Mining Engineering: A career in mining exploration and extraction

Introduction Image: 

Mining engineering is a very interesting field of extracting and processing minerals and resources from a naturally occurring environment. Many other engineering disciplines are used with mining engineering to effectively finish the task of extracting and processing of resources like metal ores, coal etc.     

Valuable ores are extracted from the ground for processing and utilization through exploration and discovery. The task is further completed through various stages till finally reaching to land restoration and rehabilitation.

Being a mining engineer, the individual is assigned the task of locating natural reserves of minerals, petroleum, and other useful natural substances. Mining engineers learn lessons of drilling and blasting, rock mechanics, mine ventilation, ore reserve analysis, mine planning, and minerals processing to help recover the essential mineral from the earth.     

A mining engineer is entrusted with the task to secure and economically viable development of mines and other surface and underground operations. 

Scope 

Mining engineers have a wide range of opportunities from both private & public sectors of the mining industry. Mining engineers with a fine understanding of basic sciences, engineering, and economic principles will find it easier to get placed by many companies.  

Mining engineers are supposed to liaising with engineers, geologists and other staff to ensure smooth functioning of entire operations. All underground activities have to be monitored alongside keeping detailed records. Mining engineers have to aptly plan for transition from surface to underground mining operations. The task of costing and scheduling supplies would be managed by mining engineers. 

Mining engineers can make career as a consultant with many private and government companies. They would be employed as production manager in mines. The designation of Mine Manager would also accrue to them at the same time. 

The job profile like Mining Investment Analyst and Petroleum Engineer would be attained after completing courses in Mining engineering. Mining engineers are deployed at mining centres. Sometimes, they’re also given the task to supervise tunneling.  

Mining companies initially employ mining engineers at the mining centres where minerals are extracted. Even civil engineering construction companies employ mining engineers to supervise tunneling. 

Job Prospects 

Mining engineers can get jobs with some high-profile government and public sector organizations, like:  

• The Indian Bureau of Mines

• Geological Survey of India

• Coal India Ltd

• IPCL

• Neyvelli Lignite Corporation

Those with academic bent of mind can follow into teaching and research after completing the courses. 

Courses and Eligibility criteria

Any academic programme of mining engineering will include the aspects like metallurgy and geology, planning, design, construction, operation, & maintenance of mines, their safety, & excavating & transport of minerals. 

A course of BE / Btech would have to be done to become a mining engineer. For this 4 years course, students would have to finish class XII with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics or equivalent. 

Institutes for Mining Engineering 

There are many institutes of mining engineering evenly spread across India. You can take up a 4 year degree course from any of them after passing the entrance exam. Few of the most famous one are:  

• MVS Engineering College, Hyderabad 

• Regional Engineering College (REC) Warangal 

• IIT Guwahati 

• Vinoba Bhave Institute of Technology, Dhanbad

• Regional Engineering College (REC) Jamshedpur 

• IIT Delhi 

• Regional Engineering College (REC) Kurukshetra

• IIT Mumbai

Pay-Package

Mining engineers enjoy the highest start-up salaries among the existing engineering profession in India. Any fresh pass put from any average engineering college can easily rake up between Rs.15,000 and Rs.25,000.    Fresh graduates from IITs and NITs even command far higher salaries than their other engineering colleges’ students.