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Petroleum Engineer Intern Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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Petroleum Engineer Intern information

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$11

$19

$29

How much do petroleum engineer intern jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 15, 2026, the average hourly pay for petroleum engineer intern in the United States is $19.31, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.11 and $20.91 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Petroleum Engineer Intern position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Petroleum Engineer Intern, you need a foundational understanding of engineering principles, geology, and fluid mechanics, typically gained through coursework in petroleum or chemical engineering. Familiarity with industry-standard software such as Petrel, MATLAB, or AutoCAD, and knowledge of safety and environmental regulations are highly beneficial. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, effective communication, and a willingness to learn set outstanding candidates apart. These skills and qualities are crucial for accurately supporting engineering projects, ensuring safety, and communicating findings within multidisciplinary teams.

What oil field company accepts interns?

Many major oil and gas companies, such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, and ConocoPhillips, offer internship programs for petroleum engineer interns. These programs typically provide hands-on experience, mentorship, and opportunities to work on real projects in exploration, drilling, and production environments.

Can you intern on an oil rig?

Petroleum Engineer Interns can sometimes work on oil rigs, especially during summer or specialized internship programs, but such opportunities are limited and highly competitive. Interns working on rigs typically need relevant safety training, certifications, and a strong understanding of offshore operations and safety protocols. Most internships are based on land facilities, but offshore internships are available through certain companies and programs.

How much do petroleum engineer interns make?

Petroleum engineer interns typically earn between $15 and $25 per hour, depending on location, company, and level of education. Internships often last for a few months during summer or academic breaks and may include additional benefits such as mentorship and industry exposure.

What is a Petroleum Engineer Intern job?

A Petroleum Engineer Intern assists engineers in designing and optimizing oil and gas extraction processes. Interns may analyze reservoir data, support drilling operations, or work on production techniques to improve efficiency. They often collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, gaining hands-on experience with industry software and field operations. This role helps develop technical skills and industry knowledge, preparing interns for future engineering positions.

What types of projects or responsibilities can I expect as a Petroleum Engineer Intern?

As a Petroleum Engineer Intern, you’ll typically assist with tasks such as analyzing production data, conducting reservoir simulations, supporting field operations, and preparing technical reports. You may work closely with experienced engineers, geologists, and field personnel to contribute to both office-based and on-site projects. Interns often get exposure to both the technical and practical sides of oil and gas extraction, allowing them to develop a well-rounded skill set. This hands-on experience is valuable for building your resume and understanding the day-to-day challenges and rewards of a career in petroleum engineering.

Are petroleum engineers still in demand?

Petroleum engineers are still in demand in the oil and gas industry, especially for roles involving reservoir management, drilling, and production optimization. However, demand can fluctuate with changes in energy markets, technological advancements, and shifts toward renewable energy sources.
More about Petroleum Engineer Intern jobs
What cities are hiring for Petroleum Engineer Intern jobs? Cities with the most Petroleum Engineer Intern job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Petroleum Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Petroleum Engineer jobs are:
What states have the most Petroleum Engineer Intern jobs? States with the most job openings for Petroleum Engineer Intern jobs include:
Infographic showing various Petroleum Engineer Intern job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 25% Internship, 50% Full Time, and 25% Part Time. Highlights an 50% In-person, and 50% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $40,174 per year, or $19.3 per hour.
Petroleum Engineer

$46K/yr

Other

Posted 26 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

300th of 649 rated public administrative organizations


Job description

The Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) works to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources offshore through vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement. For information about our bureau go to: http://www.bsee.gov/Qualifications:Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND/OR (2) Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.
To be eligible for this position, you must meet either A or B below for the series to which you are applying.
Petroleum Engineering Series, 0881:
Individual Occupational Requirements
(1) Basic Educational Requirements:

A. 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
B. 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) 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.) Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.
-AND-
(2) Specialized Experience In order to qualify for this position, you must meet either A, B, or C for the grade to which you are applying.
GS-05 Minimum Qualifications:To qualify for the GS-05, all applicants who meet the basic education requirements described in the individual occupational requirements are fully qualified for the GS-5 grade level.
GS-7
A. Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-07, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
1) Assisting with routine engineering assignments; AND
2) Assisting in the maintenance of computer programs and databases utilized in engineering evaluations; AND
3) Assisting with the compilation, analysis, and interpretation of basic engineering data.
Must Meet ALL
-OR
B. Education: You may substitute education (education that is directly related) for experience at the GS-07 level if you have achieved: one year of progressively higher-level graduate level education; Superior Academic Achievement at the baccalaureate level in an engineering program (For more info: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualificationpolicies/#url=e4f); or successful completion of a 5-year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering.
-OR
C. Qualifying combination of Education and Experience: Appropriate Combinations of Graduate Education and Professional Experience that totals 100% of the requirement for the GS-7 grade level.- A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience that totals 100% of the requirement for the GS-07.
-OR--
Applicants with an engineering Bachelor's degree who have appropriate experience as a technician equivalent to grade GS-5 may have such experience credited for grade GS-7 only on a month-for-month basis up to a maximum of 12 months.
A. GS-9 Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-09, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
1) Reviewing and analyzing inspection reports and statistical data for trends in order to identify safety issues that may need closer study; AND
2) Reviewing new applications and modifications to surface and subsea well permits for correctness and adequacy of data submitted.
Must Meet ALL
-OR
B. Education: You may substitute graduate education for experience if you have achieved: a combination of superior academic achievement and 1 year of appropriate professional experience that is related to the position; 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree; or a master's or equivalent graduate degree.
-OR
C. Qualifying combination of Education and Experience: A combination of successfully completed graduate level education (only successfully completed graduate level education beyond the first year is creditable towards meeting this requirement), and specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level that totals 100% of the requirement for this grade level; or combination of superior academic achievement and 1 year of appropriate Professional Experience.
Education:Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.
Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.Employment Type: OTHER

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