Petroleum Engineering
Colorado School of Mines
Mines Petroleum Engineering Department
Petroleum engineering ensures that the world has the vital energy sources needed to develop, grow and prosper. Petroleum engineers play an essential role in this industry, working to locate energy reserves and design and develop methods for safe and effective extraction.
From traditional energy sources, such as oil and natural gas, to emerging energy options like geothermal and carbon sequestration, petroleum engineering plays a vital role in sustaining our quality of life and shaping our future.
Inside Look at Petroleum Engineering
Contact Us
PETROLEUM ENGINEERING
Marquez Hall 206
1600 Arapahoe St.
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO 80401
petroleum@mines.edu
T: 303-273-3740
F: 303-273-3189
Petroleum Engineering at Mines
TOP RATED
A Top 2 Petroleum Engineering Program
SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES
100% Career Placement in 2022 – 2023
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Average Starting Salary (BS) $79,100
About Petroleum Engineering
In our Petroleum Engineering Department, we strive to lead the world in education, training, research and innovation for the responsible and sustainable acquisition and development of subsurface energy resources. With a dedicated and renowned faculty, state-of-the-art research facilities and hands-on learning opportunities, Mines is a top choice for undergraduate and graduate students who want to explore the dynamic field of petroleum engineering.
To realize this goal, we designed our petroleum engineering program to ensure you receive the foundational coursework, hands-on experience and inspiration to thrive—wherever your next step takes you. Whether pursuing a career in the private or public sectors or a path in academics, international or domestic, you’ll benefit from our passionate faculty, research opportunities and close industry partnerships.
Our petroleum engineering program explores a variety of disciplines and topics related to petroleum engineering, including:
- Oil and natural gas exploration and extraction
- Drilling, completions, stimulation and production
- Reservoir engineering and simulation
- Data analytics and machine learning
- Geothermal energy
- Carbon sequestration
- Sustainability, environmental and safety issues
And more. Our graduates go on to a variety of exciting careers in the petroleum engineering field. Whether working as production engineers, reservoir engineers, drilling engineers, data scientists, consultants or even entering academics, Mines students are some of the most sought after graduates in the industry.
Why Petroleum Engineering?
As one of the most in-demand positions within a dynamic and growing industry, there are many reasons to study Petroleum Engineering at Mines.
- Transferable skills to other subsurface engineering careers
- Opportunities to improve your standard of living
- Improve energy production for the world and enhance quality of life
- Competitive salary
- Job outlook showing 2% growth (as fast as average for other engineering disciplines)
- Median pay: $131,800 (source)
If you’re looking to enrich your education and advance your career, come join one of the top petroleum engineering programs in the country at Mines!
Celebrating 150 Years!
As Colorado School of Mines celebrates our 150th anniversary, dynamic and disruptive change is all around us. MINES@150 is our plan to position Mines for future success.
It calls for change, but also to stay true to our timeless mission, pillars and core values. MINES@150 leverages our size, location, and history, ensuring that our graduates will continue to be distinctive and highly valued, placing Mines at the frontiers of STEM education, research and innovation, and elevating our status among the world’s top universities.