Mining and Mineral Engineering Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Mining and Mineral Engineering maps to BLS occupations averaging about $114,867, with roughly 69,280 workers nationwide in those roles. Median program completion runs near 57%; median in-state published tuition is about $12,643.
Key Statistics
Mining and Mineral Engineering: what the data shows
Common questions about mining and mineral engineering degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a mining and mineral engineering degree?
A Mining and Mineral Engineering program is classified under NCES CIP 00.1421 in the 00.0014 field family (00.14).
IPEDS counted 285 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of mining and mineral engineering degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.14 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (CIP 00.1402)
- Agricultural Engineering (CIP 00.1403)
- Architectural Engineering (CIP 00.1404)
- Biochemical Engineering (CIP 00.1443)
- Biological/Biosystems Engineering (CIP 00.1445)
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering (CIP 00.1405)
- Ceramic Sciences and Engineering (CIP 00.1406)
- Computer Engineering (CIP 00.1409)
- Construction Engineering (CIP 00.1433)
- Electrical and Computer Engineering (CIP 00.1447)
- Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (CIP 00.1410)
- Electromechanical Engineering (CIP 00.1441)
- Energy Systems Engineering (CIP 00.1448)
- Engineering Chemistry (CIP 00.1444)
- Engineering Mechanics (CIP 00.1411)
- Engineering Physics (CIP 00.1412)
- Engineering Science (CIP 00.1413)
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (CIP 00.1414)
- Forest Engineering (CIP 00.1434)
- Geological/Geophysical Engineering (CIP 00.1439)
- Industrial Engineering (CIP 00.1435)
- Manufacturing Engineering (CIP 00.1436)
- Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering (CIP 00.1442)
- Metallurgical Engineering (CIP 00.1420)
- Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (CIP 00.1422)
- Nuclear Engineering (CIP 00.1423)
- Ocean Engineering (CIP 00.1424)
- Operations Research (CIP 00.1437)
- Paper Science and Engineering (CIP 00.1440)
- Petroleum Engineering (CIP 00.1425)
- Polymer/Plastics Engineering (CIP 00.1432)
- Surveying Engineering (CIP 00.1438)
- Systems Engineering (CIP 00.1427)
- Textile Sciences and Engineering (CIP 00.1428)
What do you learn in mining and mineral engineering?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Troubleshooting, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Complex Problem Solving, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a mining and mineral engineering degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Mining and Mineral Engineering to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 293,930 | $100,070 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a mining and mineral engineering degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $12,643 and median net price is $15,844.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Mining and Mineral Engineering and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$12,643 Median In-State Public
$69,045 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Mining and Mineral Engineering majors are, on average, $12,643 for in-state public colleges, and $69,045 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Mining and Mineral Engineering programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
285 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Mining and Mineral Engineering from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Mining and Mineral Engineering.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Arizona | AZ | 40,769 |
| 2 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | 31,588 |
| 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | 30,435 |
| 4 | University of Utah | UT | 26,041 |
| 5 | University of Kentucky | KY | 23,189 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Mining and Mineral Engineering programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana Technological University | MT | $8,050 |
| 2 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | AK | $8,640 |
| 3 | University of Nevada-Reno | NV | $8,994 |
| 4 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | NM | $9,058 |
| 5 | Utah State University | UT | $9,228 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Mining and Mineral Engineering programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | NM | $8,265 |
| 2 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | AK | $9,634 |
| 3 | Utah State University | UT | $12,869 |
| 4 | West Virginia University | WV | $12,997 |
| 5 | University of Utah | UT | $13,172 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Mining and Mineral Engineering programs.
Graduation Rates
56.95% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
57.64% Average Graduation Rate
144 Institutions Reporting
43.28% - 72.24% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Mining and Mineral Engineering programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.14 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering CIP 00.1402
- Agricultural Engineering CIP 00.1403
- Architectural Engineering CIP 00.1404
- Biochemical Engineering CIP 00.1443
- Biological/Biosystems Engineering CIP 00.1445
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering CIP 00.1405
- Ceramic Sciences and Engineering CIP 00.1406
- Computer Engineering CIP 00.1409
- Construction Engineering CIP 00.1433
- Electrical and Computer Engineering CIP 00.1447
- Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering CIP 00.1410
- Electromechanical Engineering CIP 00.1441
- Energy Systems Engineering CIP 00.1448
- Engineering Chemistry CIP 00.1444
- Engineering Mechanics CIP 00.1411
- Engineering Physics CIP 00.1412
- Engineering Science CIP 00.1413
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering CIP 00.1414
- Forest Engineering CIP 00.1434
- Geological/Geophysical Engineering CIP 00.1439
- Industrial Engineering CIP 00.1435
- Manufacturing Engineering CIP 00.1436
- Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering CIP 00.1442
- Metallurgical Engineering CIP 00.1420
- Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering CIP 00.1422
- Nuclear Engineering CIP 00.1423
- Ocean Engineering CIP 00.1424
- Operations Research CIP 00.1437
- Paper Science and Engineering CIP 00.1440
- Petroleum Engineering CIP 00.1425
- Polymer/Plastics Engineering CIP 00.1432
- Surveying Engineering CIP 00.1438
- Systems Engineering CIP 00.1427
- Textile Sciences and Engineering CIP 00.1428
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $114,867. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Mining and Mineral Engineering graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,062 | 136,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $188,333 | 75,710 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $53,312 | 43,640 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $74,538 | 53,520 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | $58,116 | 36,880 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $131,986 | 293,930 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$136,006 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Mining and Mineral Engineering majors is $136,006.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Mining and Mineral Engineering majors.
Occupations by Share
69,280 2023 Workforce
The number of Mining and Mineral Engineering graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Mining and Mineral Engineering by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Mining and Mineral Engineering in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Mining and Mineral Engineering.
Age distribution for Mining and Mineral Engineering degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Mining and Mineral Engineering degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Mining and Mineral Engineering degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Mining and Mineral Engineering are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Mining and Mineral Engineering.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Mining and Mineral Engineering field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Mining and Mineral Engineering majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Mining and Mineral Engineering majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Mining and Mineral Engineering majors.
About
Mining and Mineral Engineering
In 2023, 285 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Mining and Mineral Engineering.
CIP Code
00.1421 - Mining and Mineral Engineering
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $114,867. The largest mapped role by headcount is Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (136,390 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $12,643 in-state at public colleges and $69,045 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.