According to the Society of Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration’s (SME) 2016 Guide to Minerals and Materials Science Schools, 427 students graduating from U.S. mining schools received mining engineering degrees in 2015. This is a 20 percent increase from 356 graduates in 2014.
The report adds that mining is one of a handful of sectors projected to add jobs at a fairly constant rate over the next 20 years, and that there has been a noticeable increase in the number of graduates in mining programs. In addition, SME reports the industry demand for qualified graduates to enter the workforce intensifies as vacancies are created by professionals reaching retirement age.
According to SME, its guide serves as a valuable tool for mining companies and industry recruiters in evaluating candidates to fill job vacancies. It’s also used by stakeholders to track mining-related enrollment and graduation rates of U.S. schools with mining engineering curriculums.
SME is a professional nonprofit society with more than 15,000 members serving the mining, minerals and underground construction industries in more than 100 countries.
The 2016 SME Guide to Minerals and Materials Science Schools is available for purchase online.
