You ask your friends where to get training in oil and gas, and you get different answers. Someone advises going to the Russian State University of Oil and Gas named after. Gubkin, some – to regional universities like TIU or USNTU, and someone says to start from college and then work as an operator. But all this information does not give the main thing – an understanding of which path is right for you and what result it will lead you to.
In this article, we will look at what options there are for education in oil and gas in Russia, where to go and how to choose a direction.
Oil and gas: where to study
In short, there are three main ways to get into oil and gas.
Colleges and technical schools
This is the fastest way start a career in oil and gas. After 9th or 11th grade, you can enroll in the specialty “Development and operation of oil and gas fields” or “Drilling of oil and gas wells” in one of 32 colleges or technical schools. Among them are specialized educational institutions in Tyumen, Volgograd, Kasimov, Novy Urengoy, and Noyabrsk.
After 2–3 years of study, graduates can work as oil and gas production operators, technicians or drilling assistants. For example, such specialists in demand at Gazprom and Rosneft facilities even without higher education.
How much does an oil well driller earn in Russia, read in our material
Universities
A college degree in oil and gas is needed for engineering and management roles. The training lasts 4 years (bachelor’s degree) or 5–6 years (specialist’s degree, master’s degree) and is organized in key areas:
- field development;
- well drilling;
- oil and gas processing.
For example, every year more than 10,000 students come to study at the Russian State University of Oil and Gas named after. Gubkin, about 30,000 – to Tyumen Industrial University. Both universities cooperate with state corporations, where students undergo practical training.
Retraining and courses
This path is chosen by those who already have a basic higher education, but want to get into oil and gas. Programs last from 6 months to 1 year, for example:
- an engineer can undergo professional retraining in the field of mining or industrial safety;
- IT specialist – move to digital solutions for oil and gas companies.
Such programs offer specialized universities (for example, Gubkin University) and various educational centers. Many courses are available remotely and can be combined with work.
Higher education in oil and gas: key universities
Even if you have already decided to go to university, the next question remains: where exactly to go and is there a difference between universities. Formally, the programs may have the same name, but in practice, oil and gas education will differ: in some places there is an emphasis on theory, in others there is an emphasis on practice and internships.
University of Oil and Gas named after. Gubkina
Russian State University of Oil and Gas named after. THEM. Gubkina trains specialists in all key areas of the industry: from field development to oil and gas refining. The programs are implemented jointly with industrial partners. You can get an internship on real projects during your studies, and after graduation you can easily find a job.
Regional oil and gas universities
There are strong training programs not only in Moscow, but also in regions where oil and gas production is concentrated:
- Tyumen Industrial University (TIU) – one of the largest technical universities in Russia, closely connected with companies operating in Western Siberia.
- Ufa State Petroleum Technical University (USPTU) — specializes in oil refining, cooperates with enterprises of Bashkortostan.
- Kazan National Research Technological University (KNRTU) — trains specialists for petrochemistry and hydrocarbon processing.
The main advantage of these universities is practice at the fields, where a significant part of the oil production in Russia.
Oil production in the world: main fields, statistics by country — find out who is in the lead today
What specialties to choose for studying oil and gas production
In the direction oil and gas are released 4–5 basic specializations:
- Geology and exploration of deposits. Geologists search for oil and gas deposits and evaluate reserves before production begins. They work with seismic, drilling data and reservoir models.
- Well drilling. Drilling specialists design and construct wells with depths ranging from 1 to 5 km. They calculate the well design, select drilling equipment, and control the drilling process on site.
- Development and operation of deposits. Engineers manage production after the well is started. They analyze production volume, reservoir pressure, and well performance.
- Transportation and storage. After production, oil and gas go through pipelines for processing. Specialists are responsible for the operation of pumping stations, the condition of pipelines, and transportation safety.
- Oil and gas processing. This is work at a refinery and gas processing plants. Specialists manage installations where oil is converted into gasoline, diesel and petrochemicals.
Drilling and geology are trips to fields, processing is work at a plant, development is a combination of calculations and working with data.
| Region | University, city | Directions | Practice and partners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moscow, St. Petersburg and Southern Russia | MSU, Moscow | Master’s degree: geology and geochemistry of oil and gas, development of oil and gas fields | Polar regions, Caucasus, Crimea, Baikal, marine scientific cruises Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, INGG SB RAS, Rosneft, Lukoil-engineering, Rosgeologiya |
| MGRI, Moscow | Oil and gas business | Crimea, Altai, Yakutia, Yamal Rosgeologia, Lukoil, Alrosa, RusHydro | |
| SPbSU, St. Petersburg | Bachelor’s Degree: Petroleum Geology Master’s Degree: Oil and Gas and Geochemistry of Oil and Gas | Leningrad region, Novgorod, Karelia, Crimea, Khakassia, Prionezhye, foreign trips Gazprom Neft, Surgutneftegaz, LUKOIL, Norilsk Nickel, SIBUR, Russian Copper Company | |
| Mining University, St. Petersburg | Field exploration and design, development, operation, well drilling, oil and gas refining | Sibur, Rosneft, Tatneft, Russian Copper Company, Gazprom | |
| NCFU, Stavropol | Bachelor’s degree: Oil and gas engineering (geological and geophysical technologies) Specialty: Applied geology (oil and gas fields) | Surgutneftegaz, Rosgeo, Gazprom dobycha Krasnodar, Yamalpromgeofizika, etc. | |
| Ural | Bash State University, Ufa | Oil-gas | Practices directly at deposits, quarries and boreholes. Rosgeologia, BashNIPIneft (Rosneft) |
| PNIPU, Perm | Specialty “Applied Geology” profile “Geology of Oil and Gas Fields” (~5.2 years) | Educational, industrial, pre-graduation internships in all aspects of oil and gas geology Oil and gas companies of the Perm region and scientific institutions (through industrial cooperation of the university) | |
| Siberia | NSU, Novosibirsk | Master’s Course: Modeling of Oil and Gas Systems | Practices in Altai, Baikal, Tuva and the Urals Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, Surgutneftegaz, institutes of the SB RAS |
| Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk | Geophysics in oilfield and mining | Expeditions to the regions of Russia (Altai, Baikal, Tuva, Ural), international – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Norway Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, Surgutneftegaz, institutes of the SB RAS | |
| TPU, Tomsk | Bachelor’s degree: “Geology and mineral exploration”, “Oil and gas engineering” (4 years), “Applied geology, mining, oil and gas engineering” Master’s degree: geological and geophysical problems of oil and gas field development, modeling of oil and gas systems | Practices take place in Siberia, the Urals, and at the Khakassia training ground (Center for Educational Geological Practices). Cooperation with industrial and scientific partners: Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, Norilsk Nickel, institutes of the SB RAS | |
| Far East | FEFU, Vladivostok | Bachelor’s degree: Oil and gas engineering, Chemical technologies of oil refining industries | The practice takes place in academic geological institutes of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and industrial companies: MMC Dalpolimetal, Polymetal, Albazino Resources, Mnogovershinnoye, AK ALROSA, etc. |
Which path in oil and gas is right for you?
After we have looked at the ways to enter the industry, it is convenient to compare them in order to understand which format of education in oil and gas is right for you.
| Target | Where to go to study | Duration of training | Where can I work? | Peculiarities |
| Quickly start your career | College/technical school | 2–3 years | operator, technician | quick entry into the industry, practice from the first year |
| Become an engineer | University of Oil and Gas / specialized university | 4–6 years | development, drilling, processing engineer | in-depth training, access to complex tasks |
| Change profession | Courses, retraining | 6–12 months | specialist in related fields (IT, analytics, technology) | suitable for already working professionals |
In oil and gas, careers rarely follow a straight line. Some start in college and enter the field within a couple of years. Others prefer university and work to modern technologies, and there are those who enter the industry already in adulthood – through retraining.
If you are just starting to understand the topic, take a look detailed material about education in the industry — it shows how to build a career step by step
To choose a direction for studying in oil and gas, answer three questions:
- Where are you willing to work? Drilling and production programs often lead to shift work, hydrocarbon processing and field development – office employment in a city or enterprise.
- What are you more interested in? If you understand technology and equipment, choose operation and drilling, are interested in calculations and models – geology or field development, love chemistry – oil and gas refining.
- What do you go to most? College is suitable for starting work faster, university is optimal for engineering roles, and professional retraining is ideal for changing fields of activity.
How would you build your path in oil and gas? Which direction is closer to you – field work or engineering tasks? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
