or reservoir? You could do applications engineering for one of the service companies. That entails monitoring manufacturing of subs and other accessory parts. I work at a manufacturing plant part time and we had a Weatherford guy over the other day from Canada. The job pays great and if you want to travel all over it would be an excellent fit for you. They knock out some Benjamins too. LSU does have that lab for drilling, probably the best set up. They actually have a mini rig set up on site and you would learn a lot there especially if you are into drilling.</p>

<p>I would go to the school that doesn’t require you to get in any debt or at least minimizes your debt. Get on the SPE student chapter of whatever school you do decide to attend. If Texas A&M won’t set you back too much, I would go there. If the industry does fall out you do not want to be is a boat load of debt and looking for a Mech E or Civ E job. Trust me, be wise. We don’t know how long the ride will last.</p>

<p>What I recommend you do before you do go to school is to apply for a Drill Site Manager Trainee position. Are you recently out the military or been out? Chevron, Exxon, Shell, Chesapeake, Marathon usually have them posted throughout the year. They love hiring Military for that position. Try that first, the jobs usually start you out at a decent salary range, and comes with about a 1/3 salary bonus. You would usually study and work for a year in Houston, then they would train you as a company man. There is some major money and opportunity in that position. You would have the grit for it too being that you are military. Send me a message if you want to know more.</p>

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<p>Those positions for drill site manager trainees tend to either be in west/east Texas, Bakersfield, North Dakota, or Pennsylvania. I don’t know what, where, or how you want to go about your career but there is a long road a head of you either way. I know when I interviewed with Shell my freshman year the general rule they use is 5 years of training as an engineer before they let you out on your own. So assuming you take 4-5 years of engineering and another 5 years of training, you are looking at being 40 something before you are able to be cut loose on your own project. It all depends what company you go with and what engineering job you get. You may want to look into a good petroleum tech program for an associates degree. You can be a specialists, plant operator, production operator, or a drill site/ well site/ completions manager like a mentioned before. You maybe even want to consider getting a safety associates. There is always roughnecking. They are paying rough necks 80-90k a year these days. There is a school in Canada trains guys in about a month, and everyone gets placed after. You can look it up, rough neck training schools. If you are just looking for money that would be your best bet, get an associates or go to a floor hand training school.</p>

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Hey where did you decide going and can you tell me if it was the right decision or not for you I’m actually a senior in high school and want to go to A&M but would love to go to UofH also! Is it hard getting into the petroleum engineering program for UofH? Please help me out!