B. Tech Petroleum Engineering is an interesting field of engineering offering various specialization courses that deal with the production of hydrocarbons, which can either be natural gas or crude oil. The technical field of petroleum engineering requires having a detailed understanding of the physical properties of oil, gas, and water along with the process of oil exploration and processing of crude oils. 

Top Institutes offering this course are:

• IIT, Dhanbad
• VELS University, Chennai
• LPU, Jalandhar
• The Neotia College, Kolkata
• Chandigarh University

Generally, petroleum engineering overlaps with other major engineering courses, such as mechanical, chemical and civil. The course covers a wide spectrum of diverse topics including, but not limited to, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Economics, Thermodynamics, and others.

B.Tech Petroleum engineering requires a minimum 10+2 basic qualification in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry stream with a high percentage of marks. One can also pursue M.Tech in petroleum engineering after the successful completion of B.Tech and can also opt for research-based studies after post- graduation. Some universities also offer an integrated five-year course where one can earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree.

The demand for petroleum engineers, both at public sector as well as private sector, is quite high all world over due to the high need for hydrocarbons as a fuel source. Petroleum engineers get a wonderful chance to work for some of the biggest companies namely Reliance Industries Ltd., ONGC, Schlumberger, Shell, OIL, Gas Authority of India Ltd., British Gas, Halliburton Services, Essar Oil, etc.

B. Tech Petroleum Engineering: Course Highlights 

B. Tech Petroleum Engineering: What is it about?

Petroleum engineering is one of the highest paid engineering courses. This discipline of engineering involves designing and developing methods to extract oil and gas deposits below the earth’s surface. Basically, a petroleum engineer, during the course, learns the innovative process of extraction such as mining, drilling, etc.  In simple words, a petroleum engineer is recruited by oil or gas companies to implement the efficient methodology for extracting petroleum products from the earth and seafloor.

There are two major specializations under the discipline of petroleum engineering:

• Petroleum Upstream Engineering – This is a preliminary field concentrating on fundamentals of exploration and production of oil and gas.
• Petroleum Downstream Engineering – This other type of specialization deals with the practical aspects of processing techniques of petroleum refinery and natural gas, including the production phase, cost estimating and budgeting.

Other than these 2 major specializations, there are three sub-branches of petroleum engineering:

• Reservoir Engineering involves the assessment of oil and gas deposits, preferably focusing on the estimation part of the reservoirs. It includes surveillance engineers, production engineers, simulation engineers and geothermal engineers
• Drilling Engineering deals with the process of drilling the well to extract gas or oil considering the cost factor and environment safety. Drilling engineers either work in an office or on offshore sites.
• Production Engineering is the designing and selecting of the equipment to be used for the extraction purpose of oil and gas.

Why should one opt for B. Tech Petroleum Engineering course?

The rapid increase in demand for oil all over the world and scarcity of the oil wells especially in developing countries has led to the surge pricing of oil. High oil prices mean an increase in exploration and production of oil, hence, a greater demand for experienced petroleum engineers. The advantages of this course are given below:-

• Travel

Travelling is one of the perks for the petroleum engineers, since they have to be on site or offshore for either drilling or mining process. They get to explore the remote locations in India and abroad.

• Engaging Work

Even though petroleum engineers have a challenging job, the work involves high intellect and skills to pan out an ideal plan for the extraction process and dealing with numbers. One has to work in laboratories with advanced equipment most of the times to extract best results.

• Excellent Pay

Petroleum engineers enjoy great benefits with excellent pay and an above average package than a basic engineer. Typically, the starting salary for a petroleum engineer lies within the range of 25,000 INR to 40,000 INR on a monthly basis. The package increases with years of experience and education. Along with that, they are rewarded with paid time off, numerous retirement plans, great health insurance packages since they work at mines and dangerous sites.

B. Tech Petroleum Engineering: Top Institutes

There are many institutes that offer petroleum engineering course. The list of top institutes offering B. Tech in petroleum engineering in India is given below in the table: -

B. Tech Petroleum Engineering: Eligibility 

In order to take admission in B. Tech Petroleum Engineering, students need to secure minimum of 60 percent marks at Higher and Secondary level (10^th & 12^th) from a recognized educational board (CBSE or State board) plus minimum 60% in aggregate (55% for SC/ST) in Science stream with Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics as core subjects at Senior Secondary level (12^th).

B. Tech Petroleum Engineering: Admission Process

To pursue petroleum engineering in any of the prestigious colleges, interested candidates have to appear for the entrance tests accordingly. Students have to clear either of the below mentioned mandatory entrance exams, depending on the university/college.

• Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main – a two tier examination (Main & Advanced). Students can get admission in some engineering institutes through JEE Main exam while IITs only consider the ranking based on JEE Advanced exam. Online application process begins around December first week and last date of online submission of applications is by January second or third week.
• UPESEAT Entrance Exam – University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun conducts its own aptitude based entrance examination for admission into B.Tech programs. Last date for the submission of online applications is in first week of May. Exam is also conducted in May. For Board Merit based selection, minimum 80% marks is compulsory at Higher & Senior Secondary level (10th & 12th) and minimum 80% aggregate in Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics at Senior Secondary level (12th class)

B.Tech Petroleum Engineering: Syllabus and Course Description

During the first year of the course, generally, a student will have to study the common engineering subjects and subjects mainly focusing on petroleum engineering (petroleum, oil, and natural gas) are introduced by the beginning of the second year with additional lab work and workshop session. Besides that, the course includes industrial visits and project work in the last semester.

Books for B.Tech. Petroleum Engineering

Below are some of the introductory books for B.Tech.Petroleum Engineering course:

• The Petroleum Engineering Handbook: Sustainable Operations by M. Ibrahim Khan, M. Rafiqul Islam
• Petroleum Production Engineering, A Computer-Assisted Approach 1st Edition by Boyun Guo
• Fundamentals of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering by Uttam Ray Chaudhuri
• Applied Petroleum Reservoir Engineering by Ronald Terry, J. Rogers
• Petroleum Engineering Handbook for the Practicing Engineer, Vol. 2 by M.A. Mian
• Petroleum Reservoir Engineering Practice by Nnaemeka Ezekwe
• Introduction to Petroleum Production by D.R. Skinner
• Principles of Petroleum Reservoir Engineering by Chierici, Gian.L.
• Fundamentals of Petroleum Refining by M.A. Fahim, TA. Al-Sahhaf, A.S. Elkilani

B.Tech Petroleum Engineering: Career Prospects

B. Tech Petroleum Engineering offers numerous career options for those who are interested in studying the extraction process of oil and gas and possess analytical and conceptualization skills. One of the main opportunities for a petroleum engineer lies in working in a recognized refinery. Some of the top-notch private refineries are Reliance Refinery (Jamnagar), Essar (Jamnagar), Cochin Refinery etc. and public government enterprises such as ONGC and OIL.

Some of the jobs after the successful completion of the B. Tech Petroleum Engineering degree are:

• Petroleum Engineer
• Production Engineer
• Reservoir Engineer
• PNG, CNG Operation & Distribution Engineer
• Pipeline Transportation Engineer
• Natural Gas Modeling & Simulation Engineer
• Refinery Manager
• Chemists and Materials Scientists
• Industrial Engineers
• Geoscientists

High oil prices will always be a determining factor for job opportunities in this sector. There are always vacancies in Gulf regions with oil companies looking for a skilled petroleum engineer. Salary is also very attractive in the petroleum sector jobs. The more experience, the better salary.

Top Recruiters in India

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL)
• Hindustan Oil Exploration Company Ltd (HOEC)
• Essar Oil
• Gujarat Gas Co Ltd (GGCL)
• GAIL (India) Ltd
• Petronet LNG Ltd
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)

Remuneration and Pay scale

Petroleum engineers are among the highest paid engineers across the various technical courses. The average salary for a petroleum engineer is Rs 825,414 per year, according to Pay scale estimates. Experience and knowledge strongly influences income for this job. Remuneration offered in this particular field is very high in abroad. In United States, average salary is $104000 annually for a petroleum engineer.

Entry Level Remuneration after B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering