The minor in Mining Engineering offers a specialized program for students in many other broad-based, technical majors, such as those in engineering or science. The demand for professionals with the training and skills for a career in the minerals- and energy-recovery profession far exceeds the supply. Mineral exploration and evaluation, mine development, marketing, health and safety, environmental protection, and mine management are all areas of industry employment. It is recommended that students wishing to pursue this minor come from an engineering or science major.
As a result, the selection of this minor can provide additional career options for students in a wide range of offerings at Penn State.
What is Mining Engineering?
Mining engineers are driven by the need to extract materials required for daily life while being stewards of the environment. They enjoy working in an often out-of-the-office setting where each day presents unique engineering challenges. The work can take place in the field—a surface or underground mine—or in an office setting, using cutting-edge technology and software simulations to plan solutions to problems facing mining companies. Wherever mineral deposits exist—in remote areas or close to cities—the special skills of mining engineers are needed. Worldwide, mining companies extract more than 100 different commodities that are used in nearly every industrial sector, from transportation to manufacturing to agriculture to health care to defense. There’s a saying in the mining industry: if it can’t be grown, it has to be mined! Being a mining engineer puts you at the forefront of this critical part of the economy.
You Might Like This Program If...
You want to work in an out-of-the-office setting.
You are a “hands-on” problem solver and like to get your hands dirty, both literally and figuratively.
You want to apply different engineering disciplines to your problem solving, and prefer to not be focused on just one.
You want to join a high-tech industry that provides the basic building blocks, minerals and other materials, used in nearly every industry today.