Petroleum engineering is the study and discipline of hydrocarbon production, and arises from the marriage of conventional engineering with the principles of geology, providing solutions to complex challenges within the realm of petroleum extraction.
As fuel prices, carbon emissions, climate change, and dependency on foreign energy sources become more prominent issues moving forward, petroleum engineering and energy engineering will remain important to the stability of market economies and global environmental health.
UMass Lowell has engineering programs in chemical, civil, and mechanical engineering which are closely related to the processes required in the petroleum industry, such as oil refining, oil rig design, and drilling technology.
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Petroleum Engineers
Society of Petroleum Engineers peer-reviewed journals
Petroleum Reserves (US DOE)
Guide for Petroleum Refineries (LBNL)
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
PetroWiki (Created from the seven-volume Petroleum Engineering Handbook)