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Natural gas engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a natural gas engineer. Natural gas engineers usually study mechanical engineering, civil engineering, or petroleum engineering. 86% of natural gas engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 65 real natural gas engineer resumes to see exactly what natural gas engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for natural gas engineers are the New Mexico State University and the New Mexico State University.

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

What education do you need to become a natural gas engineer?

What degree do you need to be a natural gas engineer?

The most common degree for natural gas engineers is bachelor's degree, with 86% of natural gas engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 2%.
  • Bachelor's, 86%
  • Master's, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a natural gas engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become a natural gas engineer. 24% of natural gas engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for a natural gas engineer include civil engineering and petroleum engineering.

Most common colleges for natural gas engineers

Natural gas engineers often get their degrees at New Mexico State University, Michigan Technological University, and Widener University. Here are the most common colleges for natural gas engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Natural gas engineer common collegePercentages
New Mexico State University8.00%
Michigan Technological University8.00%
Widener University8.00%
Missouri University of Science and Technology8.00%
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology8.00%

Best majors for natural gas engineers

Best colleges for natural gas engineers

The best colleges for natural gas engineers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A natural gas 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 natural gas 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 natural gas engineers.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

5. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for natural gas engineers

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1. Natural Gas

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17. Internal Combustion Engine Basics (Mechanical Engineering)

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19. Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Course [2019 Update]

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Top 10 most affordable universities for natural gas engineers

The most affordable schools for natural gas engineers are University of Florida, new mexico institute of mining and technology, and florida state university.

If the best universities for natural gas 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 natural gas engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. 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

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for natural gas engineers

The hardest universities for natural gas engineers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for natural gas 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 natural gas 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

6. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,566

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,545

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for natural gas engineers

The easiest schools for natural gas engineers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, oregon institute of technology, and cleveland state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a natural gas 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 natural gas engineers.

1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

2. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

3. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

4. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

5. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

7. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

8. University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,202

9. Montana Technological University

Butte, MT • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,199

10. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

Average natural gas engineer salary by education level

According to our data, natural gas engineers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $102,147 annually. Natural gas engineers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $91,116.
Natural gas engineer education levelNatural gas engineer salary
Master's Degree$91,116
Bachelor's Degree$79,803
Doctorate Degree$102,147

Natural gas 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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