Petroleum Engineering Technology

Petroleum Engineering Technology is a program designed to prepare individuals to work as
Petroleum Engineering Technicians in oil and gas and related industries. The petroleum
industry hires highly skilled individuals for multiple field and office positions. This challenging program is designed to train petroleum engineering technicians in areas of the upstream and midstream oil and gas sectors. Students complete an intense core curriculum in areas that include oil and gas operational safety, petroleum geology, reservoir, drilling, production, well completion and natural gas operations, petroleum data management and analysis. In conjunction with these courses, students are exposed to industry software applications for exploration & production, well operations, and data evaluation.

The curriculum is based upon the core duties and related tasks identified by industry
organizations such as BP (primarily), Shell, Chevron/Texaco, ExxonMobil, Bechtel
Corporation, Conoco, Halliburton and others. Graduates of Petroleum Engineering Technology are employed in areas of well operations, data entry and evaluation, environmental and safety, plant/facility operations, sales, research and development, and manufacturing in Oil and Gas, and related industries. Common industries for employment include exploration and production companies, oil and gas service companies, oil and gas manufacturing companies, gas processing and oil and gas pipelines companies, environmental and safety companies.

TSI testing required prior to first enrollment for all AAS degrees and Level II certificates.

There are over an estimated 6,000 Oil and Gas professionals employed in roles such as Petroleum Lab Technicians, Petroleum Data Technicians, Petroleum Equipment Operators and Technicians, Petroleum pump system Operators and gaugers in Greater Houston and surrounding areas in Texas; and this does not include other geographical areas. This number is expected to increase by 6.1% over the next four years.

• The estimated annual job openings is 450 jobs a year.
• Median Wages - $32.38 hourly, $67,000 annually

Hybrid programs allow students to take a mix of online and face-to-face courses. Hybrid programs offer 50% to 85% of their courses online and the remainder of the curriculum is taken in-person on one of HCC’s campuses. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.

Language Option Restrictions

Some hybrid programs require students to participate in foreign language courses as part of the program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements and available language options. If you would like to take courses in a language that is not offered online, you would have to do so on campus.

Elective Course Restrictions

Some hybrid programs may have a limited number of elective options available, based on which of the designated electives are currently offered online. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.

Required Course Restrictions

Hybrid programs require students to participate in campus-based courses as part of a given program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements. 

Potential Course Restrictions

Some online courses may have face-to-face requirements for exams, laboratory sessions, and other activities. Please review your course syllabus to determine if your online course has an on-campus laboratory or examination requirement.