South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
— Science and Engineering since 1885 —
Geological engineering is the development and conservation of natural resources in ways useful to humankind. Geological engineers work in the areas of
Using natural material properties for design is a normal part of their work. These fields have job growth of 12 percent above the national average. The geologically complex Black Hills are the furthest eastward extension of the Laramide Rocky Mountains with rocks as old as 2.7 billion years. It is centrally located with respect to some of the largest energy and mineral provinces in the western US. The recently launched Energy Resources Initiative is designed to provide scientific and engineering solutions to these industries. Coupled with research opportunities at the Sanford Underground Research Laboratory, SD Mines is the ideal location to study this unparalleled natural lab.
$65,178*
Average Starting Salary
75% of Mines students gain real-world experience through internship and co-op opportunities at an average salary of over $17 an hour at 240 employers in 39 states. Geological engineering majors also conduct research at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, and SD Mines' Engineering Mining Experiment Station.
The geology and geological engineering department runs one of the largest summer field camp stations in the United States with opportunities to study in the Black Hills, Denver Basin, Death Valley, Turkey, Nepal, Iceland, Hawaii, the Galapagos Islands, and India.
Among the Geology/Paleontology research facilities at SD Mines are the James E. Martin Paleontology Research Laboratory and the Museum of Geology:
All SD Mines undergraduate engineering programs are accredited by ABET