Mining Engineering, B.S.

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Contact Information

Dr. Lance Roberts
Professor and Department Head
Mining Engineering and Management Department
MI 235B
(605) 394-1973
E-mail: Lance.Roberts@sdsmt.edu

Faculty

Professors Kliche, Roberts, Tukkaraja, Brickey, Wyatt and McCormick.

Adjunct Faculty

Dr. Ivy Allard and Mr. Rick Chancellor.

Mining Engineering

The mining engineering program, introduced as a new program in 2003, is designed to better meet the needs of the mining industry. It combines traditional mining engineering education with selected management-related concepts in order to better prepare the graduates for the modern mining industry.

Mining engineering is the application of engineering and scientific principles to the discovery, appraisal, and extraction of minerals from the Earth and sea. The Department of Mining Engineering and Management takes traditional mining engineering education one step farther by including management-related education in the curriculum.

The curriculum provides students with fundamental training in the basic sciences, engineering sciences, engineering design, geology, the humanities, and mining engineering. Principles of mine operations, mine planning, mining technology, advanced 3-D design and modeling, rock mechanics, explosives technology and computer applications receive special emphasis. Key management-related concepts are introduced at all levels of the curriculum.

Significant design experience is built into the curriculum and is enhanced by the use of sophisticated 3-D design software in many of the mining courses. Teamwork is stressed in the program. As students work together in small, specialized teams during many of the laboratory exercises and to complete the final capstone design project. The students present their final design project both orally and in written form.

The mining engineering degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org, 415 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201; Phone +1.410. 347.7700.

Mining Engineering Program Objectives

The program in mining engineering is designed to meet the changing needs of the mining industry all over the nation and the world by providing graduates who are technically sound in mining engineering and can progress quickly through supervision and into management.

The curriculum has been designed to meet accreditation requirements in mining engineering. The core mining engineering curriculum provides technical training in areas such as rock mechanics, mine ventilation, ore reserve evaluation, mine design, explosive application, mining equipment selection, mining method selection, and mine land reclamation. The curriculum also includes a strong emphasis on management-related topics: health and safety, economics and finance, labor relations, project management, environmental management, international business, and communication skills.

The educational objectives of the program are:

Graduates from the mining engineering program will have the analytical, technical and mine design abilities necessary to work effectively in the field of mining engineering and will be informed of recent technical advances in the field.
Graduates from the mining engineering program will be cognizant of societal issues and their role as future professional engineers working for the general benefit of society.

Professional Development

Students in the program are encouraged to become student members of their primary professional organization-the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME). Upon graduation, they are further encouraged to continue professional membership in SME. In addition, the students can become student members of the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE). Both SME and ISEE have local chapter meetings, which students are encouraged to attend.

During their senior year, students in the mining engineering program are encouraged to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination. Passing the FE examination is the first step toward registration as a Professional Engineer (PE). The second and final step in the registration process is the successful completion of the Professional Engineering examination, which is normally taken at least four years after graduation.

The mining engineering program participates in a cooperative education program that provides an opportunity for students to combine coursework with meaningful work experience in industry. Participating companies in the program provide jobs for students during semesters scheduled for work. A student in the cooperative program should plan on four and one half to five years to graduate.