The mining engineering program in the department of mining & explosives engineering offers the graduate certificate, master of engineering (M.E.), master of science (M.S.), doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) and doctor of engineering (D.E.) degrees in mining engineering. The M.S. with thesis and Ph.D.degrees require research components for program completion. The core research strengths include surface mining methods and heavy mining machinery, mine ventilation and mine atmospheric control, explosives engineering, sustainable development and mine optimization, rock mechanics and ground control, minerals, coal and materials processing, minerals and energy economics, and underground mining methods and equipment. Graduate students in any of these programs must consult the graduate degree requirements in mining engineering, the graduate catalog of Missouri S&T and their respective advisors.
The graduate certificate program requires 12 credit hours in core courses. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00/4.00 to receive the graduate certificate in mining engineering. The ME program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, offered via distance (online). The required credit hours include 15 core credit hours, 12 credit hours in technical electives and 3 credit hours for a semester project. The mining engineering program offers an M.S. degree with thesis for onsite students and an M.S. by coursework option for distance students. The M.S. degree with thesis option requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, including the required research for the thesis. The program requirements must include a minimum of 6 credit hours of 6000-level lecture courses, 6 credit hours of courses outside the major field, and 6 credit hours for thesis research. M.S. candidates must pass a final oral examination of the thesis to complete the program. The M.S. degree by coursework option requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, including a minimum of 9 credit hours of 6000-level lecture courses and 3 credit hours for a semester project. The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 3 years of full-time study beyond the bachelor's degree, including research work for the dissertation. Ph.D. candidates must complete at least 15 credit hours of course work at Missouri S&T and are required to pass the qualifying, comprehensive and final oral examinations of the Ph.D. program. The D.E. degree requires a minimum of 3 years of full-time study beyond the bachelor's degree, including research work for the dissertation. D.E. students must pass the qualifying, comprehensive and final oral examinations and must also satisfy an engineering internship requirement.