Since the school was founded more than a century ago to train gold rush miners, mining engineering has changed greatly, becoming increasingly multidisciplinary, incorporating advanced technologies and capitalizing on new scientific discoveries. This led the department to include the Earth Systems Engineering specialty, which focuses on geomechanics underground construction, tunneling and excavation engineering, in addition to the core mining engineering program.

Research

The Mining Department's research focuses on the following areas:

• Advanced integrated mining systems incorporating automation & robotics, underground excavation (tunneling) & construction
• Computerized mine design & related applications (including geostatistical modeling)
• Geomechanics, rock mechanics & stability of underground openings, explosive engineering
• Mineral processing and extraction technologies
• Site characterization & geotechnical investigations, modeling & design in geoengineering, tunneling, underground construction
• Sustainable engineering in the mining and minerals industry

Most research is conducted in the following facilities:

• The Mining Research Laboratory
• The Newmont Rock Mechanics and Stiff Testing Laboratory
• The Ingersoll-Rand Mechanical Fragmentation Facility
• The Computer-Aided Mine Design Laboratory
• The Mine Ventilation Laboratory
• The Edgar Mine
• The Max Bowen Mineral Processing Laboratory

Degree Programs

The program has two distinct, but closely related, specialties in mining engineering and earth systems engineering.

The mining engineering specialization is predominantly for mining engineers and is directed towards traditional mining engineering fields. Graduate work centers around subject areas such as mine planning and development, computer-aided mine design, rock mechanics, operations research applied to the mineral industry, mine mechanization, rock fragmentation, mine evaluation, mineral processing, sustainable development and management of mineral resources finance and management, and similar mining engineering topics.

The interdisciplinary earth systems engineering specialization combines mining engineering fundamentals with civil, geotechnical, environmental and other engineering areas into advanced study tracks in earth (rock) systems, rock mechanics and earth (rock) structural systems, underground excavation, and construction systems. This specialization is designed for engineers with different subdisciplinary backgrounds who are interested in working and/or performing research in tunneling, excavation and underground construction in the non-traditional areas of the mining industry. Graduate work focuses on subjects such as site characterization, environmental aspects, underground construction and tunneling (including microtunneling), excavation methods and equipment, mechanization of mines and underground construction, management aspects as well as modeling and design in geoengineering.

All graduate students are required to complete two of the three core courses during their first academic year of study at CSM, depending upon their specialty and background.

• MNGN 508 – Advanced Rock Mechanics
• MNGN 512 - Surface Mine Design
• MNGN 516 - Underground Mining

Master of Science

Students pursuing the thesis option must complete 24 semester hours of course credit hours approved by the student's graduate committee, 12 hours of research credit, and a thesis that must be defended before a committee.

tudents pursuing the non-thesis option must complete 36 hours of course work, 6 of which can be applied towards analytical report writing.

Master of Engineering

This degree is a way to increase and upgrade the undergraduate education received during a bachelor degree in mining engineering, and as such is frequently taken as a terminal degree. The degree requirements are the same as for the Master of Science (thesis option) except that an engineering report is required in lieu of a thesis. The engineering report typically covers, in detail, the analysis and solution of a mining engineering problem or problems related to underground construction and associated with the industrial sector.

Doctor of Philosophy

This degree is for students interested in pursuing a specialist's career in industrial or university research or education. It requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, including a minimum of 24 credit hours of research and a 12 credit hour minor program. The doctoral thesis must be a significant, original contribution to the technical or scientific literature and must exhibit satisfactory literary merit. The thesis must be successfully defended before a doctoral committee. Doctoral students are required to complete two semesters of full-time residence. The Department can request a waiver from this requirement in very special cases when the student can have complete professional support in another institution or company laboratory.

Admissions/Entrance Requirements

Admission to CSM is open to graduates of four-year programs at recognized colleges and universities. Students entering the traditional mining engineering programs should have an undergraduate background similar to that required in the CSM undergraduate mining engineering program. Courses with different titles but similar content to those at CSM are considered for exemption. Those interested in the earth systems engineering specialty with different engineering sub-disciplinary backgrounds may also require special mining engineering subjects depending upon their graduate programs. Deficiencies will be determined by the department of Mining Engineering on the basis of the student's education, experience and the goals of graduate study. Those with deficiency courses must complete them prior to or concurrent with taking graduate courses.

Fall Admission	Yes
Financial support priority deadline	Jan. 15
U.S. citizen application deadline	July 1
International application deadline	April 1
Spring Admission	Yes
U.S. citizen application deadline	Nov. 1
International application deadline	Sept. 1
GRE required	No
Average accepted Verbal	405
Average accepted Quantitative	645
Average accepted Analytical Writing	3.3

The dates above serve as a guideline, especially when applying for financial support or needing time for international student visas. The Department continuously accepts and reviews applications beyond these dates.

Financial Assistance

Financial aid is available to outstanding students through student teaching and research assistantships. Research assistantships allow students an opportunity to do research supported by funds from sponsored projects; the terms of these appointments and qualification for them depend on the sponsoring agency and the faculty member holding the grant. Teaching assistantships are normally reserved for full-time degree students who have demonstrated academic excellence.

Assistantships are generally not awarded to first year students. Students can apply for departmental financial support after their first or second semester.

Western Regional Graduate Program

Contact

Dr. Tibor G. Rozgonyi, Professor and Department Head
Mining Engineering Department
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado 80401
Phone: (303) 273-3700
FAX: (303) 273-3719