Welcome to the mining and explosives engineering department at Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T). As one of the founding programs at Missouri S&T (then Missouri School of Mines & Metallurgy), we have been educating students for the U. S. and global mining industry since 1870. Today, we have a stellar reputation among our industry partners and other stakeholders. We offer a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering and master’s and doctoral degrees in mining and explosives engineering. Our students are diverse, coming from all over the world, and enrich each other’s learning experience with their unique perspectives. However, they share a common passion for mining and explosives - they relish the challenge of providing the crucial minerals for industrial activities (e.g., rare earth elements, copper, lithium, and construction aggregates) and working towards safe and innovative uses of explosives. The average American will use an estimated 2.96 million pounds of minerals, metals and fuels in their lifetime. The United States consumes nearly 2 million metric tons of explosives, and about 97% of these are blasting agents and oxidizers. 

Our graduates work in mines and quarries, on construction projects, in national labs and defense organizations, and for various mining and construction services and technology providers to ensure we all have the materials we need for our way of life. We’ll prepare you for employment by providing sound technical training enhanced by hands-on experience at our Experimental Mine (a 20-acre mine with two underground openings and a surface quarry) and through internships and co-ops. Our undergraduate curriculum is designed to prepare you to apply mathematics, basic engineering principles, geology and mining methods to solve mining engineering problems. Our graduate students work with our excellent faculty -- national and global leaders in their research areas -- to solve significant research problems. All major mining and explosives companies in the U. S. recruit from our program and regularly attend career fairs on the S&T campus. 

I encourage you to review the pages of this website for more information about our programs, faculty and students. If you are able to visit, please schedule a time to do so. We would be glad to show you our facilities and introduce you to the people behind our programs.

Kind regards,

Kwame Awuah-Offei

Our Programs

Mining and explosives engineering at Missouri S&T has 150 years’ experience in education and research. The department trains mining engineers to work in mines that produce critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, etc.), other metals (gold, copper, lead, zinc etc.), construction aggregates, industrial minerals (gypsum, phosphate, potash, etc.), and many other minerals. Our graduates also work on construction projects building tunnels for infrastructure needs and for companies that provide equipment and technologies to the mining sector. Our explosives engineering graduates pursue unique opportunities using explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics in mining, construction, defense, homeland security, demolition, oil recovery, fireworks, special effects and more. Salaries for our graduates start at $64,000 per year.

Explore our programs

Our Research

Mining and explosives engineering at S&T has world-renowned faculty conducting research in critical minerals, mine automation, mine ventilation, miner health and safety, mineral processing, blasting, rock mechanics, sustainability, mineral property evaluation, and traumatic brain injury and other explosives-related hazards. One-on-one mentoring is available for graduate and undergraduate students with research opportunities for all. Several important patents and other mining intellectual property originated from the S&T campus, and our programs continue to make a difference in the industry.

Explore our research