Best Schools for Petroleum Engineering in 2026
These are the top schools offering Petroleum Engineering, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Petroleum Engineering graduate earns $64,106/yr across 18 schools.
All Petroleum Engineering Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | Program | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Petroleum Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX |
72
66–75 |
$86,761/yr | High | 25.1x |
| 2 |
Petroleum Engineering
Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX |
72
65–74 |
$80,460/yr | High | 23.5x |
| 3 |
Petroleum Engineering
Montana Technological University · Butte, MT |
71
64–73 |
$69,212/yr | High | 35.1x |
| 4 |
Petroleum Engineering
University of North Dakota · Grand Forks, ND |
70
64–72 |
$73,821/yr | High | 20.9x |
| 5 |
Petroleum Engineering
Texas A & M University-College Station · College Station, TX |
69
61–72 |
$69,603/yr | High | 22.9x |
| 6 |
Petroleum Engineering
University of Wyoming · Laramie, WY |
70
64–72 |
$66,221/yr | High | 38.2x |
| 7 |
Petroleum Engineering
West Virginia University · Morgantown, WV |
69
63–71 |
$68,913/yr | High | 23.1x |
| 8 |
Petroleum Engineering
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · Norman, OK |
68
61–71 |
$61,223/yr | High | 25.3x |
| 9 |
Petroleum Engineering
The University of Texas Permian Basin · Odessa, TX |
67
60–70 |
$61,299/yr | High | 21.8x |
| 10 |
Petroleum Engineering
University of Louisiana at Lafayette · Lafayette, LA |
64
55–68 |
$49,781/yr | High | 25.5x |
| 11 |
Petroleum Engineering
Missouri University of Science and Technology · Rolla, MO |
66
60–67 |
$69,670/yr | High | 15.1x |
| 12 |
Petroleum Engineering
University of Houston · Houston, TX |
65
57–68 |
$52,295/yr | High | 21.8x |
| 13 |
Petroleum Engineering
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College · Baton Rouge, LA |
64
57–68 |
$56,605/yr | High | 18.6x |
| 14 |
Petroleum Engineering
Colorado School of Mines · Golden, CO |
63
57–65 |
$77,400/yr | High | 11.5x |
| 15 |
Petroleum Engineering
University of Kansas · Lawrence, KS |
58
48–64 |
$42,865/yr | High | 19.1x |
| 16 |
Petroleum Engineering
Marietta College · Marietta, OH |
57
51–58 |
$82,205/yr | High | 5.0x |
| 17 |
Petroleum Engineering
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology · Socorro, NM |
56
51–55 |
$42,325/yr | High | 10.7x |
| 18 |
Petroleum Engineering
Texas A & M University-Kingsville · Kingsville, TX |
55
51–54 |
$43,257/yr | High | 9.9x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.