Best colleges for Petroleum Engineering in Texas
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the Texas programs in the federal field-of-study file, The University of Texas at Austin leads: its Petroleum Engineering graduates earn a median $139,867 four years after finishing, against the field's $104,823 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Texas at Austin | $139,867 | +$35,044 |
| 2 | Texas Tech University | $139,864 | +$35,041 |
| 3 | Texas A&M University-College Station | $114,686 | +$9,863 |
| 4 | University of Houston | $94,651 | -$10,172 |
How big is the earnings gap between Texas Petroleum Engineering programs?
$45,216 separates the top and bottom of this list — $139,867 at The University of Texas at Austin against $94,651 at University of Houston, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do Texas Petroleum Engineering graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $35,044 above the $104,823 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.