Petroleum engineering is generally a four-year course divided into eight semesters.

• The first two semesters have subjects regarding engineering in general and fundamentals of different streams.
• Students learn about topics such as mechanics of solids, theory of machines, mathematics, drilling fluids and cements, fluid mechanics and geology for petroleum engineers in the third semester.
• In the fourth semester, students may learn about elements of production engineering, elements of reservoir engineering, drilling technology, environmental aspects in oils and allied industries, numerical and statistical methods and surveying.
• Subjects taken in the fifth semester could include thermodynamics of petroleum reservoir fluids, petroleum production operation and environmental management, applied electrical engineering, sedimentary and petroleum geology, fluidization engineering and petroleum and its products.
• The sixth semester may cover subjects like drilling system design and directional drilling, petroleum formation evaluation, natural gas engineering, internal combustion engines, objects-oriented programming and advanced numerical methods, and petroleum refining and petrochemicals.
• In the seventh semester, students may have subjects such as petroleum engineering design, onshore and offshore drilling, instrumentation and control, petroleum exploration by geophysical methods, petroleum exploration by geological methods, and packaging oils-fats and allied products.
• The eighth semester might cover subjects like applied petroleum reservation engineering and management, surface operation for oil and gas production, oil-gas well testing and enhanced oil recovery, pipeline engineering, advanced quality control techniques and bio-technology of oils and fats.