Mining Engineering | Mining Machinery Engineering Admission 2015

Mining Engineering is a specialized field of engineering and has gained acceptance from aspiring engineers, who want to do something different from core engineering that includes Computer Science, Mechanical or Chemical Engineering. Careers360 has presented below the Scope, Opportunities, and Top Recruiters of Mining Engineering for those aspirants, who are passionate to pursue this ‘less-walked path’.

Mining Engineering: An overview

Mining Engineering is the science of extraction and processing of essential natural minerals from the environment. The discipline involves the practice, the theory, the science, the technology, and application of extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment. Mining Engineering also includes processing minerals for additional value.

Mining Industry is witnessing growing importance of recycling and reclamation. Mining Engineering involves using the latest extraction technology that allows treatment of secondary sources like industrial & domestic waste, waste from previously mined deposits, contaminated land, etc.

Core subjects – The core subjects of Mining Engineering are as follows:

• Ventilation
• Rock Mechanics
• Mine Planning
• Materials Handling
• Drilling and Blasting
• Minerals Processing
• Ore Reserve Analysis
• Industrial Management
• Mine Cost Engineering
• Mine Health and Safety
• Environmental Aspects of Mining
• Design of Engineering Structures

Why Mining?

Ranging from making complex parts of airplanes to manufacturing paints, minerals find a variety of uses in different industries. The road we drive on or the building we live in, are all made with different minerals or their byproducts. Because of such extensive reach of minerals in our daily lives, its proper development and production has become essential. Mineral Industry needs highly trained engineers and scientists for extracting these minerals from earth without causing any harm to the environment.   

Mining activities across the world has evolved in last few decades with technological sophistications brought in mining workplaces. Now a days, all mining activities involve a lot of technological support to increase their productivity. The demand of mining Engineers has thus become very important with increasing call for technological innovation and safe mining.  With the increasing importance of mining activites, a career in mining has become a lucrative option now.

 Roles of Mining Engineer:

Mining Engineers are involved in the field work, which includes deep underground excavations as well as surface working in quarries and strip mines. Apart from that, they also plan and coordinate the operations of mining staff in order to ensure safety and efficiency. Have a glance at some of the roles of Mining Engineer-

• Mining Engineers use technology and propose mineral extraction without causing any harm to the surroundings where the extraction activity takes place.
• They carry out investigations of mineral deposits and undertake evaluations in collaboration with geologists, earth scientists and economists in order to conduct mining of mineral deposits.
• They work towards increasing the productivity with technological intervention and maintain the technology used in different aspects of mining like mineral discovery, mineral determination, surface mining, blasting, etc.
• They integrate the knowledge of geology, engineering, rock mechanics, economics, surveying and suggest new designs for mining.
• Mining Engineers prepare plans for mines, tunnels and shafts for underground operations. Using computer-aided design packages, they design plans for haulage roads for open-cut operations as well.
• They prepare the layout of mine development along with the procedure by which minerals are to be mined.

How to pursue Mining Engineering?

One has to pass higher secondary board exam from a recognized board in India with Science- Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry to pursue B.Tech in Mining Engineering. This is the minimum eligibility criteria.

Top colleges for studying Mining Engineering

IIT Kharagpur	IIT-BHU Varanasi
ISM Dhanbad	NIT Surathkal
NIT Rourkela	NIT Raipur
VNIT Nagpur	University of Petroleum and Energy Studies
Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur	Acharya Institute of Technology, Bangalore

Duration of UG degree in Mining Engineering: 4 Years, Full Time

Scope & Opportunity

• Mining is a very important part of every economy, and its importance is increasing because of the shortage of coal, petroleum, and other essential minerals. As a result, the demand for advancements in Mining Industry is bound to boost. Thus, there is a great need for human resource base in this industry.
• Mining Engineering contributes a lot in tapping a country’s natural resources and in the process helps in the growth of the economy.
• As a successful graduate of this stream, one learns to determine the profitability of a mine. They might work as supervisors, environmental, health and safety managers, mineral salespersons, and so on.
• Mining Engineers ensure safe, environmentally sound and economic extraction of minerals and resources. Thus, they have a very technical role to play and this makes them highly demanded as well as offers them reputed job profile with lucrative salary.  
• Professors / lecturers of Mining Engineering also have a very bright future. After passing post graduation in Mining Engineering plus NET exam, you can teach this subject in colleges and universities.

Top recruiters

The top recruiters for this department are mainly government and private mining organizations. Some of the top recruiters are as follows:

• Adani Mining Pvt. Ltd.
• Arcelor Mittal
• Bharat Forge Limited
• Cairn Energy
• Coal India Ltd.
• Damodar Valley Corporation
• DRDO
• Essel Mining & Industries Ltd.
• Hindustan Zinc Limited
• Neyveli Lignite Corporation
• MMTC Limited
• Uranium Corporation of India

Job Profiles

• Mining Engineer
• Mining Engineer - Granite
• Assistant Mining Engineer
• Mining Engineering Technicians
• Mining Engineer / Mine Planner
• Research Engineers- Data Mining
• Technical Consultant- Mining Industries
• Deputy Chief Mechanical - Metals & Mining

If you think that you have analytical thinking, a capacity for detail and the ability to work as a part of team and lead it, then these will be added advantages in your career as a Mining Engineer.

Mining Machinery Engineering

About Course

Mining Machinery Engineering is a very niche area of engineering which deals with the mining activities.  The program covers mechanical and electrical engineering aspects of various mining or construction machineries deployed at the underground and opencast mines in coal and non-coal sectors. Mining engineering involves the practice, the theory, the science, the technology and application of extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment. The discipline involves the practice, the theory, the science, the technology, and application of extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment. Mining engineering also includes processing minerals for additional value. Mining engineers are not only supposed to extract and process minerals but it is required of them to do the same in a responsible manner without affecting the environment due to the activity.

Core subjects – The core subjects of Mining Machinery Engineering are as follows:

• Mechanics
• Mine Development, Geo Mechanics and Ground Control
• Mining Methods and Machinery
• Ventilation, Underground Hazards and Surface Environment
• Principles of planning
• Surveying, Mine Planning and Systems Engineering

Further education – After completing B. Tech in Mining Machinery Engineering, you can opt for M. Tech and research.

Job profiles – Some of the job profiles for Mining Machinery Engineering are as follows:

• Mining Machine Operator
• Mining and Geological Engineers
• Mining Supervisor
• Mining, Environmental and health safety manager
• Mineral Salespersons

Top recruiters – The top recruiters for this department are mainly government and private mining organizations. Some of the top recruiters are as follows:

• Adani Mining Pvt. Ltd.
• Arcelor Mittal
• Bharat Forge Limited
• Cairn Energy