The school's role and mission has remained constant and is written in the Colorado statute as:

The Colorado School of Mines shall be a specialized baccalaureate and graduate research institution with high admission standards. The Colorado School of Mines shall have a unique mission in energy, mineral, and materials science and engineering and associated engineering and science fields. The school shall be the primary institution of higher education offering energy, mineral and materials science and mineral engineering degrees at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. (Colorado Revised Statutes, Section 23-41-105)

Since its founding in 1874, the translation of the school's mission into educational programs has been influenced by the needs of society. Those needs are now focused more clearly than ever before. We believe that the world faces a crisis in balancing resource availability with environmental protection and that CSM and its programs are central to the solution to that crisis. Therefore the school's mission is reinterpreted below as a commitment for the year 2000 and beyond.

The Colorado School of Mines is dedicated to educating students and professionals in the applied sciences, engineering, and associated fields relating to

• the discovery and recovery of the Earth's resources,
• their conversion to materials and energy,
• their utilization in advanced processes and products, and
• the economic and social systems necessary to ensure their prudent and provident use in a sustainable global society.

This mission is achieved by the creation, integration and exchange of knowledge in engineering, the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, business, and their union, to create processes and products to enhance the quality of life of the world’s inhabitants. The Colorado School of Mines is consequently committed to serving the people of Colorado, the nation, and the global community by promoting stewardship of the Earth upon which all life and development depend.