Mining & Mineral Engineeringat Colorado School of Mines
Graduates earn $83,309/yr in their first year — about 1.0% below the national Mining & Mineral Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $1,040K; scenarios range from $879K to $1,097K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines’ program is a global leader in a highly specialized field. While the sector's demand can fluctuate with global commodity prices, your education here is uniquely valued, rooted in Colorado's rich mining history and strong industry ties. Employers like Newmont, Rio Tinto, and smaller consulting firms actively recruit from this program, seeking engineers prepared for challenging, often field-intensive roles in exploration, extraction, and safety across diverse mineral resources.
The "high" AI risk reflects the industry's rapid adoption of automation and data analytics, transforming roles rather than eliminating them. You'll work with advanced geospatial tech, remote sensing, and predictive modeling. To thrive, immerse yourself in practical experience through internships and co-ops, focusing on integrating emerging technologies with your foundational engineering skills. This hands-on expertise, combined with CSM's reputation, is your key differentiator.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Colorado School of Mines's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Mining & Mineral Engineering
How Colorado School of Mines stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Colorado School of Mines
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Colorado School of Mines, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mining & Mineral Engineering at Colorado School of Mines
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Mining & Mineral Engineering at Colorado School of Mines?
This program scores 70/100 — a respectable number in isolation, but it ranks in the bottom half of Mining & Mineral Engineering programs nationally. The field is competitive, and stronger options exist.
Will AI replace Mining & Mineral Engineering careers?
With 47% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $879,392 in decade earnings vs $1,096,819 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.