Petroleum Engineering
Entry requirements
A level
Three A Levels at BBB with a B in Mathematics and B in Physics; or a B in Design & Technology; or a B in Engineering. A Level Chemistry is also required for entry. GCSE English at a Grade C also required.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
32 Points including Mathematics and Physics at HL (5 or above) and English at Standard Level.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
5 subjects at Higher, with 3 at H2 and 2 at H3 H2 or above in Mathematics and H3 or above in Physics required.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DDM in Mathematics and Physics required. GCSE at C or above in English or English Language, Mathematics and in either Chemistry or Physics or Dual Award Science.
For entry to Year 2: Satisfactory completion of HNC Chemical Process Technology (120 SCQF credit points). A in all Graded Units. Curriculum to include: Inorganic Chemistry: Theory and Laboratory Skills (H92Y 34), Physical Chemistry: Theory and Laboratory Skills (H936 34). For entry to Year 2: Satisfactory completion of HNC Engineering Systems (120 SCQF credit points). A in all Graded Units. Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2 and 3 (or equivalent). Contact Selector to discuss exact unit requirements. For entry to Year 2: Satisfactory completion of HNC Petroleum Engineering (120 SCQF credit points). A in all Graded Units. Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2 and 3 (or equivalent), Fundamental Chemistry: An Introduction (DX2933) or equivalent, and Fundamental Concepts of Organic Chemistry (DP2P33) or equivalent.
For entry to Year 3: Satisfactory completion of HND Petroleum Engineering (240 SCQF credit points). A in all Graded Units. Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (or equivalent), Fundamental Chemistry: An Introduction (DX2933) or equivalent, Fundamental Concepts of Organic Chemistry (DP2P33) or equivalent, and Petroleum Geology and Geophysics: An Introduction (F53034). For entry to Year 3: Satisfactory completion of HND Engineering Systems (240 SCQF credit points). A in all Graded Units. Curriculum to include: Engineering Maths 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (or equivalent). Contact Selector to discuss exact unit requirements.
Scottish Higher
Applicants who achieve ABBB or better over S4 and S5 are likely to be made an offer of admission. This may be unconditional or conditional, depending upon academic profile. Good performance in additional Highers / Advanced Highers may be required. Note: we do not double count a Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject, but we do consider that a B at Adv Higher is equivalent to an A grade at Higher. National 5 in English at grade C or above. Highers in Mathematics and Physics or Engineering Science
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Petroleum Engineers are at the forefront of ensuring that we have an abundant supply of oil and gas, in a safe and environmentally sustainable manner. With continued worldwide demand for energy, there is no better time to be a Petroleum Engineer. We are the only University in Scotland that offers an undergraduate Petroleum Engineering degree and also a general engineering curriculum.
Petroleum Engineering is concerned with the exploration for and extraction of hydrocarbons, e.g. crude oil and natural gas. Petroleum Engineers use creative and imaginative knowledge of petroleum geology, reservoir behaviour as well as fundamental engineering principles to develop effective and safe solutions for the exploration, recovery and transportation of hydrocarbon products trapped underground, onshore or offshore, and in very challenging environments.
Located in the heart of the energy industry in Europe, Aberdeen is an International Centre of Excellence for exploration and production of oil and gas, providing services for not only the North Sea but also many provinces worldwide. The distinctiveness of the Petroleum Engineering degree programme is provided by its combination of excellence in both engineering and in petroleum geoscience. With engineering at its heart, the programme draws upon well-established expertise in petroleum exploration and geoscience within the University, and the local oil and gas industry, to provide students with a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the challenges faced by petroleum engineers and the petroleum energy industry sector.
The first two years cover general Engineering, with elements of Chemical, Mechanical, Petroleum and Electrical/Electronics, as well as Civil. In the later years you specialise, following your chosen discipline in greater depth. You do not need to finalise your choice of specialisation until you begin third year.
It is possible to move between MEng and BEng and this can be accomplished at any point until the second half session of fourth year. Successful BEng candidates will be offered the chance to change to the MEng and there is no quota, meaning that if grade requirements are met that transfer is guaranteed.
**Ranked 12th UK, 1st in Scotland for General Engineering (Complete University Guide 2022)
Ranked 12th UK, 2nd in Scotland for General Engineering (Guardian 2022)
Ranked 9th for Student Satisfaction in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (National Student Survey 2021)**
Modules
View all modules on the programme page to find out more about what you will be studying and when. University of Aberdeen modules are designed to give you breadth and depth to your degree. The range of modules you study will allow you to become proficient in all subjects which are directly relevant to your degree giving you greater career options.
Assessment methods
Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods: coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course; practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; and written examinations at the end of each course. The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.
Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
View the University of Aberdeen Online Prospectus programme page to find out about any scholarships and funding you may be able to apply for.
The Uni
University of Aberdeen
School of Engineering
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Chemical, process and energy engineering
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Chemical, process and energy engineering
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Want to make good money from the word go? This is the degree for you! The UK has had a shortage of chemical engineers for a while now so starting salaries are very good. In fact, across the UK, only doctors and dentists bettered the average starting salary for chemical engineering graduates, with an average starting salary of around £28,000. Key sectors for chemical engineers last year included the petrochemicals, food, nuclear, pharmaceuticals, materials and consultancy industries. Their skills set also means that the finance industry likes graduates from these degrees, so there are options if you don't fancy engineering as a career. Most graduates take a longer course that leads to an MEng — which is what you need to take if you want to be a Chartered Engineer. Chemical engineers are also more likely than other engineers to take doctorates and go into research roles, so if you want to take an engineering subject but fancy a research job, this might be a good subject to take.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Chemical, process and energy engineering
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£26k
£33k
£38k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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