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Oil well engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an oil well engineer. Oil well engineers usually study petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering, or chemical engineering. 82% of oil well engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 78 real oil well engineer resumes to see exactly what oil well engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for oil well engineers are the Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University.
There are also many online oil well engineer courses to help get the education required to be an oil well engineer.
What education do you need to become an oil well engineer?
What degree do you need to be an oil well engineer?
- Bachelor's, 82%
- Master's, 12%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become an oil well engineer?
- Chemical Engineering, 14%
- Other Majors, 28%
Most common colleges for oil well engineers
| Oil well engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Texas Tech University | 16.67% |
| University of Houston | 10.00% |
| Colorado School of Mines | 6.67% |
| Oklahoma State University | 6.67% |
| Texas A&M University | 6.67% |
Best majors for oil well engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Engineering | 28.8% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 22.7% |
| 3 | Chemical Engineering | 13.6% |
| 4 | Electrical Engineering | 6.1% |
| 5 | Geology | 4.5% |
Best colleges for oil well engineers
The best colleges for oil well engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.
An oil well 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 oil well 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 oil well engineers.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
4. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
20 best online courses for oil well engineers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for oil well engineers
The most affordable schools for oil well engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and new mexico institute of mining and technology.
If the best universities for oil well 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 oil well engineers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
4. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. 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
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for oil well engineers
The hardest universities for oil well engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for oil well 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 oil well 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
7. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for oil well engineers
The easiest schools for oil well engineers to get into are The University of Texas Permian Basin, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an oil well 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 oil well engineers.
1. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
6. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
7. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
10. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
Average oil well engineer salary by education level
| Oil well engineer education level | Oil well engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $99,090 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $81,491 |
| Doctorate Degree | $117,282 |
Oil well engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025