Humanitarian Engineering

Engineering challenges are rarely only technical. The decisions engineers make can shape communities, environments, institutions and people's everyday lives. 

The Humanitarian Engineering minor at Colorado School of Mines brings engineering and social science together to help students understand the people, communities and systems connected to engineering challenges. Students learn to look beyond the technical problem, consider different perspectives and work with communities to define challenges and co-create solutions that are socially responsible and sustainable. 

The minor complements students' technical education by helping them consider the broader context in which engineering takes place. Students develop the ability to ask different questions, understand different perspectives and consider how technical decisions interact with social, environmental and institutional factors. These perspectives can strengthen engineering practice across various disciplines.

Program Overview

The Humanitarian Engineering Minor is offered through the Engineering, Design and Society Department. The 18-credit minor combines four foundational Humanitarian Engineering courses with two electives, giving you a strong foundation in community-centered and socially responsible engineering while allowing you to explore topics that complement your major. See our Course Catalog for more information on the course requirements for the minor. 

Through the foundational coursework, you’ll explore how engineering decisions affect people, communities and the environment. You’ll learn to consider social and environmental responsibility in engineering practice, examine the role of organizations and industry in society, and develop approaches to sustainable community development. You’ll also gain experience working with communities and incorporating their perspectives into research and problem-solving.  

Electives allow you to build on this foundation through topics such as environmental and intercultural communication, environmental justice, energy and society, sustainable design, environmental policy and law, water and natural resources, and the environmental impacts of engineering and industry. 

Program options 

The Humanitarian Engineering minor adds perspectives and skills that complement students’ technical engineering education. Through interdisciplinary coursework, students develop:

• Critical thinking
  • Examine engineering challenges from technical, social, environmental, cultural and institutional perspectives.
• Community engagement
  • Work with communities as partners in understanding needs, defining challenges and developing solutions.
• Sustainability
  • Consider the long-term social, environmental and economic implications of engineering decisions.
• Communication
  • Develop skills for collaborating across disciplines, cultures and stakeholder perspectives.
• Social responsibility
  • Examine the responsibilities of engineers and organizations to the people and environments affected by their work.
• Interdisciplinary problem-solving
  • Integrate technical knowledge with diverse perspectives to address complex engineering challenges. 

Major/minor pairings

Humanitarian Engineering can complement any Mines engineering major by adding perspectives on people, communities, environments, organizations and the broader context in which engineering decisions are made.

• Design Engineering: Combine human-centered design with community engagement to understand complex needs and co-create solutions that are responsive to people and their contexts.
• Civil Engineering: Consider community needs, sustainability and social impacts when planning and designing infrastructure. 
• Environmental Engineering: Connect technical approaches to environmental challenges with questions of policy, justice and community impact.
• Mining Engineering: Explore the relationships between resource development, environmental responsibility, society, and ethics.