Chances of Admission to M.S. in Petroleum Engineering

[bigDbag]

I'm an engineering science and physics double major with a minor in math applying to UT, LSU, Texas A&M, and Colorado School of Mines. My GPa is sort of low (3.422), but I've worked on a couple design projects related to petroleum (hydrofrac waste water treatment process), and have also done a little bit of undergraduate research on this topic. I've had two internships at smaller petroleum companies, one where I was a field engineering and one where I was in the office working on well evaluations. I'm pretty sure I'll have 2 extremely strong letters of rec (one from a teacher, one from a supervisor), and one good, but not as positive one from a second teacher. I've scored 164Q/154V/5.0W on the GRE. I've visited two of the schools and met with professors there, and I intend on visiting the other two before I apply to those. Do I have a chance at these schools, or is this a lost cause? I'm worried that my GPA might be too low, but I'm hoping my other stuff will be enough to make up for it. 

[doomination]

you should be fine for UT Austin I think, depending on whether or not you're international. Texas is kind of harsh to internationals. You can find a lot of the stats for admissions on their website (average GPA, gre scores, etc).

[bigDbag]

Yeah, I'm an American. Hopefully my GPA doesn't hold me back.

[dicapino]

you should be fine for UT Austin I think, depending on whether or not you're international. Texas is kind of harsh to internationals. You can find a lot of the stats for admissions on their website (average GPA, gre scores, etc).

HI. I am international student( UG Mechanical engineering) with no experience in the petroleum industry. I would be taking the GRE next Friday.

Could you please advise me on petr. eng schools that a favorable to International stds?

I am thinking of applying to Colorado, texas A&M and UT AUSTIN.

[doomination]

I spent one summer in the petroleum engineering department at UT Austin, as an undergrad researcher. When I was there I got the impression that they were still trying to cut back on the number of international students in their department (for funding reasons, they're a public school). Texas A&M is also a public school in Texas.

 

That doesn't mean that they don't admit internationals (there were more international students than domestic students when I was there), but it will be harder.

 

http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/prospective/stats/pdf/avg-gpa-gre-2012.pdf

 

Page 10 on this document shows the average GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and GRE scores for the 2012 application cycle.

[dicapino]

I spent one summer in the petroleum engineering department at UT Austin, as an undergrad researcher. When I was there I got the impression that they were still trying to cut back on the number of international students in their department (for funding reasons, they're a public school). Texas A&M is also a public school in Texas.

That doesn't mean that they don't admit internationals (there were more international students than domestic students when I was there), but it will be harder.

http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/prospective/stats/pdf/avg-gpa-gre-2012.pdf

Page 10 on this document shows the average GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and GRE scores for the 2012 application cycle.

Thanks. its very competitive; I need an excellent GRE score to stand a chance.

So @domination any idea on Mech or Pet schools that are not as competitive, but still have great programs?

[doomination]

Sorry, I don't have much of an idea. I decided after working at UT for that summer that I wasn't interested in pet eng so I never paid any attention.

 

Good luck with your application though!

[Niacrombie]

dicapino,

 

I found this site too late to be much help, but if you're still looking for Spring '16 or after, USC has a pretty solid petroleum engineering program and I haven't heard of too many people being rejected. Their fall admissions deadline was in January, but might be useful to someone else in the future?!

[dicapino]

Hey thanks. I got admitted to University of Louisiana Lafayette Pet Eng program. But i am really scared. That program is considered lower than LSU's program. Do you have any specific information about this school's program: like job prospects and program quality. Thanks

[Niacrombie]

I'm not sure any UL stats but a friend of mine (I met in the industry) seemed to hold his education in high regard. He said recruitment attracts a lot of big employers... Unfortunately because of the current market, it's a bit too hard to anticipate future hiring for when you complete your degree :/

[dicapino]

I'm not sure any UL stats but a friend of mine (I met in the industry) seemed to hold his education in high regard. He said recruitment attracts a lot of big employers... Unfortunately because of the current market, it's a bit too hard to anticipate future hiring for when you complete your degree :/

YEAH I think so with fall in oil prices jobs may become harder to get.

[Deepwater]

With a GPA of about 3.2-3.3 and GRE score of 323 ( V-155, Q-168, AWA-4) can you suggest a few safe schools for an international candidate in Petroleum engineering?

I have a BS in mining engineering (with a lot of engineering, maths and geology) and about 6 years for experience in oil and gas industry.

UT, A&M and CSM are all good (and I am applying) but I want to apply to a couple of safe schools as well since funding is going to be very important for me and I certainly want to start this year.

[Fahad.Baloch]

Hi guys, I'll be applying in the Fall 16 session for MS Petroleum. I gave my GRE a month ago and got a score of 303 which is lower than my expectations. I'll be giving it again but I believe I'll fall in the 310-315 bracket at best. I'm an international student with Bachelors in Chemical Engineering with a 2.96 cgpa but that is 76%. My final year research project was on Gasoline refining for which I got an A grade (highest in my batch). Any idea which universities I should target? CSM, TAMU and UT Austin would be really tough to get in I feel so I personally would be targeting university of Houston, University of Pittsburgh, LSU, Texas Tech and USC. Kindly let me know what my chances about getting into these universities. I would love to get an opportunity for work as well after graduation however long that is possible.

Edited September 13, 2015 by Fahad.Baloch