Undergraduate Degrees
Versatile BS in Mining Engineering
Undergraduate mining engineering students choose one of four tracks, preparing for a variety of careers at mining companies, with environmental firms, in manufacturing, and for policy and regulatory agencies. All are grounded in safety; environmental, societal and economical responsibility; efficiency; and sustainability.
Mine Operations
Producing the materials society needs
Students become engineers who
- Ensure safe, efficient and responsible production of metals, minerals and aggregates from surface and underground mines
- Design plans for mine operations, covering timelines from days to decades
- Build and test autonomous mining equipment
- Invent machinery and methods for improved mining
Geomechanics
Understanding the behaviors and properties of rocks and other earth materials
Graduates go on to
- Ensure the safety and stability of underground and surface excavations
- Test and monitor rock strength around tunnels and highwalls
- Predict and prevent landslides, rockfalls and collapses
- Design excavation and blasting plans
- Build facilities for storage of tailings and other waste
Sustainable Resource Development
Ensuring mining honors community needs and safeguards the environment
Students go on to
- Work with local communities, particularly Indigenous groups, so they benefit from their natural resources
- Keep water supplies, air quality, and plant and animal life safe and healthy
- Ensure miners are protected from harm
- Develop and implement environmental plans to keep mine sites safe and non-polluting for centuries after operations
Mineral Processing
Turning rocks and minerals into the metals and compounds that make everything from AAA batteries to jet turbines.
Graduates become process engineers and metallurgists who
- Process minerals thermally and chemically to extract metals for green energy, electronics, batteries, and more
- Invent methods of processing rocks and minerals from the mine
- Develop and test sensor-based methods for extraction
- Manage smelting, leaching and refining operations
Accelerated Master’s Program
The UA Graduate College gives exceptional students in mining and geological engineering the option to earn a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in as few as five years. See MGE graduate degrees for more information.
Curriculum
Four-Year Degree Plans
The College of Engineering’s four-year degree plans provide the advised sequence of courses for a BS in mining engineering.
Undergraduate Courses
See the UA Catalog for individual course syllabi.
Advanced Standing
Engineering students wishing to take 300- and 400-level classes must first be granted advanced standing through the College of Engineering.