MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

What will it cost me to attend SDSM&T?

 

            The cost of obtaining a degree from SDSM&T is very reasonable compared to what it would cost you to get the same degree (Mining Engineering degree) at another institution that offers the degree.  The following costs apply to the 2001-2002 school year.  Using these costs, you should be able to estimate the cost of attending SDSM&T to get your Mining Engineering degree.  As a note, we do not have a “Foreign Tuition” category; a student from a foreign country pays SD Non-Resident rates.

 

Tuition Category	Undergraduate Rate/Cr. Hr.	Graduate Rate/Cr. Hr.
SD Resident	$62.40	$94.75
SD Non-Resident	$198.50	$279.30
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)	$93.60	N/A
Adjacent State (FY01)	$149.10	N/A
Adjacent State (FY02)	$93.60	N/A
Minnesota Reciprocity	$68.80	$121.40
SD Employee and SD Teacher Certification	$31.20	$47.38
ROTC and National Guard	$31.20	N/A
Students 65 years of age or older	$15.60	$23.69
Graduate Assistant	$31.58	$31.58
Self Support Classes	$142.25	$181.60

 

 

Residence Hall Fees
Over Capacity	$575.10/semester
Double Occupancy	$768.95/semester
Single Occupancy	$1,025.60/semester

 

 

Campus Dining Meal Plans
Platinum, Gold, Silver	$916.00/semester
Copper	$659.00/semester
Bronze	$520.00/semester
Titanium	$700/semester
Commuter	$50-$199.99

 

 

General Activities Fee	$13.67/Cr. Hr.
International Student Fee	$103.00 (one-time assessment)
Laboratory Course Fee	$21.65/Lab
Optional Student Health Insurance
Salary Enhancement Fee (PIF)	$15.30/Cr. Hr.
University Support Fee	$44.22/Cr. Hr.

 

 

 

 

Are all the credits I took elsewhere transferable?

 

            Credits taken at another school and submitted to SDSM&T for transfer credit will be reviewed first by the office of Academic and Enrollment Services to determine which specific courses are transferable, then by the Mining Engineering Program Director to determine which credits or courses are applicable for the degree.  That is, a number of courses and credits may transfer from another school, but only a limited number may be applicable towards the degree.  For example, SDSM&T requires 16 credits of Humanities and Social Sciences for graduation, but you may have 24 hours to transfer.  Only up to16 credits will apply towards the degree (however, the Mining Program has room for 4 credits of free electives).

 

Are scholarships available?

 

            Generally, all of our upperclassmen (sophomores, juniors and seniors) that have accumulative grade point averages (GPAs) of over 3.0 receive some scholarship support.  Additionally, scholarships are available through the local chapters of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) and the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE); and through the national chapters of SME and ISEE.  Our students in Mining Engineering have done very well in applying for, and receiving, these scholarships from the local and national chapters of our professional organizations.

 

Are jobs available for Mining Engineering graduates?

 

            Yes, many good, high-paying jobs are available to Mining Engineering graduates, with typical starting salaries of over $45,000 per year.  Our placement of Mining Engineering graduates is high, approaching 100% over the recent years.  A typical SDSM&T Mining Engineering graduate will receive multiple plant trips and multiple job offers.  The fields of choice for the graduate within Mining Engineering include:  surface mining, underground mining, hardrock mining, soft rock mining, coal mining, construction engineering, quarry mining, explosives engineering—the list goes on.  The following companies have hired SDSM&T Mining Engineering graduates during the period 1995-2000: 

 

A&M Products	Kiewit Mining
ASARCO	MAPTEK
Bentonite Corp	Morrison-Knudsen Co.
BHP Minerals	North American Coal
Cargill	Peabody Coal
Cranston Robertson	Peoplesoft
D. R. Griffith & Assoc.	Phelps Dodge
Echo Bay Mines	Placer Dome
Getchell Gold	SDSM&T Graduate School
Golden Reward Mine	Vulcan Materials
Granite Construction	Washington Group
Homestake Mining	Wharf Resources
Kennecott Energy	Ingersoll-Rand

 

Besides full-time employment after graduation, are internships available?

 

            Yes, both summer internships and co-operative internships are available.  Normally we have more requests from companies seeking co-op students and/or summer interns than we have students available.  Most of our students will have had two or more internships by the time he or she graduates.  Although some sectors of the mining industry are currently depressed (i.e., gold mining, copper mining), those sectors still continue to hire summer interns.  Other sectors, such as western coal mining, hire a significant number of our students as interns (this frequently leads to full-time employment with the company after graduation).