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A Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) endorsed Mining Engineering program provider. |
What is Mining Engineering about?
Mining Engineering is a multi-faceted discipline that offers a broad range of career paths that include mine management, corporate management, financial analysis, merchant banking and consulting.
It is concerned with the safe, economic and environmentally responsible recovery, processing, marketing and financial management of mineral resources.
Therefore, the undergraduate degree program includes element from a number of disciplines, such as geology, commerce and management. This means that graduates can work in sectors both within and outside the minerals industry. To get some idea of what our graduates do, seen Graduate Stories or see the second page of our poster "proven prospects."
What do Mining Engineering graduates do?
Mining Engineering offers a diverse range of career paths, very high salary levels and excellent opportunities for career progression. This is because it is a truly global profession with opportunities to work around the world in a diverse range of activities involving technology, people, business, equipment, financial resources, community and government.
Graduates with a degree in mining engineering tend to be very versatile and can progress rapidly both within the mining industry and in those sectors affiliated to the industry. They have contributed to the continual growth and development of the minerals industry, making it one of the most efficient and productive in the world.
Within the mining and quarrying industries, opportunities exist to work in
- technical roles such as planning and design engineers
- production roles such as supervisors and mine managers
- business development roles such as project managers and marketing
Because of the scale and efficiency of the mining industry in Australia, there are strong links with ancillary industries which offer important career opportunities. These industries include:
- Engineering design and technology
- Consulting in mine design, corporate management, risk management, financial evaluation, feasibility studies, geotechnical design, and environmental assessment
- Geotechnical engineering
- Tunnelling and infrastructure development
- Computer software development
- Environmental engineering
- Merchant banking, financial industry and equities market
- Risk management
- Project management
- Mining suppliers such as explosives and equipment manufacturers
- Government policy planners, administrators and regulators
- Education and training
- Research
What are the profiles of some of your graduates?
The mining engineering program attracts a diverse range of students. On average, 16% of the student population are women, although this has increased to 30% in recent years. Interestingly, the program has attracted a near equal proportion of people with an interest in music and the arts.
The diversity of career paths is illustrated by some of the past graduates:
- Graham Terrey (1972), Director, Safety and Environment, NSW Dept Minerals Resources.
- Bruce Hebblewhite (1974), Professor, University of New South Wales.
- Mitch Jakeman (1977), Managing Director, Capricorn Coal, Qld.
- Bob Cameron (1978), Managing Director, Centennial Coal, NSW
- Greg Combet (1981), Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
- Col Weatherstone (1982), Ex Mine Manager, President, BHP Coating Steel, Wollongong, NSW
- Neil Alston (1992), Churchill Fellow, Mine Manager, Munmorah Colliery, Lake Munmorah, NSW
- Rebecca Scott (1992), Rhodes Scholar. Consultant with McKinsey Management Consultants
- Bryan Quinn (1993), Manager Business Development, BHP Billiton Coal, Wollongong, NSW.
- Dave Oliver (1993), Mine Manager, Mandalong Mine, Lake Macquarie, NSW.
- Clare Larkin (1994), Churchill Fellow. Financial Analyst, Ord Minnett
- Liz Wall (1998), Rhodes Scholar, Environmental Research Officer, CSIRO
- Sandy Hayward (1998), University Medallist, Mining Engineer with Anglo Coal
- Gavin Wyatt (1999), Operations Supervisor, Penrith Lakes Scheme, NSW
- Heather Galvin (2001), University Medallist, Mine Planning Engineer, C&A, Hunter Valley, NSW
- Richard Metzner (2001), Mine Planning Engineer, Boral Quarries.
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What are the starting salaries of Mining Engineering graduates?
Graduates with a degree in mining engineering are consistently in the top ten percentile of salaries for new graduates. The figure below compares the starting salaries for a range of professional courses over a three year period.
There was a near 100% employment rate of new mining engineering graduates from UNSW who were seeking employment in 2001 – not all graduates want to begin their professional career immediately, some want to have some time out travelling.
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Why study Mining Engineering at UNSW?
Mining Engineering is one of the three foundation disciplines at UNSW. The School of Mining Engineering at UNSW rates as one of the largest and most vibrant centres of tertiary mining education in the western world.
In 1999, the School was described by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) as “one of the best centres of mining engineering education in Australia”. It was invited to be one of the three Schools to collaborate with the MCA to deliver world-class undergraduate and postgraduate education in Mining Engineering.
In 2001, the Institution of Engineers, Australia, accredited all Engineering programs at the University of New South Wales. Mining Engineering was singled out as ‘exemplary’.
The School of Mining Engineering has a strong research base with strong links to industry. The academic staff are drawn from all sectors of industry and have strong practical, educational and research experience that is integrated into the course.
Unlike some other disciplines at university, the School of Mining Engineering has a modest student base averaging thirty students in each year of the undergraduate program and a further forty students in various postgraduate programs. This makes for a more collegiate environment where learning and social activities are intermixed.
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Why scholarships are available?
There are a number of scholarships available to assist students in the undergraduate program at UNSW. Some of these scholarships target students specifically enrolled in Mining Engineering whilst others more broadly encourage students undertaking Engineering.
A few of the major scholarships include:
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The UNSW Co-Op Program. Provides an annual stipend of approximately $12,000 plus organised industrial training with a sponsoring business each summer vacation. Available over the duration of the undergraduate course and subject to satisfactory progress. Several scholarships are awarded each year to students entering the program.
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The Faculty of Engineering Rural Scholarships Program. Annual stipend of $8000. Available over the duration of the undergraduate course subject to satisfactory progress. Several scholarships are reserved for students entering the Mining Engineering program. The scholarship aims to encourage prospective students in engineering from rural and isolated areas of NSW.
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The AusIMM Minerals Industry Scholarship. Annual stipend of $5000. The Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy provides scholarships to students interested in pursuing studies in the minerals industry & is available to students entering Year 3 of the program.
Scholarships are also provided to students from a range of companies associate with the mining industry.
Other scholarships also available include:
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The Malcolm Chaiken Scholarship. Stipend of $15,000 and open to students entering the first year of undergraduate study in Engineering or the Sciences.
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The Alexandria Ada Lam Scholarship. A scholarship to encourage a female student to enrol in a Bachelor of Engineering program.
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The Ben Lexen Sports Scholarships. Open to students with an outstanding sporting ability.
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The Matthew James Reid Scholarship. Open to students from interstate.
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The W.S. and L.B. Robinson Scholarship. Open to students who completed their schooling in Broken Hill.
Further information on the conditions and entry requirements for each of the above scholarships as well as a comprehensive listing of all scholarships available can be found at http://www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au/.
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What degrees options are available?
A number of combined or double degrees programs are available in conjunction with the Bachelor of Engineering in Mining at The University of New South Wales. Some of these programs include:
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Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering) / Bachelor of Science. This is intended to provide flexibility for students who may wish to supplement their education with studies in the Sciences such as computer science, geology, environment science, metallurgy and psychology.
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Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering) / Bachelor of Arts. A program to allow students to undertake additional studies in the Arts such as a language and music.
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Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering) / Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering). A program to allow students to combine knowledge from the two similar engineering disciplines.
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Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering) / Master of Engineering Science. A program for high achievers to fast track combined undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering) / Master of Engineering. A program for high achievers who wish to combine their undergraduate qualifications with postgraduate qualifications in research.
Additional combined degrees are being designed with other disciplines as well as program that accelerate postgraduate studies in science and engineering. Certain entry requirements are associated with these combined programs over and above that for the single degree.
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What are the entry requirements necessary to enrol in the program?
While the academic standard for entry into the mining engineering program is in line with similar engineering programs offered at UNSW, the program tends to attract a range of students many with high potential.
Just as the range of graduate career possibilities is immense, so is the demand for graduates from high flyers to engineers with a solid, strong performance.
The range in talent and performance is no better illustrated than in intake statistics in recent years. While the University Admission Index (UAI) minimum has hovered at about 76, over 50% of our first year students usually have a UAI in excess of 90 while in 2001 the median UAI reached 94.
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What do I need to do to enrol in Mining Engineering at UNSW?
Details on entry to the program can be found at UNSW Future Students website. Information is provided for both local and international students.
Local Students. In the ordinary course of events, persons who are domiciled in Australia and interested in enrolling in the Mining Engineering program should apply through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC). The UAC processes applications from all local students. Applications usually close in late September for enrollment in the next academic year beginning in March of the following year. Further information on the enrolment process can be found at www.uac.edu.au.
International Students. In the case of international students, you apply direct to UNSW. Information for interested international students can be found at UNSW International website. The UNSW Foundation Year is a program option for those international students who do not meet the minimum academic entry requirements.
The School also has an agreement with the University of Newcastle and soon with the University of Tasmania which allows students enrolled in the Mining Transfer program to transfer to UNSW after successfully completing the first two years of the undergraduate program in Civil Engineering.
Consideration may also be given for advanced standing in the program to students in other disciplines and/or at other educational institutions. Students should apply in the normal manner through UAC. Consideration is made on a case-by-case basis with exemptions usually provided for science and engineering courses of a similar nature and extent to those in the mining engineering program at UNSW that have been successfully completed for up to the first two years of the program.
For further information contact the Director - Undergraduate studies.
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What are the entry requirements necessary to enrol in the program?
While the academic standard for entry into the mining engineering program is in line with similar engineering programs offered at UNSW, the program tends to attract a range of students many with high potential.
Just as the range of graduate career possibilities is immense, so is the demand for graduates from high flyers to engineers with a solid, strong performance.
The range in talent and performance is no better illustrated than in intake statistics in recent years. While the University Admission Index (UAI) minimum has hovered at about 76, over 50% of our first year students usually have a UAI in excess of 90 while in 2001 the median UAI reached 94.
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