B.Tech petroleum engineering is not a very common stream of engineering, however, over the past few years, the number of applicants and aspirants of petroleum engineering has increased. One of the main reasons is because of the attractive salary package that comes with the job and also the interesting nature of the course.
When compared to other B.Tech courses, the petroleum engineering course is a bit different, this is a specialized course that makes a candidate well-suited to work in the petroleum industry and draw a better salary. The course is designed to offer maximum knowledge of most of the types, methods, and processes related to petroleum.
In recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in the technology and systems used in the petroleum field, which, in turn, increases the demand for B.Tech petroleum engineering graduates. While like most other courses, the eligibility criteria for joining a B.Tech petroleum course is as same as that of most of the other courses. However, the syllabus and admission process might differ.
What is B.Tech Petroleum Engineering?
B.Tech petroleum engineering is a course designed in such a way that it offers all the knowledge a person needs to know about crude oil extraction, production, and processing. In simple words, the course covers subjects and topics that familiarize the student with exploration, extraction, transportation of crude oil. Then, it offers the knowledge of skills to process and mass-produce petroleum products from crude oil in the best efficient way.
One of the best things about this course is that apart from exploring, extracting, and producing petrol, it also offers skills to extract other useful petroleum products, like gas, tar, etc. In general, all these processes are done using sophisticated machines and devices, the course covers details on such machines and how to use if efficiently to extract, process, and product petrol and related products.
Apart from all the details mentioned above, a B.tech petroleum engineering graduate could peruse the research and development field, which offers a comparatively very big salary package. However, for research and development, the candidate should graduate a Ph.D. level petroleum course.
B.Tech petroleum engineering course: Eligibility
B.Tech petroleum engineering is like most of the other B.Tech courses, it does not have any special eligibility criteria. However, you must know the eligibility criteria for joining B.Tech petroleum engineering course.
- The applicant should have a minimum age of 17-years
- The applicant or candidate should have completed 10+2 class from any Indian government recognized school board.
- The applicant should have studied in the 10+2 science stream and should have studied mathematics, physics, and chemistry subjects compulsorily.
- He/she should have secured at least 55% aggregate marks in physics, chemistry, and mathematics.
- If the applicant is a diploma graduate, then he/she is eligible to join the 2nd-year B.Tech petroleum engineering course.
B.Tech petroleum engineering course: Admission process
Admission into B.Tech petroleum engineering is an easy process. This 4-year B.Tech course admits candidates based eligibility criteria as mentioned above, this has been the case for a very long time. Apart from these criteria, the admission process is commonly done based on entrance merit basis or 10+2 class mark basis.
If the candidate wants to acquire a seat through an entrance merit-based system, he/she has to attend a state or national level entrance test conducted by the government or authorized university or college. Unlike other courses, B.Tech petroleum courses are not available in all colleges or university, but selected institutions only. The admission process in each institute could differ based on the institute or the university.
B.Tech petroleum engineering course: Duration
B.Tech petroleum engineering course is an undergraduate course that has a maximum course duration of 4-years. The 4-year course duration is divided into 8 different semesters, which covers different semesters each year.
B.Tech petroleum engineering course: Syllabus
As already mentioned, B.Tech petroleum engineering is a 4-year undergraduate course that is split into 8 different semesters. Each semester covers different subjects and offers extensive knowledge for the students. However, the subject taught or followed by each college or university could be different. But, some common subjects could be taught, here is everything subject.
1st year
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
| English 1 | English 2 |
| Engineering mechanics | Mathematics 3 |
| Engineering chemistry | Virtual lab |
| Mathematics 1 | Mathematical methods |
| Environmental studies | Engineering or applied physics lab |
| Engineering or applied chemistry laboratory | Engineering physics |
| Computer programming | Engineering drawing |
| English communication lab | English communication skills lab |
| Computer programming lab | Elements of mechanical engineering |
2nd year
| Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
| General geology | Petroleum geology |
| Basic engineering lab (mech + electric) | Probability and statistics |
| Geology and surveying lab | Process heat transfer lab |
| Complex variables | Petroleum exploration |
| Basic electrical and electronics engineering | Momentum transfer lab |
| Surveying and offshore structures | Momentum transfer |
| Chemical process calculations | Thermodynamics for petroleum engineers |
| Materials science and engineering | Process heat transfer |
3rd year
| Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
| Drilling technology | Petroleum production engineering |
| Mathematical methods lab | Petroleum reservoir engineering 1 |
| Drilling fluids lab | Drilling simulation lab |
| Industrial visit | Petroleum analysis lab |
| Well logging and formation evaluation | Petroleum reservoir engineering lab |
| Process instrumentation | Well completions, testing, and servicing |
| Instrumentation, process dynamics, and control lab | Fundamentals of liquified natural gas |
| Process dynamics and control | Petroleum refinery and petrochemical engineering |
| Management science |
4th year
| Semester 7 | Semester 8 |
| Coal bed methane engineering | Subsea engineering |
| Integrated asset management | Shale gas reservoir engineering |
| Pipeline engineering | EOR Techniques |
| Surface production operation | Reservoir modelling and simulation |
| Petroleum equipment design and simulation lab | HSE and FE in the petroleum industry |
| Petroleum reservoir simulation lab | Petroleum economics, policies, and regulations |
| Oil and gas processing plant design | |
| Petroleum reservoir engineering 2 |
B.Tech petroleum engineering course: Fees
An aspirant who is interested in joining B.Tech petroleum engineering courses must know that, the course fee could vary based on the college or university. Most commonly, as the reputation and demand for seat increases, the fees also increase. On average, the course fee for B.Tech petroleum engineering could be between 4 to 7 lakh per year.
B.Tech petroleum engineering course: Career
A B.Tech petroleum engineering graduate could get any one of the jobs listed below.
- Engineer trainee in government or private crude or petroleum company
- Petroleum engineer in a private petroleum company
- Research associate who has a job role to research and develop means and method to extract, process, and product petroleum products in an efficient manner.
- Production engineer – Has the job role to support and help in the production of petroleum products from crude oil
- Refinery manager – has the job role to keep track and control the day to day functioning of a refinery.
- Drilling engineer – has to facilitate smooth drilling or underwater crude oil or gas reservoir with ease.
- Geoscientists – has the task to locate a reservoir with maximum beneficial and high-quality crude oil that could be extracted economically.
- Pipeline transportation engineer – has to task to design and lay pipelines for uninterrupted transportation of petrol from a refinery or drilling site.
B.Tech petroleum engineering course: Salary
B.Tech petroleum engineering graduate could get a job in India or abroad, the demand for B.tech petroleum engineers have increased over the years and an experienced petroleum engineer could get a very high salary package.
Most commonly a fresher could receive a salary of around 3 to 6 lakhs per annum in India and twice abroad. An experienced petroleum engineer could receive around 6 to 15 lakhs per annum.
B.Tech petroleum engineering course: Top college or university
While there are more than 4500 colleges in India, not all colleges offer B.Tech petroleum engineering course. However, even if some of the colleges offer this course, it might not be recognized by the government of India or UGC. Here are some of the top colleges or universities that offer this course.
- Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad
College portal – https://www.iitism.ac.in/
- Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
College portal – http://www.iitb.ac.in/
- University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun
College portal – https://www.upes.ac.in/
- National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur
College portal – https://nith.ac.in/
- Malviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur
College portal – http://www.mnit.ac.in/
- Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
College portal – https://www.iitm.ac.in/
- Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar
College portal – https://www.pdpu.ac.in/
- National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra
College portal – https://www.nitkkr.ac.in/
- Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy, Vishakhapatnam
College portal – http://www.iipe.ac.in/
- Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
College portal – http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/
There could be more than 150+ colleges and universities that might offer B.Tech petroleum engineering course. However, it is very important to know that most of them might not be recognized by the Indian authority. Before joining any college, you must check in the UGC list and also engineering authority for affiliation.
Petroleum Engineering Course Frequently Asked Questions
- What are some of the main subjects that I will be able to learn as part of the Petroleum Engineering?
There will a lot that you will be able to learn in Petroleum engineering course like Drilling technology, Drilling fluids and cement, Humanities and social sciences, Geologies for Petroleum Engineering practical, Numerical and statistical methods and Mechanical Engineering. These are some of the most important subjects, but there is a lot more than this to learn as part of the course.
- What are the pre-requisites for getting admission in Petroleum Engineering course?
There are many different courses available in Engineering and Petroleum engineering is not something very common. You will have to complete your 10+2 standard from a good college in India with at least 55 percent marks. You should always make sure that you are choosing Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics as the main subjects. Your age should be at least 17 years for seeking admission in this course.
- Is it good to complete an internship program before getting a full-time job after Petroleum Engineering?
Yes, all those who are in their final semester or just completed their engineering course, should always try to complete a six-month internship program. This program will give you a better understanding of the job that you will have to perform in real-time.
- Is there any course available apart from bachelor’s degree in Petroleum engineering?
If you wish to get started with the technical education soon after you complete your higher secondary education, then you should prefer Diploma in Petroleum education. This will help you to get direct admission in second year of Petroleum Engineering course. For this you will have to clear an entrance exam which is conducted after the 10th standard.
- What is the job of a Petroleum Engineer?
Some of the major jobs of a petroleum engineer are to build and design different kinds of oil extraction mechanisms, quality management, all the machines related to oil extraction should be checked and maintained regularly, cost reduction in extraction and maintenance, conduct survey to the wells, and keep looking for new oil extraction points.
- What are the different posts that a Petroleum Engineer will be offered after completion of the course?
You will have to play different roles based on the requirement in the plant, but most of the common roles include Project manager, field operator, Program management expert, Process operator and petroleum service technician.
- What is the course duration and course fee for the Petroleum Engineering course?
The course of Petroleum Engineering is similar to that of any other engineering course. It is a course of four years and there will be total eight semesters in this course. The course fee for petroleum engineering course will depend on the college that you are selecting. On an average, the course fee is going to be somewhere between Rs 4,00,000 to Rs 7,00,000 depending on the reputation of the college that you are selecting. It is one of the rare courses and so the course fee is also high.
Graduating the B.Tech petroleum engineering course could get you a job in India and a more attractive job abroad especially in gulf countries where petroleum production is a key source of income. Graduate the course from a recognized university and enjoy a better job and pay.
Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.
