Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between petroleum engineers and project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a petroleum engineer, becoming a project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a petroleum engineer has an average salary of $99,505, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for a petroleum engineer include reservoir engineering, eclipse and production engineering. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Petroleum Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,505 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $47.84 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 15,188 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
A petroleum engineer is responsible for developing safe and efficient extracting procedures of drilling oil and gas from the underground surface. Petroleum engineers inspect the safety and stability of tools and equipment before and after every operation, conducting preventive maintenance with the machinery for its optimal performance. They also evaluate the specifications and measurements of the location by studying blueprints and analyzing statistical surveys. A petroleum engineer must have excellent analytical and organizational skills, especially when implementing drilling operations and resolving inconsistencies and equipment failures.
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Petroleum engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Petroleum Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,505 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Berry Petroleum Company | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a petroleum engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Petroleum Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Petroleum Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between petroleum engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Petroleum Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |