Petroleum Engineering Technology

Petroleum Engineering Technology is a program designed to prepare individuals to work as Petroleum Engineering Technicians in the oil and gas and related industries. The petroleum industry hires these highly skilled individuals for multiple field and office positions. This challenging program is designed to train petroleum engineering technicians in all areas of down and mid stream operations.  Students complete an intense core curriculum in areas that include hydrocarbon safety, drilling, petroleum geology, oil and gas exploration and production, reservoir operations, well head completions, petroleum data management operations and analysis, natural gas production, and economics. In conjunction with these courses, students employ the latest computer software in E&P, operations, data mining, and geological mapping.

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 process design, data entry and evaluation, well operations, environmental control, plant engineering, geological surveys, engineering sales, research and development, and manufacturing. Common industries for employment include: power, gas processing, refineries, petrochemical processing, oil and gas mining, manufacturing, drilling and exploration services.

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

There are 5,514 Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers employed in the Greater Houston Area. This number is expected to increase by 6.1% over the next four years.

• The estimated annual job openings is 318 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.