The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is located in Rapid City. Its undergraduate mining engineering program trains students to be managers as well as engineers, with a course load that includes non-technical subject matter, such as legal and regulatory issues, labor relations, international business and finance. On the technical side, the school has a number of research and laboratory facilities, including a mine ventilation lab, a rock mechanics lab and a computer-aided mine design lab. The program is designed with the assistance of a board made up of leading industry figures.
The University of Kentucky began training mine engineers in 1866. Enrollment is limited, with small class sizes and only nine faculty members. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and financial assistance is available to qualified students through the Kentucky Mining Engineering Scholarship Program. The undergraduate program includes general courses, such as writing, calculus, physics and chemistry, as well as mining-related material, such as mine ventilation, explosives and blasting, mine design and mine plant machinery. The graduate program offers a PhD and three master's degrees
The Colorado School of Mines, in Golden, is a public research university founded in 1874. In addition to the core curriculum of science and mining courses, the undergraduate mining engineering program offers what it describes as the country's only minor in explosives and blasting. In acknowledgment of the industry's physical demands, undergrads are also required to take four semesters of physical education. A unique tradition at the School of Mines is that graduates in mining engineering receive a diploma etched on silver.
Virginia Tech's department of mining and minerals engineering is located in Blacksburg. The undergraduate program places a high value on written and spoken communications skills as an element of leadership and professional development. The core curriculum covers all aspects of mineral exploration, extraction and processing, and also trains students in environmental and conservation issues. The graduate program offers a PhD and two master's degrees.