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Mining & Mineral Engineering

Types of Degrees Mining & Mineral Engineering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Mining & Mineral Engineering can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	151
Master’s Degree	110
Doctor’s Degree	24

What Mining & Mineral Engineering Majors Need to Know

Programs in Mining & Mineral Engineering build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Mining & Mineral Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Mining & Mineral Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Mining & Mineral Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Mining & Mineral Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Mining & Mineral Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Mining & Mineral Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	—
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Mining & Mineral Engineering graduates include:

• Architectural Engineering Teacher
• Mining Teacher
• Highway Engineering Teacher
• Electronics Teacher
• Machine Design Teacher
• Lecturer
• Aeronautics Teacher
• Marine Engineering Professor
• Electronic Science Teacher
• Hydraulics Teacher
• Sanitary Engineering Teacher
• Adjunct Engineering Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Chemical Engineering Teacher
• College Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Mining & Mineral Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	36.2%
Bachelor’s degree	23.9%
Post-master’s certificate	11.6%
Master’s degree	11.2%
Post-doctoral training	10.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.3%
First professional degree	1.1%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.3%
Some college courses	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Mining & Mineral Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 80% of Mining & Mineral Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	57	20.0%
Men	228	80.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Mining & Mineral Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	143	50.2%
Asian	7	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino	23	8.1%
Black or African American	8	2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	2	0.7%
Race Unknown	10	3.5%
International Students	89	31.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Mining & Mineral Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Mining & Mineral Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$83,507
4 years	$91,559
5 years	$100,389

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $100,389 — roughly 20% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Mining & Mineral Engineering Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Mining & Mineral Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Mining & Mineral Engineering Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Mining & Mineral Engineering graduates earn a median of $91,559 four years after completion — roughly 141% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Mining and Mineral Engineering	14.21
Geological/Geophysical Engineering	14.3901
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering	14.0802
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General	14.0201
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other	14.0299
Agricultural Engineering	14.0301
Architectural Engineering	14.0401
Astronautical Engineering	14.0202
Biochemical Engineering	14.4301
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering	14.0501
Biological/Biosystems Engineering	14.4501

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.