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Chief petroleum engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a chief petroleum engineer. Chief petroleum engineers usually study business, petroleum engineering, or management. 44% of chief petroleum engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 17 real chief petroleum engineer resumes to see exactly what chief petroleum engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for chief petroleum engineers are the Texas A&M; University - Central Texas and the Texas A&M; University - Central Texas.

There are also many online chief petroleum engineer courses to help get the education required to be a chief petroleum engineer.

What education do you need to become a chief petroleum engineer?

What degree do you need to be a chief petroleum engineer?

The most common degree for chief petroleum engineers is bachelor's degree, with 44% of chief petroleum engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 22% and master's degree degree at 22%.
  • Bachelor's, 44%
  • Master's, 22%
  • Associate, 22%
  • Doctorate, 11%

What should I major in to become a chief petroleum engineer?

You should major in business to become a chief petroleum engineer. 36% of chief petroleum engineers major in business. Other common majors for a chief petroleum engineer include petroleum engineering and management.

Most common colleges for chief petroleum engineers

Chief petroleum engineers often get their degrees at Texas A&M; University - Central Texas, Tarleton State University, and Norwich University. Here are the most common colleges for chief petroleum engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Chief petroleum engineer common collegePercentages
Texas A&M University - Central Texas20.00%
Tarleton State University20.00%
Norwich University20.00%
University of New Haven20.00%
Saint Leo University20.00%

Best majors for chief petroleum engineers

Best colleges for chief petroleum engineers

The best colleges for chief petroleum engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A chief petroleum engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for chief petroleum engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become chief petroleum engineers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for chief petroleum engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for chief petroleum engineers

The most affordable schools for chief petroleum engineers are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for chief petroleum engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for chief petroleum engineers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for chief petroleum engineers

The hardest universities for chief petroleum engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for chief petroleum engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for chief petroleum engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for chief petroleum engineers

The easiest schools for chief petroleum engineers to get into are Wayland Baptist University, the university of texas permian basin, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a chief petroleum engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for chief petroleum engineers.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

7. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average chief petroleum engineer salary by education level

According to our data, chief petroleum engineers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $82,702 annually. Chief petroleum engineers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $73,972.
Chief petroleum engineer education levelChief petroleum engineer salary
Master's Degree$73,972
Bachelor's Degree$64,992
Doctorate Degree$82,702

Chief petroleum engineer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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