Mining Engineering

What is Mining Engineering

Mining Engineering is a discipline of engineering that is concerned with the technology, science, and application of minerals processed and extracted from a natural environment. Mining Engineering courses in India focus on the extraction of valuable ores. It entails a whole sequence of steps involved in mining operations- discovery, exploration, feasibility, production, processing, development, marketing and finally, restoration and rehabilitation of the land from where extraction was done.

Mining Engineering professionals locate the natural reserves of petroleum, minerals and other natural resources that are of some known use. They are then responsible for laying out the plans, inclines, device shafts or quarries- whichever is required-for the safe extraction of resources from under the surface of the earth. While planning and implementing these plans for resource extraction, Mining Engineers are also expected to keep in mind the safety, welfare and health of the workers. 

Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of Mining Engineering

Students who aspire to pursue a Bachelor degree in Mining Engineering must fulfil certain eligibility criteria, in addition to clearing the relevant entrance exams.

Some of these criteria are:

• Candidates must have cleared their 10+2 with Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry as their core subjects
• Candidates must have scored at least 50-60% marks
• Candidates who haven’t received their Higher Secondary results, but will receive them in time to produce the necessary documents for admission, can also apply for these courses. 

Aspirants who wish to pursue a Master degree in Mining Engineering must also fulfil the eligibility criteria as specified by the university. Some of the common criteria often stipulated by the university include:

• Candidates should have received a B.E. or B.Tech in Mining Engineering from a reputed institute or university,
• Candidates must have scored at least 50% during their graduation.

Entrance Exams for Studying Mining Engineering 

At the undergraduate level, students can pursue the study of Mining Engineering either through a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) or a Bachelor of Technology (BTech). Admissions to both these courses are conducted via entrance examinations. Some of the top entrance examinations conducted for these courses include: 

I.Joint Entrance Examination (JEE): The Joint Entrance Examination is conducted by the IITs and NITs as a highly competitive, national-level engineering entrance exam. Candidates who wish to pursue undergraduate engineering courses from institutes that accept JEE scores must sit for and acquire a good rank in this exam. The JEE is conducted in two steps- JEE Main and JEE Advanced. The former is open to all interested candidates who clear the basic eligibility criteria for the exam, whereas the latter can only be taken by those who have achieved the cutoff score of JEE Main.

II. West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE): A state-specific engineering entrance exam, the WBJEE is conducted for aspirants who wish to pursue undergraduate engineering courses from colleges in the state of West Bengal.

III. Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHT CET): This is another state-specific entrance exam, conducted as a prerequisite for admissions to engineering colleges in the state of Maharashtra. Conducted once a year by the Government of Maharashtra, the online examination grants admission to the eligible students into the various undergraduate engineering courses.

Candidates who wish to pursue Mining Engineering at the postgraduate level can apply for Master of Technology (M.Tech) in the discipline. While some colleges conduct their entrance exams, many accept scores from some of the top entrance exams such as: 

I. Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE): The most competitive postgraduate engineering entrance exam in the country, GATE is conducted for candidates who have completed their graduation in a science or engineering discipline and aspire to pursue a Master’s degree. Some of the top engineering colleges accept GATE scores for admissions.

II. Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test (TANCET): This is a postgraduate level entrance examination conducted by the Anna University in Chennai on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government. Students who want to pursue an M.Tech from any university in Tamil Nadu can gain admission with TANCET scores. 

Required Skillset for Mining Engineering

The industry of mining is a highly exciting, prospect-rich, dynamic field of work. To pursue a successful career in Mining Engineering, where one is indispensable and enjoys the reputation of a stellar employee, candidates should ensure to inculcate or polish important skills such as:

Communication- The work of mining engineers involves a great deal of communication, both oral and written. Excellent communication skills mean that the candidate should be able to understand written information, actively listen to others and ask relevant questions, speak with clarity for listeners to understand and write clearly to communicate information.

Reasoning and Problem Solving- Candidates should have the ability to recognise a problem’s nature, draw conclusions from several pieces of information, estimate the costs and benefits of a proposed action, identify what needs to be changed to achieve goals, make sense of seemingly unorganised information, approach a topic from creative angles to better understand and analyse them, make use of sound reasoning skills to find the solutions to problems, and eliminate distractions to concentrate on the task at hand.

Management Skills- Management skills refer to the skills one possesses in terms of time management, managing oneself in the workplace, management of things, and managing other people with whom one deals regularly. Mining Engineering aspirants must be able to manage their time well, along with the time of others who are waiting on them for certain tasks to be done, obtain the required materials and equipment required for certain tasks and oversee their maintenance and use, and finally, motivate and direct people in accomplishing some work.

Mathematical and Science skills- Engineers receive enough training to harness their mathematical ability and scientific knowledge; these skills are then required for candidates to perform quick calculations, make use of scientific methods in problem-solving, and find the appropriate mathematical formula to solve problems.