Mining and Mineral Engineering

Types of Degrees Mining and Mineral Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many mining & mineral engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	83
Graduate Certificate	18
Doctor’s Degree	17

What Mining and Mineral Engineering Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to mining and mineral engineering and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Mining and Mineral Engineering Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in mining and mineral engineering should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Mining and Mineral Engineering Majors

mining and mineral engineering majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Mining and Mineral Engineering Majors

A major in mining and mineral engineering will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Mining and Mineral Engineering Major?

People with a mining and mineral engineering degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers	8.2%	$92,250

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Mining and Mineral Engineering?

This major attracts more men than women. About 78% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of mining and mineral engineering majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	7
White	28
International Students	40
Other Races/Ethnicities	4

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Mining and Mineral Engineering, too. About 48.2% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Mining and Mineral Engineering

Some degrees associated with mining and mineral engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to mining and mineral engineering have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Some College Courses	0.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	51.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	9.4%
Master’s Degree	19.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	3.6%
Doctoral Degree	12.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.6%

Online Mining and Mineral Engineering Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	4	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	16	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Alastair Rae under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.