Program Overview

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Introduction to the Mining Engineering Major

The Mining Engineering Major at Virginia Tech is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in the principles and practices of mining engineering. The program aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and expertise necessary to succeed in the mining industry.

Program Requirements

The Mining Engineering Major requires the completion of a minimum of 128 semester credit hours, with a minimum overall GPA of 2.00 and a minimum in-major GPA of 2.00. The program includes a combination of core courses, major requirements, and elective courses.

Core Courses

The core courses for the Mining Engineering Major include:

• MINE 2504: Introduction to Mining Engineering
• MINE 2564: Resource Exploration and Design
• MINE 3564: Underground Mine Design
• MINE 3574: Surface Mine and Quarry Design
• MINE 3604: Mining Geomechanics
• MINE 3624: Mineral Resource Project Management
• MINE 4614: Health and Safety Systems
• MINE 4644: Environmental Management for Mining and Geoenergy

Major Requirements

The major requirements for the Mining Engineering Major include:

• ESM 2104: Statics
• ESM 2204: Mechanics of Deformable Bodies
• ESM 2304: Dynamics
• GEOS 1004: Earth Science: Our Past, Present, and Future
• GEOS 1104: Introduction to Earth Sciences Laboratory
• GEOS 3404: Elements of Structural Geology
• MATH 2114: Introduction to Linear Algebra
• MATH 2204: Introduction to Multivariable Calculus
• MINE 2534: Mine Surveying and Mapping
• MINE 3584: Ventilation Engineering
• MINE 3634: Fundamentals of Mineral Processing
• MINE 3644: Applications in Mineral Processing
• MINE 3664: Fluids and Thermodynamics for Resources
• MINE 3674: Explosives and Rock Fragmentation
• MINE 4624: Mine and Water Reservoir Engineering
• MINE 4654: Mine Power Systems and Automation
• MINE 4664: Resource Engineering Leadership Seminar

Elective Courses

The elective courses for the Mining Engineering Major include:

• BSE 4394: Water Supply and Sanitation in Developing Countries
• CEE 3104: Introduction to Environmental Engineering
• CEE 3514: Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering
• CEE 4144: Air Resources Engineering
• CEE 4264: Sustainable Land Development
• ECON 4014: Environmental Economics
• ENSC 3634: Physics of Pollution
• ENSC 4774: Reclamation of Drastically Disturbed Lands
• FIN 3104: Introduction to Finance
• FIN 3134: Financial Analytics
• FIN 3144: Investments: Debt, Equity and Derivatives
• FIN 3154: Corporate Financial Analytics and Strategy
• FIN 4144: International Financial Management
• FIN 4214: Financial Modeling in Excel
• FREC 4014: Natural Resources Economics
• GEOG 4354: Introduction to Remote Sensing
• GEOS 3014: Environmental Geosciences
• GEOS 3204: Sedimentology-Stratigraphy
• GEOS 3504: Mineralogy
• GEOS 3614: Soils
• GEOS 4164: Potential Field Methods in Exploration Geophysics
• GEOS 4404: Advanced Structural Geology
• GEOS 4634: Environmental Geochemistry
• GEOS 4804: Groundwater Hydrology
• ISE 4004: Organizational Processes and Design
• ISE 4654: Principles of Industrial Hygiene
• MGT 3304: Management Theory and Leadership Practice
• MGT 4314: International Management
• MINE 2714: Introduction to Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
• MINE 3714: Petroleum and Natural Gas Reservoir Engineering
• MINE 3724: Formation Evaluation and Engineering
• MINE 4714: Well Drilling and Completion Engineering
• MINE 4724: Petroleum and Natural Gas Production Engineering
• MSE 3304: Physical Metallurgy
• PSYC 3024: Human Behaviors and Natural Environments
• PSYC 3054: Health Psychology
• UAP 3354: Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning
• UAP 4264: Environmental Ethics and Policy
• UAP 4374: Land Use and Environment: Planning and Policy

Satisfactory Progress Towards Degree

To make satisfactory progress towards the degree, students must meet the minimum University-wide criteria, including maintaining an overall and in-major GPA of 2.0 or better. Students must also have passing grades in MINE 2504 Introduction to Mining Engineering, MATH 2204 Introduction to Multivariable Calculus, and MATH 2214 Introduction to Differential Equations.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate, students must complete at least 128 semester credit hours with a minimum overall GPA of 2.00 and a minimum in-major GPA of 2.00. In-major GPA is determined from all courses with the MINE designator.

Acceptable Substitutions

The following substitutions are acceptable:

• MATH 2405H Mathematics in a Computational Context may be substituted for MATH 2114 Introduction to Linear Algebra
• MATH 2405H Mathematics in a Computational Context and MATH 2406H Mathematics in a Computational Context may be substituted for MATH 2114 Introduction to Linear Algebra, MATH 2204 Introduction to Multivariable Calculus, and MATH 2214 Introduction to Differential Equations

Foreign Language Requirement

Students must have had 2 years of a foreign language in high school or one year at the college level (6 credit hours) of the same language. College-level credits used to meet this requirement do not count towards the degree.

Roadmap

The roadmap for the Mining Engineering Major is as follows:

First Year

• Fall Semester:
  • CHEM 1035: General Chemistry
  • CHEM 1045: General Chemistry Laboratory
  • ENGE 1215: Foundations of Engineering
  • ENGL 1105: First-Year Writing
  • MATH 1225: Calculus of a Single Variable (C-)
  • Pathways Concept 2, 3, 6a, or 7
• Spring Semester:
  • ENGE 1216: Foundations of Engineering
  • ENGL 1106: First-Year Writing
  • MATH 1226: Calculus of a Single Variable
  • MATH 2114: Introduction to Linear Algebra
  • PHYS 2305: Foundations of Physics
  • Pathways Concept 2, 3, 6a, or 7

Second Year

• Fall Semester:
  • MINE 2504: Introduction to Mining Engineering
  • MINE 2534: Mine Surveying and Mapping
  • GEOS 1004: Earth Science: Our Past, Present, and Future
  • GEOS 1104: Introduction to Earth Sciences Laboratory
  • ESM 2104: Statics
  • MATH 2204: Introduction to Multivariable Calculus
• Spring Semester:
  • MINE 2544: Leadership for Responsible Mining
  • MINE 2564: Resource Exploration and Design
  • ESM 2204: Mechanics of Deformable Bodies
  • ESM 2304: Dynamics
  • MATH 2214: Introduction to Differential Equations
  • Pathways Concept 2, 3, 6a, or 7

Third Year

• Fall Semester:
  • MINE 3604: Mining Geomechanics
  • MINE 3624: Mineral Resource Project Management
  • MINE 3634: Fundamentals of Mineral Processing
  • MINE 3664: Fluids and Thermodynamics for Resources
  • MINE 3674: Explosives and Rock Fragmentation
• Spring Semester:
  • MINE 3564: Underground Mine Design
  • MINE 3574: Surface Mine and Quarry Design
  • MINE 3584: Ventilation Engineering
  • MINE 3644: Applications in Mineral Processing
  • GEOS 3404: Elements of Structural Geology
  • Pathways Concept 2, 3, 6a, or 7

Fourth Year

• Fall Semester:
  • MINE 4614: Health and Safety Systems
  • MINE 4624: Mine and Water Reservoir Engineering
  • MINE 4635: Mining Engineering Capstone
  • MINE 4654: Mine Power Systems and Automation
  • MINE 4664: Resource Engineering Leadership Seminar
  • Technical Elective
  • ENGE 3900: Bridge Experience
• Spring Semester:
  • MINE 4636: Mining Engineering Capstone
  • MINE 4644: Environmental Management for Mining and Geoenergy
  • GEOS 4624: Mineral Deposits
  • Technical Elective
  • Pathways Concept 2, 3, 6a, or 7

The total credits required for the Mining Engineering Major are 128.