NOC 21332: Petroleum engineers
What petroleum engineers do
Petroleum engineers conduct studies for the exploration, development and extraction of oil and gas deposits; and plan, design, develop and supervise projects for the drilling, completion, testing and re-working of oil and gas wells. They are employed by petroleum producing companies, consulting companies, well logging or testing companies, government, and research and educational institutions.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Conduct feasibility assessment studies for developing new oil and gas fields
- Direct and monitor oil and gas drilling operations
- Develop drilling programs, select sites and specify drilling fluids, bit selection, drill stem testing procedures and equipment
- Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing and well surveys
- Design and select artificial lift machinery, and well and surface production equipment and systems, and specify programs for corrosion control and oil or gas treatment
- Develop specifications for and monitor and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery
- Analyze reservoir rock and fluid data to design optimum recovery methods and to predict reservoir performance and reserves
- Monitor and forecast oil and gas reservoir performance and recommend oil recovery techniques which extend the economic life of wells
- Design, develop and coordinate the installation, maintenance and operation of subsea well-head and production equipment.
- Petroleum engineers may specialize in drilling, production, reservoir analysis or subsea operations.
Job titles under NOC 21332
19 job titles are classified here, including oil and gas drilling engineer, oil and gas production engineer, petroleum engineer.
- chief petroleum engineer
- drilling and recovery chief engineer
- drilling and recovery petroleum engineer
- exploitation engineer - oil and gas
- exploitation engineer - petroleum
- mud engineer
- mud engineer - petroleum drilling
- natural gas engineer
- offshore drilling engineer
- offshore drilling rig subsea equipment engineer
- oil and gas drilling engineer
- oil and gas production engineer
- oil well logging engineer
- petroleum engineer
- petroleum production engineer
- petroleum reservoir engineer
- petroleum well completion engineer
- subsea engineer
- well logging engineer
Employment requirements
- A bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required.
- A master's degree or doctorate in a related engineering discipline may be required.
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
- Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination.
Petroleum engineers wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $46.25/hr | $64.90/hr | $96.15/hr |
Toronto ON | $52.88/hr | $67.30/hr | $74.52/hr |
Montréal QC | $31.24/hr | $49.01/hr | $65.35/hr |
Calgary AB | $45.00/hr | $64.18/hr | $96.15/hr |
Edmonton AB | $38.82/hr | $64.64/hr | $111.45/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $30.79/hr | $48.18/hr | $74.25/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $52.88/hr | $67.87/hr | $92.79/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $38.46/hr | $60.10/hr | $72.12/hr |
Quebec | $30.79/hr | $48.18/hr | $74.25/hr |
Ontario | $52.88/hr | $67.30/hr | $74.52/hr |
Saskatchewan | $52.88/hr | $67.87/hr | $92.79/hr |
Alberta | $46.67/hr | $66.35/hr | $96.15/hr |
British Columbia | $40.53/hr | $55.46/hr | $82.73/hr |
Using NOC 21332 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 19 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Chemical engineers (NOC 21320)
- Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services (NOC 82021)
- Engineering managers (NOC 20010)
- Geological engineers (NOC 21331)
- Geoscientists and oceanographers (NOC 21102)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for petroleum engineers?
Petroleum engineers are NOC 2021 unit group 21332. Example job titles in this group include oil and gas drilling engineer, oil and gas production engineer, petroleum engineer, petroleum reservoir engineer.
What TEER is NOC 21332?
NOC 21332 is TEER 1 (University degree). Usually requires a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate), or experience from a related TEER 2 occupation. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do petroleum engineers earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $64.90/hr, about $127,000 a year full-time, with a range of $46.25/hr to $96.15/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.