Executive Summary (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.

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 14.2100 in the Mining and Mineral Engineering field family (00.14).

IPEDS counted 151 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:

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 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.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians136,390$78,680
Computer Hardware Engineers75,710$155,020
Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters43,640$39,270
Brickmasons and Blockmasons53,520$60,800
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians36,880$52,080
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products293,930$100,070

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a mining and mineral engineering degree worth it?

About 0.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.

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

151 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

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Mining and Mineral Engineering programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

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.

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.

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

Program outcomes (College Scorecard)

National medians across bachelor's programs in the Mining and Mineral Engineering CIP family (n/a programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Mining and Mineral Engineering graduate.

  • $101,390 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
  • 0.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)

Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.

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, mapped occupations (OEWS)

Occupations mapped to Mining and Mineral Engineering average $136,006 a year in the BLS OEWS extract.

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, 151 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Mining and Mineral Engineering.

CIP Code

14.2100 - 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.