Quick answer: Mining engineering is taught at a small number of universities, usually in mining regions, and involves field and laboratory work that does not transfer to distance delivery. Mining and geological engineers earn a median $106,220 per year, or $51.07 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The credential runs through a ABET-accredited bachelor’s in mining or geological engineering.
Mining Engineering at a Glance
Measure
Value
Median annual wage
$106,220
Median hourly wage
$51.07
Employed nationally
6,080
Bottom 10 percent
$67,490
Top 10 percent
$169,990
Middle half
$85,280 to $136,590
Projected change, 2024-34
0.7%
Annual openings
about 400
Wage and employment figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Growth and openings: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34.
What Do These Programs Actually Look Like?
Mining engineering is taught at a small number of universities, usually in mining regions, and involves field and laboratory work that does not transfer to distance delivery. Some programs offer online master’s or certificate options for working professionals, but the bachelor’s is campus-based.
Where This Sits on the Ladder
This degree sits above credentials many readers already hold. The rungs run:
Heavy equipment operator or miner - runs the equipment and works the face
Mining engineer - ABET-accredited degree, plans the extraction and owns ground control
How Fast Is the Field Growing?
Employment is projected to change by 0.7% between 2024 and 2034, with roughly 400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Openings come from growth and from replacing people who leave the occupation, which is why the annual figure can look large relative to the percentage.
The Credential That Actually Matters
Mining engineering uses the standard state Professional Engineer framework - ABET-accredited degree, NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination, experience, PE exam - and licensure is somewhat more common here than in other industrial disciplines because of the public-safety weight of ground control and ventilation design. Federal mine safety regulation through MSHA governs operations independently of any individual license.
Separately from any programmatic accreditation, the institution should hold accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor. Credit transfer between institutions is decided by the receiving school and genuinely varies, so get any transfer evaluation in writing before enrolling.
What Does the Job Involve Day to Day?
Mining engineers plan how a deposit is extracted safely and economically: mine design and sequencing, ground control and stability, ventilation, equipment selection, and the safety systems that federal regulation requires. Geological engineers work on the characterization side. The work is split between mine sites, which are remote by definition, and engineering offices.
What You Will Study
Coursework covers geology and rock mechanics, mine design and planning, ground control, ventilation, mineral processing, mine surveying, explosives engineering, and health and safety regulation, with field sessions at operating mines. The ventilation and ground control sequences are where the public-safety responsibility of the discipline concentrates.
Cost, Time and Whether It Pays
This site does not publish tuition figures, because there is no sourced dataset behind them and the number varies enormously by institution and residency. What can be stated is the wage structure the degree leads into. The middle half of mining and geological engineers earn between $85,280 and $136,590, with the bottom 10 percent at $67,490 and the top 10 percent at $169,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is the honest range to plan against - not the median alone, and not the top figure.
Where Do These Roles Pay Most?
State
Median annual wage
Employment
California
$158,130
520
Oklahoma
$131,660
90
Utah
$125,520
230
Alaska
$124,630
300
Idaho
$123,680
110
Highest-paying states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living is not held constant, so a higher median does not automatically mean more disposable income.
Where the Jobs Are
State
Employment
Median annual wage
Arizona
690
$102,130
Colorado
670
$96,820
California
520
$158,130
Nevada
470
$107,500
West Virginia
440
$97,960
Largest employing states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment concentration and pay do not track each other. State and metro pages linked below carry the full distribution.
What to Weigh Before Committing
This is the smallest occupation covered on the site and the page should not pretend otherwise: 6,080 mining and geological engineers nationally, roughly 400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34), and growth of 0.7%. BLS publishes usable data for only about half the states and very few metros, which is why the geographic pages below are far fewer than other programs here. Work is at mine sites, which are remote, and the industry is cyclical with commodity prices. Against that, pay is strong at a median of $106,220 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), competition for graduates is limited because few programs exist, and employer sponsorship is comparatively common.
How to Choose a Program
There are few programs, so the practical question is which campus and which commodity focus - coal, hard rock and industrial minerals lead to different employers. Confirm ABET-EAC accreditation. Ask about field sessions and industry placements, which drive hiring in this field. If you already work at a mine, ask whether the employer supports study, as sponsorship is comparatively common here.
Licensing and Credentialing
The national framework is the constant: a ABET-accredited bachelor’s in mining or geological engineering, then the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination administered through NCEES. What sits on top of that framework is set jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and this site does not hold a sourced dataset of per-state rules, so confirm the specifics with your state engineering licensing board and MSHA before enrolling.
Questions to Ask an Admissions Office
Ask these before an application fee, and get the answers in writing rather than over the phone:
Is the program currently with accreditation from ABET-EAC, and has its status changed in the last three years?
How are laboratory, field or practical requirements satisfied in any online or hybrid format?
Which prior coursework, certifications or documented work experience transfer in, and will you evaluate that in writing before I enroll? Transfer is decided by the receiving institution and genuinely varies.
What is the total time to completion for someone in my situation, and where were recent graduates hired?
Colleges Offering This Degree
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Not at the bachelor's level in practice. Programs are campus-based with field and laboratory sessions, and there are few of them. Some universities offer online master's or certificate options for people already working in the industry.
How much do mining engineers make?
The national median annual wage for mining and geological engineers is $106,220, or $51.07 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The bottom 10 percent earn $67,490 or less and the top 10 percent earn $169,990 or more, across 6,080 engineers nationally.
Is mining engineering a good career?
It pays well and competition for graduates is limited because few programs exist. The trade-offs are real: remote work locations, a cyclical industry tied to commodity prices, and projected growth of 0.7% through 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34) on a very small base.
Can a miner or equipment operator move into mining engineering?
Yes, and site experience is valued because ground conditions and equipment behavior are already familiar. The degree is campus-based and demanding, but employer sponsorship for existing workers is comparatively common in this industry.
Do mining engineers need a PE license?
More often than in some industrial disciplines, because ground control and ventilation design carry public-safety weight. The path runs through an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination, experience and the PE exam. Confirm with your state engineering licensing board.
What is MSHA?
The Mine Safety and Health Administration, the federal body that regulates mine safety. Its requirements govern mine operations independently of any individual engineering license, and safety regulation is a substantial part of the engineering job.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, SOC 17-2151 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2024-34.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
