Master of Petroleum Engineering

Entry Requirements

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) or equivalent in a discipline other than petroleum engineering. Individuals who have a relevant Bachelor degree (Honours) with a strong science and mathematics component (such as geology, geophysics, geosciences, physics and applied mathematics or similar) may gain entry into this program. Individuals who have a Bachelor degree with suitable upstream oil and gas experience may have their prior academic and professional experience assessed to be equivalent to an honours level qualification and in such cases may also gain entry into this program.

English Language Requirements

IELTS - Overall 6.5 (Reading 6, Listening 6, Speaking 6, Writing 6), TOEFL - Overall 79 (Reading 13, Listening 13, Speaking 18, Writing 21), Pearsons - Overall 58 (Reading 50, Listening 50, Speaking 50, Writing 50), Cambridge - Overall 176 (Reading 169, Listening 169, Speaking 169, Writing 169).

Course Details

Petroleum engineers help sustain society’s way of life. They provide oil and gas in efficient, safe, and environmentally responsible ways.

Our Master of Petroleum Engineering is designed for graduates of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) or equivalent science and mathematics degrees. It’s also open to petro-technical professionals seeking to advance their technical careers with formal qualifications.

Our petroleum engineering degrees are developed and taught by industry-trained academics through the Australian School of Petroleum. This is Australia and Southeast Asia's academic centre for petroleum research and education, and the only school of its kind in Australia.

What will you do?

Learn all about well testing and drilling engineering.

Explore unconventional resources and recovery.

Access our Tempest reservoir simulator.

Gain field experience at an Australian sedimentary basin.

Take integrated courses in business, economics and project management.

Complete a 6-unit research project thesis.

Where could it take you?

You’ll graduate ready to enter the upstream sector of the petroleum industry. You could drill exploratory wells for oil, gas and energy companies. You might search for underground or underwater oil fields with a government agency. Perhaps you’ll move into a supervising or managerial role.

Career Readiness

Petroleum engineers are employed in a diverse range of occupations in oil and gas companies, government agencies and companies that service the oil and gas industry. Graduates of this degree could become drilling engineers, reservoir engineers or production engineers. They may also find successful careers as managers, in sales or technical support as oil and gas business analysts or environmentalists. Graduates of this program often find themselves working in a team on multi-million dollar projects, designing or using state-of-the-art technology.

The University of Adelaide Careers Service prepares, inspires and empowers students to achieve successful career transitions and connect with industry.

Potential careers

Mining Engineer, Oil and Gas Analyst, Petroleum Engineer, Petroleum Exploration, Petroleum Manager, Drilling Engineer, Reservoir Engineer, Seismologist.

Degree Structure

To qualify for the Master of Petroleum Engineering, students must satisfactorily complete 36 units, comprising a minimum of 30 units of core courses and a 6-unit capstone project.