Petroleum Engineering, B.S.

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Learn to use mathematics, physics, and geology to address and solve important issues that lead to energy security.

Why Study Petroleum Engineering at Montana Tech?

If you’re interested in meeting the challenges of supplying the world with energy, consider earning your bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Montana Technological University.

The Montana Tech Petroleum Engineering department guarantees relevant industry exposure and meaningful contact with faculty. Students grow through participation in student organizations like our Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Student Chapter, and opportunities to work with faculty on undergraduate research.

State-of-the-Art Labs & Equipment

You’ll have numerous hands-on learning opportunities at Montana Tech. Get the skills necessary to operate sophisticated instruments through our petroleum engineering degree program. Our petroleum engineering labs use state-of-the-art analytical, laboratory, and field equipment. You’ll have access to instruments in your lab courses and opportunities to assist faculty on innovative research projects.

Petroleum Engineering Internships

Receive even more hands-on experience through a variety of petroleum engineering internships in multiple employment areas, such as engineering consulting, natural resources, and energy industries. As an in-demand petroleum engineering student, you’ll have your pick of top internships in your area of interest.

Outstanding Location

Live and learn in Butte, an outdoor adventurer’s paradise. Six mountain ranges surround the Montana Tech campus, and two national parks and five rivers are nearby for weekend adventures. You’ll benefit inside and outside the classroom while earning your bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering here.

Study Petroleum Engineering and Have Fun Too

Get involved in various clubs and organizations on campus, such as the Engineers Without Borders club. Ski at nearby resorts or in the backcountry. Enjoy southwest Montana’s hot springs. Hike the Great Divide and other trails. Fish in pristine mountain streams. While you earn your petroleum engineering degree, you’ll enjoy during it at Montana Tech.

Be Ready for a Career in Petroleum Engineering

Through this rigorous petroleum engineering degree, you’ll not only gain the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. You’ll also develop communication, interpersonal, and project management skills employers seek. From Montana Tech’s engaged petroleum engineering faculty to Career Services, you’ll have the resources, support, and connections you need to land coveted internships and jobs and receive a top petroleum engineering salary.

Among the Nation’s Best Programs

If you're interested in exploring for oil and natural gas, consider a major in petroleum engineering. You’ll develop an in-depth understanding of natural resource recovery, the economics of the industry, and respect for the environment.

You’ll also gain hands-on practice through five high-tech labs on campus and in field experiences across the state and beyond. And, with a degree from Montana Tech, you’ll be in demand whether you enter the marketplace or pursue a graduate degree.

Montana Tech is ranked #1 among the best engineering schools in the nation by Best Value Schools, and we also boast a strong career outcome rate. We’re also 1 of only 20 universities in the United States to offer this degree. There is no better location than Montana Tech to earn your petroleum engineering bachelor’s degree because of our field-based coursework that gives you hands-on experience perfect for a career in petroleum engineering.

Network Outside the Classroom

Join clubs and make personal and professional connections. The Society of Petroleum Engineers student Chapter offers many resources and opportunities for students to expand their knowledge and enhance their skills. The American Association of Drilling Engineers Student Chapter provides a forum for the dissemination of practical drilling technology to those employed or interested in the drilling industry.

What is Petroleum Engineering?

A large part of a petroleum engineer’s job is to find crude oil and natural gas for the country’s energy needs and design and develop methods for extracting them from below the Earth’s surface. In petroleum engineering, students develop an in-depth understanding of natural resource recovery, the economics of the industry, and respect for the environment.

At Montana Tech, petroleum engineering students learn drilling engineering, production engineering, and reservoir engineering, as well as receive hands-on lab and field experience in our unparalleled location in the Northern Rockies.

What Kinds of Jobs Do Petroleum Engineers Get?

Even in a challenging economy, petroleum engineers typically enjoy excellent opportunities in degree-related careers or graduate school. Job placement rates are historically high, and starting salaries and signing bonuses rank at the top of the engineering disciplines. Montana Tech petroleum engineering graduates go on to work in the petroleum (reservoir, production, and drilling) industry as well as geothermal, groundwater, environmental, government and other industries.

Explore Classes for the Petroleum Engineering Degree

With a petroleum engineering degree from Montana Tech, you’ll gain hands-on practice through five high-tech labs on campus and in-field experiences across the state and beyond. And, with a degree from Montana Tech, you’ll be in demand whether you enter the marketplace or pursue a graduate degree. You can earn your Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Petroleum Engineering, with specializations available in Reservoir Engineering, Drilling Engineering, and Production Engineering.

Reservoir Engineering is the study of the physical properties of oil and gas reservoirs. Students learn to estimate reserves, perform economic evaluations, conduct reservoir simulation studies using computer modeling, and recover maximum resources with economic constraints.

If you specialize in Production Engineering you’ll become skilled in the production and field processing of oil and gas, and learn to design efficient and cost-effective procedures for lifting oil and gas from underground reservoirs.

If you choose to specialize in Drilling Engineering, you’ll develop expertise in designing environmentally sound oil and gas drilling operations. Graduates prepare for challenges such as, gas kicks, corrosion, and offshore drilling.