Exactly How Big Can Small Be?
A small university with a big outlook, our size means an academic environment founded on collaboration, not competition. It means more individual attention, and better access to available resources for each of our graduate students.
What Sets Us Apart
- Our emphasis is on the individual graduate student, beginning with the proper match among interests, programs, and faculty advisors and continuing with a sustained commitment for the student's development as a scholar, researcher, and practitioner.
- Our size guarantees access to distinguished faculty, classes, and resources. Here, you will study and work side-by-side with respected teachers and researchers as new questions are generated and novel solutions are produced. Graduate students at the School of Mines are more than spectators of the education and research process, they participate in it!
- Our graduate programs provide options that allow graduate students to gain a wider variety of experiences and skills. For example, students are encouraged to participate in inter-disciplinary research that can improve their ability to work effectively in team-based projects, to pursue off-campus internship programs with industry and government, to take additional courses to enhance their communication and computer skills, etc.
- Our tradition of training future engineers and scientists for employment by the private sector, in addition to academe and the government, is congruent with employment trends.
- Our strengths at the School of Mines lie not only in the opportunities described here, but also in our underlying commitment to excellence in education, research, and service. Whereas we strive to readily adapt to the demands associated with the increasing rate of change; our tradition of excellence will remain intact.
A Reputation for Excellence
The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is well-known in academic and industry circles for the quality engineering and science education we provide, and our reputation continues to grow. It's fostered by the impact our many distinguished alumni have in their fields and at the companies they work for. It is also evident by the quality and number of national and international companies - in industry, consulting, government, health and education - who recruit our students for employment. Employers of recent MS and PhD graduates include Barrick Gold, Boeing, Burns & McDonnell, Caterpillar, Dow Corning, Microsoft, NOAA National Weather Service, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, RESPEC, Space X, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Union Pacific Railroad, and US Geological Survey.
Research That Makes a Difference
In addition to preparing students for successful careers as scientists,
engineers, and leaders, the School of Mines is also a regional powerhouse of
research and development, attracting millions in research funding
every year. Such initiatives -- powered by the multifaceted skills and talents of our
undergraduate and graduate students and accomplished faculty -- allow us to
continue our proud, century-old tradition of providing leadership within
academia, industry, and government, both locally and nationally.