Petroleum and natural gas engineers solve crucial problems related to one of the most important resources for society today: energy. This engineering discipline is concerned with designing, implementing, and managing solutions for subsurface energy production and storage.
What is Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering?
Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering is a field related to extracting hydrocarbon resources (either crude oil or natural gas) from subsurface reservoirs. Petroleum and natural gas engineers predominantly work in the upstream sector of the oil and energy industries, which comprises exploration, field development, well drilling, production and injection well optimization, and wastewater disposal and CO2 sequestration well planning. Once oil and gas are discovered, petroleum engineers determine optimum drilling and completion methods, monitor and manage production operations, and design reservoir development strategies. They are responsible for providing engineering solutions with global economic, environmental, geopolitical, and societal impacts. Petroleum and natural gas engineers work closely with geoscientists and other science and technology specialists. In addition to hydrocarbon extraction, they are also well-suited to solve complex problems in geothermal energy, geological carbon sequestration, hydrogen storage, wastewater disposal, and environmental remediation of soil, groundwater, and other geologic media.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You enjoy combining disciplines such as geology, physics, and math to solve complex problems of relevance to society.
- You want to use science and engineering principles to assist the challenge of global energy demands.
- You seek a profession that offers national and international networking opportunities.
- You want to work in the field, performing sophisticated computer simulations, or interpreting reservoir and production data
ABET Accreditation
The Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at University Park is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Petroleum and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.
Facts and Rankings
- #3 graduate petroleum engineering program in the U.S. based on 2024 U.S. News and World Report
- #4 undergraduate petroleum engineering program in the U.S. based on 2025 U.S. News and World Report
- over 90% job placement right after graduation in 2024
- $100.6K median starting salary based on 2020 U.S. News and World Report
Welcome to PNGE
We are committed to training tomorrow’s petroleum and natural gas engineers to play an active role in the global energy scenario. These are exciting times to generate innovative engineering solutions that can assist the dual challenge of delivering reliable, low-cost energy with lower carbon emissions. We welcome students to join our program and learn the technical and engineering skills necessary for the sustainable production of subsurface energy resources and the geo-storage of carbon dioxide and hydrogen.