Petroleum Engineering · Kentucky
Petroleum Engineering colleges in Kentucky
CampusPin lists 41 U.S. colleges in Kentucky that offer Petroleum Engineering programs. Compare tuition, acceptance rate, and enrollment in the table below, every figure links back to the institution's official IPEDS data.
Petroleum engineering applies math, geology, and fluid mechanics to find and extract oil and gas, suiting students who want hands-on work where earth science meets engineering design.
Schools in Kentucky that offer Petroleum Engineering
American National University-Pikeville
Pikeville, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$11,484
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
318
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$16,925
Acceptance
61%
Enrollment
5,458
Asbury University
Wilmore, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$33,640
Acceptance
64%
Enrollment
1,673
Ashland Community and Technical College
Ashland, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,566
Beckfield College-Florence
Florence, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$13,295
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
612
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$47,180
Acceptance
94%
Enrollment
2,928
Berea College
Berea, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$49,326
Acceptance
33%
Enrollment
1,472
Big Sandy Community and Technical College
Prestonsburg, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,590
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Lexington, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,706
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
7,713
Brescia University
Owensboro, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$30,450
Acceptance
35%
Enrollment
625
Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$26,990
Acceptance
98%
Enrollment
8,239
Centre College
Danville, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$50,550
Acceptance
54%
Enrollment
1,346
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY · University · Public
Tuition
$10,130
Acceptance
78%
Enrollment
13,956
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Elizabethtown, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
3,775
Galen College of Nursing-Louisville
Louisville, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$16,925
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
4,794
Gateway Community and Technical College
Florence, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
2,824
Georgetown College
Georgetown, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$42,010
Acceptance
74%
Enrollment
1,443
Hazard Community and Technical College
Hazard, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,404
Henderson Community College
Henderson, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
876
Hopkinsville Community College
Hopkinsville, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,498
Jefferson Community and Technical College
Louisville, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,706
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
7,105
Kentucky Mountain Bible College
Jackson, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$10,060
Acceptance
36%
Enrollment
72
Lexington Theological Seminary
Lexington, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$16,925
Acceptance
50%
Enrollment
6,178
Lindsey Wilson College
Columbia, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$27,274
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
3,921
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Louisville, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$16,925
Acceptance
69%
Enrollment
1,752
Madisonville Community College
Madisonville, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,797
Maysville Community and Technical College
Maysville, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
2,207
Morehead State University
Morehead, KY · University · Public
Tuition
$9,838
Acceptance
82%
Enrollment
5,249
Murray State University
Murray, KY · University · Public
Tuition
$9,708
Acceptance
86%
Enrollment
8,609
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY · University · Public
Tuition
$10,896
Acceptance
96%
Enrollment
13,099
Owensboro Community and Technical College
Owensboro, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
2,579
Somerset Community College
Somerset, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
3,899
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College
Bowling Green, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
2,952
Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College
Cumberland, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
1,680
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Louisville, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$13,086
Acceptance
97%
Enrollment
846
Transylvania University
Lexington, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$44,980
Acceptance
85%
Enrollment
1,014
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY · University · Public
Tuition
$13,212
Acceptance
92%
Enrollment
31,962
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY · University · Public
Tuition
$12,828
Acceptance
81%
Enrollment
20,132
University of the Cumberlands
Williamsburg, KY · University · Private
Tuition
$9,875
Acceptance
71%
Enrollment
19,704
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Paducah, KY · Community College · Public
Tuition
$4,656
Acceptance
100%
Enrollment
2,810
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY · University · Public
Tuition
$11,436
Acceptance
97%
Enrollment
14,590
Petroleum Engineering programs in Kentucky: by the numbers
A quick comparison of the 41 schools listed above, drawn from each institution's published IPEDS data.
Schools listed
41
Public / private
23 / 18
Universities / 2-year
25 / 16
Cities represented
29
In-state tuition range
$4,656–$50,550
Median in-state tuition
$10,130
Lowest published in-state tuition
Ashland Community and Technical College
$4,656
Most selective
Berea College
33% acceptance
Largest by enrollment
University of Kentucky
31,962 students
Figures reflect the schools currently listed and each institution's most recent reported data. Verify current tuition and admissions details with the school before applying.
What you'll study in a Petroleum Engineering program
- Reservoir engineering and fluid-flow through porous media
- Drilling engineering and well-completion design
- Petroleum geology and formation evaluation
- Rock and fluid properties (petrophysics and PVT analysis)
- Production engineering and artificial-lift methods
- Reservoir and well simulation software
- Well logging, testing, and data interpretation
- Health, safety, and environmental controls for energy operations
- Senior capstone design of a field or well-development plan
Where a Petroleum Engineering degree can lead
- Petroleum Engineer
- Drilling Engineer
- Reservoir Engineer
- Production Engineer
- Completions Engineer
- Energy Analyst
Typical pay: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 petroleum engineers median $141,280).
Petroleum engineering is the study of how to locate, drill for, and bring crude oil and natural gas out of the ground safely and efficiently. Students learn to read the behavior of fluids trapped in underground rock, design wells that reach those reservoirs, and plan the equipment and systems used to extract, transport, and process what comes up to the surface. Coursework blends earth science with mechanical and chemical engineering: you study rock and fluid properties, the physics of flow through porous formations, drilling and well-completion methods, and the safety and environmental controls that govern energy operations. Unlike geology, which centers on understanding the earth itself, petroleum engineering focuses on the practical design and operation of recovery systems; and unlike chemical engineering, which spans many process industries, it concentrates specifically on subsurface hydrocarbon resources from reservoir to surface facility.
The standard entry credential is a bachelor's degree, and programs lean heavily on quantitative engineering science, laboratory work in rock and fluid testing, reservoir and drilling simulation software, and a senior design project that ties the coursework into a realistic field or well plan. Some employers and roles value professional engineering licensure earned through state boards, and certain programs carry programmatic engineering accreditation; prospective students should verify licensure expectations and a program's accreditation status directly before enrolling. Graduates work for energy producers, oilfield service firms, drilling and completions contractors, consulting and analysis groups, and government or regulatory agencies, often splitting time between office modeling work and on-site or field operations, with roles such as reservoir, drilling, production, and completions engineer.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of petroleum engineers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $141,280 and projects employment to grow about 1.3% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Petroleum Engineering in other states
Find more Petroleum Engineering schools
Use CampusPin's filter-first search to narrow 41+ Petroleum Engineering programs in Kentucky by tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting.