Bachelor of Mining Engineering at Pennsylvania State University
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    Bachelor of Mining Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America
    United States of America, University Park
    University Rank:#82
    Bachelor of Mining Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University offers the Bachelor of Mining Engineering as a full-time degree delivered on campus at its Main Site, Any Penn State Campus, and University Park campuses in United States of America. Taught in English and completed over 4 years, the program equips students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for mining engineering and related professional fields. The next available intake begins on June 1, 2027.

    About Bachelor of 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 a field where each day presents unique engineering challenges.The work can take place in  the  field–often in an out-of-the-office setting such as 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.

    Mining contributes to nearly 15 percent of the U.S. and 25 percent of the global economy. Mined products are significant and critical inputs to food production, manufacturing, construction, and electricity supply, and each year every person in the U.S. requires an average of 38,500 pounds of new minerals to equip and power their day-to-day activities. Over 14,000 mines distributed throughout the U.S. supply the majority of these mined products.

    The Penn State Mining Engineering program prepares students for a career in the industrial minerals, metals, and energy industries that sustain the domestic and global economies. Importantly, the program provides an emphasis on sustainable mining through integration of environmental health and safety, and societal responsibility principles in the design and operation of mineral enterprises.

    Graduates of the program will be prepared to work domestically or internationally to develop and operate mines; or to work in supporting activities including engineering consulting, banking, equipment development and supply, regulatory enforcement, and research. This is accomplished primarily through the curriculum, but is enhanced by an internship program, which allows qualified students to obtain practical experience through structured employment opportunities in the private and public sectors. 

    The curriculum is built on the foundation of mathematics, science, and general education common to engineering majors at Penn State. The courses specific to this major are designed and sequenced to provide an appropriate blend of theory, application, and design. The required courses help to provide the enabling skills for graduates to work in any facet of the vast minerals industry, and technical electives allow for in-depth study of more specialized topics. The general education opportunities are sufficiently broad and diverse in nature and scope to enable the student to tailor the educational experience to particular interests, backgrounds, and expected roles in society.

    Student-Trainee Program

    An internship program and a five-year work-study plan are available to incoming students in Mining Engineering. Numerous mining and manufacturing companies, as well as government agencies, cooperate with the University to offer structured employment opportunities during the student's academic career. In addition to earning significant funds to help finance their education, these opportunities provide valuable practical and professional experience prior to graduation. The internships normally take place in the summer, and the B.S. degree can be earned in four years. The work-study plan consists of alternating six-month periods of employment and schooling, and requires five years to earn the B.S. degree. Additional information can be obtained from the department.

    1. Within three to five years after graduation students are expected to be advancing in their career in the minerals industry and adapting to new situations and emerging problems, through the application of general engineering-science skills and the core technical problem-solving and design practices of the mining engineering profession, with an understanding of the need for lifelong learning.
    2. Within one to three years after graduation, students are expected to be communicating effectively.
    3. Within one to three years after graduation, students are expected to be functioning effectively as individuals or as members of teams.
    4. Upon graduation, students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of mining to society, realizing that, in contemporary society, attention to safety and health, responsibility to the environment, and ethical behavior are required without exception.
    5. Students are expected to prepare for and attain licensure as a Professional Engineer after graduation, if so desired.

    Student Outcomes

    Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. The Mining Engineering program is designed to enable students to:

    1. Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
    2. Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
    3. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences
    4. Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
    5. Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
    6. Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
    7. Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

    Disciplines

    Earth and Mineral Sciences

    Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Mining Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Entry Requirements

    Penn State requires the submission of specific academic credentials to complete your application. Review the secondary and post-secondary requirements for your country below.

    If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

    Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

    After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

    After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

    All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

    If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

    If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

    • Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
    • Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

    English Requirements

    • IELTSMin 6.5
    • TOEFLMin 80

    Career Opportunities after Completing Bachelor of Mining Engineering

    The demand for mining engineers routinely exceeds the supply, and our graduates often have a choice of career paths.

    Companies that actively mine are the largest employer, and seek graduates for production, engineering, and management-trainee positions. Manufacturers of mining equipment employ design and application engineers from our program, as do consulting engineering firms. Government agencies focused on safety, the environment, and research employ many mining engineers. Some are employed in rather unexpected places including banks that finance mining projects and the military. Internships are an important part of the undergraduate program experience, and many of our students complete two or three summer internships with mining companies.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE MINING ENGINEERING PROGRAM

    Opportunities for Graduate Studies

    A relatively small number of mining engineering graduates pursue graduate education; but doing so adds additional career opportunities at government and private research labs, and in academia. Often underappreciated, however, is that broadening and deepening the level of technical skills is valuable in the engineering and production career paths in addition to the obvious value for a career in research. In this regard, developing specialties in a particular facet of mining engineering or expanding into interdisciplinary areas can be particularly rewarding. Some mining engineering graduates pursue graduate degrees in law or business administration.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

    Professional Resources

    • Mining Society Student Chapter
    • International Society of Explosives Engineers Student Chapter
    • The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
    • National Mining Association
    • The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers
    • International Society of Explosives Engineers
    • The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association

    Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Mining Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Application Fee 75

    How to Apply for Bachelor of Mining Engineering at Pennsylvania State University

    Step 1: Choose Your Application Method

    Apply through MyPennState

    The first step of the application process is to create a Penn State account, if you do not have one already. MyPennState is where future students can access the online application.

    If you are new to MyPennState, you will need to establish a Penn State User ID and password, which you will access during the MyPennState profile creation process. Once you have your log in information, you can sign in to begin work on your application.

    When creating the profile, please use the name that is on your passport. Because materials are filed alphabetically under the family name on the application, it is important that all correspondence and records consistently use the same name (family and given) and spelling. If this name does not match your academic records, please notify us of the difference. Please note: In the U.S., the family name is usually referred to as the last name, and the given name is referred to as the first name.

    Additionally, Penn State requires a current, valid email address, as that is our primary means of communication with international students. To ensure deliverability, please make Penn State (psu.edu) an eligible sender to the account.

    Applying through the Common App

    Applying to Penn State via the Common App is available to first-year (freshman) international students. If applying through the Common App, Penn State will create a MyPennState profile when the application is submitted and you will receive instructions on how to access your profile. If you intend to apply with the Common App, you do not need create a MyPennState profile prior to submitting your application.

    Step 2: Access the Application and Review Important Dates

    While you can create a MyPennState profile at any time, the application for admission becomes available on the following dates:

    Fall/Summer Admission: August 1

    Spring Admission: June 1

    The application submission dates vary by applicant type and intended program of study. Some programs have specific deadlines or admissions requirements. Please refer to our Dates & Deadlines for more information about application deadlines, as well as our Admissions Requirements to review information about any additional materials required for your intended program of study.

    Step 3: Start Your Penn State Application

    If applying through MyPennState:

    Click Apply Online to start your Penn State application. 

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR), unless otherwise directed. You will be directed to enter information about your secondary school coursework. Please have a copy of your secondary school records as you complete SRAR. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. You will need to enter every grade for every course you have taken in the last three years, as well as your current schedule of classes.

    Students educated in South Korea will not complete SRAR. The document requirements for South Korea can be found by reviewing our International Credential Requirements.

    After this section, you will be directed back to the Penn State application to complete the Program of Study portion. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for either first-year students or transfer students.

    After this portion, you will provide some additional application information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If applying through the Common App:

    Complete the Common App, which will then direct you to MyPennState to complete SRAR. Applicants using the Common App may feel that they provided their high school record via the Common App, but Penn State requires the completion of SRAR via MyPennState. We strongly encourage you to obtain an official copy of your high school transcript to ensure accurate entry of your coursework completed and grades earned. The SRAR will include all of your high school coursework from your last three years of work and your current year schedule. If your final year grades are available when you enter SRAR, you can enter them at that time.

    Step 4: Submit Your Application

    The application requires a nonrefundable application fee of $75 for international students. Be sure to complete the last step after Summary and Review, which finalizes payment of your fee, and be certain it is successfully submitted. Once the application is submitted, you can verify its completion by accessing your MyPennState profile.

    Step 5: Submit Required Application Materials

    In order to complete your Penn State application, we need the following materials:

    • Application
    • Secondary school record
    • Post-secondary school records (if applicable)
    • First-year applicants only: Official test scores: SAT (code #2660) or ACT (code #3656)

      Writing Component and Subject Tests

      Please note: The writing component of standardized tests (SAT or ACT) is not required. The writing component will not be used as part of our evaluation. If your test scores include the writing component, by all means, have those scores sent to Penn State. Additionally, we do not require SAT Subject Tests.

    • English language proficiency, if your native language is not English

    Please see the admissions requirements for international students to review the details about the required application materials. Some programs require additional items to complete your application. Please review our Admissions Requirements for those details.

    Penn State does not require letters of recommendation, nor are they used in a student’s evaluation (unless required for a specific program).

    Step 6: Check Your Application Status in MyPennState

    You can always check the status of your application in MyPennState. We will communicate with you via MyPennState and through a series of emails regarding the missing items for your application. When everything has arrived, you will see a status in MyPennState confirming the completion of your application.

    Please note: It is your responsibility to check on the status of your application and send us any missing materials.

    Step 7: Receive Your Admission Decision

    Once we have reached a decision regarding your application, we will update your status in MyPennState and provide a printable PDF of your decision letter. Review our Dates & Deadlines to see when you should expect your decision.

    If accepted, you can accept your offer of admission in MyPennState to begin the process of becoming a Penn State student. Visit our Accepted Students section to review the next steps in this process. Once you accept your offer of admission to Penn State, those students completing SRAR will submit their official records for validation purposes as soon as possible.

    Bachelor of Mining Engineering at Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America

    United States of America, University Park

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