Petroleum Engineering

Experiential Major Menu

BS, Petroleum Engineering

WHERE PETROLEUM ENGINEERING STUDENTS GO

Students pursuits one-year post-graduation:

  • Employed: 64%
  • Further Education: 2%
  • International: 34%

Industries of employment for students one-year out:

  • Energy – Oil & Gas
  • Energy – Alternative/Renewable
  • Manufacturing

Job titles of our graduates one-year out:

  • Petroleum Engineer
  • Resevoir Engineer
  • Gas Resevoir Management
  • Foundation Engineer
  • Production Engineer
  • Application Evalutation Specialist
  • Field Engineer
  • Wells Engineer
  • Energy Analyst
  • Graduate Engineer

 

*Data from 2023 graduates

This menu is a tool for you to use to explore opportunities at Mines outside of the classroom. These are not requirements, but rather recommendations to help you leverage what Mines has to offer. Just like at a restaurant, choose what looks best to you and start from there! This menu can help you create your own pathway and customize your experience during your time at Mines.

The activities are placed in specific years below based off staff and faculty recommendations, but you can participate in most of them at any time. There is never a wrong time to get involved if you’re looking, and no pressure to do any of these things!

Get to know Petroleum Engineering

Petroleum Engineering is a much broader field than many realize. It involves the study of how to access and use natural resources such as oil, natural gas and geothermal. The main areas of emphasis include reservoirs, drilling, completions, production and data analytics.

The majority of Petroleum Engineering students have at least one industry internship before graduating, and most have several. We work closely with industry partners to give you many opportunities to be involved and aware of current topics of interest. This industry support is one of the reasons we had 100% positive placement for our 2022-2023 graduates, with an average starting salary of $83k.

 

Academic options in Petroleum Engineering

Explore the options below to see how to expand upon a Petroleum Engineering degree and what to expect from the course load.

Frequently Pursued Minors

Common 4+1 Programs

  • Petroleum Engineering
  • Petroleum+ Engineering and Technology Management

Academic Catalog

Get Involved

Attend Celebration of Mines in August to get to know campus organizations and academic departments, sample food, and play games. Below are some departments that offer many great opportunities to enhance your experience here at Mines.

My favorite time so far has been getting involved within the department. From SPE, AADE, PET, and volunteering my time, it has been a great experience. The exposure I have received from hosting events, traveling to conferences, and building networks within the industry has been directly related to the support that the PE department has given me.

Josh Bock, PE '23

Contact Us:

1600 Arapahoe St., Golden, CO 80401      petroleum@mines.edu         303-273-3740        https://petroleum.mines.edu

Experiential Major Menu Opportunities

DOWNLOAD PDF of EMM

Browse the different opportunities within each year and themed Ore Cart to find ways to get involved. All activities are general campus opportunities unless they are in bold and have Departmental listed afterwards, then they are degree specific ways to get involved.

he online Experiential Major Menus are designed for accessibility. A PDF with the same content is available to download or print but may not be fully accessible for all users. If you experience barriers to accessing this content or need an alternate format, please contact trail@mines.edu.

First Year

Leadership & Innovation

  • Attend Mine & Dine to learn about student organizations associated with the earth sciences (Departmental)
  • Explore opportunities to get involved with the Undergraduate Student Government
  • Explore options to get involved with CLSA and Community Councils
  • Apply for the Environmental Leadership Lab trip and Scholars Program. Check the Daily Blast for more information in April.

Professional Development

Research, Creative & Scholarly Achievement

Inclusive & Impactful Civic Engagement

  • Apply to work at College View Middle School in Denver as a tutor
  • Join Society of Women Engineers as a mentee
  • Attend the Study Abroad Fair this Fall to start exploring your options. Additional scholarships may be available.
  • Attend the annual Celebration of DI&A at Mines

Health & Wellness

  • Locate the Reflection Space in Marquez Hall to use as needed over the next four years (Departmental)
  • Balance studying for finals with wellness activities during Stress Less Week
  • Become familiar with the Counseling Center’s services
  • Attend a QPR suicide prevention training
  • Attend a Bystander Intervention workshop
  • Attend Fresh Check Day
  • Take a group fitness class

Academic Success

  • Sign your family or support system up for the CASA First-Year Family Newsletter so they can support your academic success
  • Attend the Major Fair and declare a major in late April at Declaration Day with CASA. Keep an eye out for an announcement in the Daily Blast

Second Year

Leadership & Innovation

Professional Development

  • Attend Career Days for summer internship positions (Departmental)
  • Attend Lunch & Learns to hear from PE companies (Departmental)
  • Attend ATCE to learn about companies and network (Departmental)
  • Sign up for the SPE Mentorship program (Departmental)
  • Explore ethics opportunities across campus
  • Attend VIP events each semester
  • Attend the Chevron Lecture Series luncheon 

Research, Creative & Scholarly Achievement

Inclusive & Impactful Civic Engagement

Health & Wellness

Academic Success

  • Get advising both semesters to understand your PE curriculum path and discuss possible minors (Departmental)
  • Participate in Summer Field Session I this upcoming summer to explore possible areas of focus (Departmental)
  • Seek career advice from your Faculty Mentor (Departmental)
  • Explore Bounce Back if you are needing to retake a course, on academic probation or returning from academic suspension

Third Year

Leadership & Innovation

  • Apply to be a PE Student Ambassador (Departmental)
  • Consider joining the Petrobowl Team through SPE (Departmental)
  • Become an officer in your society
  • Apply to be an Undergraduate Writing Fellow, a peer tutor in the Writing Center. Check the Daily Blast for information in early October. 

Professional Development

  • Attend the PE Distinguished Seminar Series (Departmental)
  • Apply for the Gruver award to attend a specialized conference (Departmental)
  • Participate in SPE’s Mock Interviews this Spring (Departmental)
  • Take Introduction to Research Ethics (SYGN 502) or Professional Oral Communication (LICM 501), both are graduate classes but accessible to Undergraduates.
  • Write an article for SWE’s annual newsletter
  • Be a tutor or lead core review with CASA 

Research, Creative & Scholarly Achievement

  • Show your research outcomes in Reuleaux
  • Explore options to join a musical group on campus or Mines Little Theater
  • Take Research, Values, and Communication (HASS 360)
  • Co-author a paper with a fellow student or faculty member
  • Manage departmental or student organization’s web and/or social media presence

Inclusive & Impactful Civic Engagement

  • Volunteer with SPE at one of their community volunteer events
  • Assist with Trick-or-Treat so Golden Can Eat, more information in Daily Blast
  • Tutoring at local high schools
  • Explore DI&A workshops along with trainings from SHAPE
  • Join the departmental DI&A Council
  • Serve as a panelist at Making The Connection or other recruitment events
  • Coordinate an S2S community service event 

Health & Wellness

Academic Success

  • Participate in Summer Field Session II this upcoming summer to apply what you have learned in your geology courses (Deaprtmental)
  • Mandatory Advising
  • Start to request letters of recommendation

Fourth Year

Leadership & Innovation

  • Run for an advanced leadership position in one of the PE student organizations, such as President or Treasurer. (Departmental)
  • Expand your leadership in your society or organization
  • Take CSM 350: Special Studies in Leadership & Small Group Dynamics

Professional Development

  • Attend ATCE with a focus on attending the technical sessions and networking for job opportunities. (Departmental)
  • Participate in at least one session from the Chevron Short Course Series to get an in-depth look at specialized software and topics from class (Departmental)
  • Look for full time employment at Career Day and on DiggerNet.
  • Take advantage of the Career Center’s Offer Letter Review

Research, Creative & Scholarly Achievement

Inclusive & Impactful Civic Engagement

  • Tutor at a local high school
  • Volunteer as a mentor for K-14 student with Rocky Mountain MESA
  • Take Art & Environmentalism in Italy
  • Apply for a Mines DI&A community grant to help promote an inclusive campus
  • Facilitate a workshop at Celebration of DI&A at Mines. Keep an eye on the Daily Blast for calls for proposals.

Health & Wellness

  • Show your loved ones everything you love about Mines at Family & Friends weekend
  • Participate in the Imposter Syndrome Peer Education workshop before heading out into the workforce or graduate school
  • Help manage your stress with a Balanced Box
  • Take a Self-Check at YOU@Mines
  • Do a QPR refresh 

Academic Success

  • Apply for graduate school
  • Apply for jobs after graduation