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Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Petroleum Engineer

Sacramento, CA · On-site +1

$74K - $134K/yr

Providing petroleum engineering expertise to carry out difficult and conventional assignments ... Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading ...

Petroleum engineering interns are assigned to production and reservoir engineering positions and ... a full time new graduate position, Chevron offers competitive pay and benefits to eligible ...

Petroleum engineering interns are assigned to production and reservoir engineering positions and ... a full time new graduate position, Chevron offers competitive pay and benefits to eligible ...

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Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering information

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$40.5K

$73.5K

$121K

How much do entry level graduate petroleum engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 23, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level graduate petroleum engineering in the United States is $73,528.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $52,000.00 and $88,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

Is earning $70,000 out of college with an engineering degree good?

For an entry-level petroleum engineering graduate, a starting salary of $70,000 is generally considered competitive and above the national average. Petroleum engineers often earn higher salaries due to the specialized nature of the industry, and salaries can increase with experience, certifications, and geographic location.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

In the petroleum engineering field, senior-level professionals with extensive experience, specialized skills, and leadership roles can earn salaries approaching or exceeding $500,000 annually, especially in high-cost-of-living regions or with bonuses and profit-sharing. Entry-level petroleum engineers typically earn significantly less, with salaries increasing with experience, advanced certifications, and managerial responsibilities.

What does an entry level graduate petroleum engineer do?

An entry level graduate petroleum engineer assists in the exploration, extraction, and production of oil and gas resources. They typically work under the supervision of senior engineers, helping with data analysis, field operations, and the design of drilling and production techniques. Their responsibilities may include monitoring drilling sites, analyzing geological data, and ensuring safety and environmental standards are met. This role provides practical experience and foundational knowledge for a career in the petroleum industry. Over time, entry level engineers gain skills that prepare them for more advanced technical and project management roles.

What are some common challenges faced by entry-level graduate petroleum engineers during their first year on the job?

Entry-level graduate petroleum engineers often encounter challenges such as adapting to fieldwork conditions, understanding complex drilling or production operations, and learning to use specialized industry software. Balancing field assignments with office-based analytical work and integrating feedback from experienced engineers can also be demanding. However, most companies provide structured training, mentorship, and clear guidance to help new engineers transition smoothly and build confidence in their technical and teamwork skills.

What is the difference between Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering vs Entry Level Reservoir Engineer?

AspectEntry Level Graduate Petroleum EngineeringEntry Level Reservoir Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Petroleum Engineering or related fieldBachelor's in Petroleum Engineering, Reservoir Engineering, or Geosciences
Work EnvironmentOil and gas exploration, drilling sites, office settingsReservoir analysis, simulation labs, field data interpretation
Employer & Industry UsageOil companies, service firms, energy sectorOil companies, consulting firms, energy industry
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering focuses on overall petroleum extraction processes, while Entry Level Reservoir Engineer specializes in subsurface reservoir analysis and management. Both roles require similar educational backgrounds and are integral to the oil and gas industry, but they differ in specific responsibilities and work environments.

What is the entry level salary for a Petroleum Engineer?

The entry-level salary for a petroleum engineer typically ranges from $70,000 to $90,000 annually, depending on location, company, and educational background. Entry-level positions often require knowledge of industry software and safety protocols, with opportunities for salary growth with experience and additional certifications.

What can you do with a degree in petroleum engineering?

A degree in petroleum engineering prepares individuals for roles such as reservoir engineer, drilling engineer, production engineer, or completions engineer in the oil and gas industry. Graduates typically work in exploration, extraction, and production operations, utilizing skills in geology, fluid mechanics, and industry-specific software. Certifications like Professional Engineer (PE) can enhance career prospects, and work often involves fieldwork and adherence to safety standards.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineer, a solid background in petroleum engineering or a related field, along with analytical and problem-solving skills, is essential. Familiarity with industry-standard software such as Petrel, Eclipse, or MATLAB, as well as basic knowledge of drilling, production, and reservoir engineering techniques, is often required. Strong communication, teamwork, and adaptability help graduates integrate into multidisciplinary teams and adjust to the field's dynamic environments. These skills and qualifications are crucial for effectively contributing to projects, ensuring operational efficiency, and supporting safe and innovative energy solutions.
More about Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering jobs
What cities are hiring for Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering jobs? Cities with the most Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Graduate Petroleum Engineering jobs? The most popular types of Graduate Petroleum Engineering jobs are:
What states have the most Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering jobs? States with the most job openings for Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering jobs include:
Infographic showing various Entry Level Graduate Petroleum Engineering job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $73,528 per year, or $35.4 per hour.
Petroleum Engineer

$74K/yr

Other

Posted 16 days ago


U.S. Department Of The Interior rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 14 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

328th of 700 rated public administrative organizations


Job description

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource.This position is located in the following locations:
  • Vernal, UT $86,123 - $134,195 Special Rate
  • Miles City, MT $74,678 - $116,362
  • Buffalo, WY $74,678 - $116,362
  • Flowood, MS $74,678 - $116,362
  • Canon City, CO $76,650 - $119,434
  • Sacramento, CA $82,780 - $128,987
We will fill 1 vacancy at each location; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.Qualifications:In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.
You must meet one of the following Basic Requirements in order to be eligible for this position; please see the Education section for the Basic Requirements
AND
To qualify for the GS-11: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: Providing petroleum engineering expertise to carry out difficult and conventional assignments; unconventional applications including those covering unprecedented, complex and/or novel proposals needing senior engineering assistance; investigating and analyzing reservoir management problems and drainage areas and volumes providing professional petroleum engineering and regulatory review and making recommendations for approval of conventional oil and gas applications and inspecting oil and gas activities for conformance with standards and compliance.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above.
To qualify for the GS-12: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience may include all of the following: performing technical review and making recommendations for approval of all down-hole operations and reviewing applications for permits to drill (APDs) for completeness and adequacy; reviewing downhole pressures, casing and cementing plans, blow out prevention equipment, geology and other procedures to protect people, minerals, and aquifers; coordinating with other specialists; providing on-the-spot instructions and authorizations for final plugging and abandonment of wells; providing technical expertise and support to junior Petroleum Engineers, Petroleum Engineering Technicians, and/or Petroleum Accounting Technicians concerning oil and gas inspection and enforcement issues; conducting both engineering and economic analyses to determine viability of proposals/variances and their respective short and long term benefits; reviewing well data, leases, well spacing, unit agreements for various compliance issues, and maintaining relative spreadsheets; providing various technical reports to management for higher level meetings; providing expertise to management regarding complex technical issues.
There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Time In Grade Requirement: Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level.
Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. Occasionally, the petroleum engineer conducts field work which requires travel over rough roads, hiking or climbing in rough terrain, and carrying field equipment.
Work Environment: Most work is performed in a typical office environment. Occasional field work will require exposure to a range of climatic conditions from subzero to over 100 degrees temperatures, rain and snow; exposure to poisonous gasses, and other similar dangerous conditions.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: CTAP or ICTAPEducation:You must meet one of the following Basic Requirements in order to be eligible for this position;
Petroleum Engineer- 0881 Series Basic Requirements:

1. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
OR
2.Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:
  1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
  2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
  3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
  4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)
TRANSCRIPTS: You must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).Employment Type: OTHER

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