How To Become A Mine Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a mine engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. John Gierke

A mining engineer is in charge of the productivity of a mine and the extraction of deposits. It is his/her responsibility to plan and manage the extraction of minerals from both surface and underground deposits in a mine. You are to assess the economic potential of new sites and ascertain the associated risks. Mine engineers make models for production with the use of relevant computer software. You also have to ensure that extraction operations are done under health and safety standards.

A degree in geology, civil or mining engineering is needed to work as a mining engineer. Mine engineers are expected to possess strong analytical and mechanical abilities. Good communication, management, and computer skills are also required for this role. You should be able to use GPS and other computer programs for the design and management of operations. Postgraduate qualifications may increase your employment chances. Yearly, a mining engineer earns an average of $79,417.

What general advice would you give to a Mine Engineer?

Dr. John Gierke

Professor, Michigan Technological University

Interests in geology and earth processes and working outside are the common elements that all geological engineers admit are the 'draws' to the discipline. Many of our students also enjoy being a student in a small department where everyone knows each other, including the faculty. The flip side of being a small discipline is a lack of discipline-specific professional attributes, such as professional licensure. There is no geological engineering discipline-specific professional engineering exam, graduates and professionals must take the exam in a cognate discipline, like civil engineering, or in general engineering. The flip side of 'getting' to be outdoors is the travel and work in remote, sometimes harsh, environments. Lastly, the cyclic nature of commodity industries, like metals, minerals, and petroleum, sometimes results in abrupt career changes during downturns. Despite the fluctuations, however, the geological engineering discipline is broad and professionals are well prepared to apply their knowledge and skills honed in one subdiscipline to another.

ScoreMine EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $83,246

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.8

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 17.04%

Black or African American 4.31%

Hispanic or Latino 10.80%

Unknown 4.75%

White 62.82%

Gender

female 9.11%

male 90.89%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.8

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a mine engineer

Explore mine engineer education requirements

Most common mine engineer degrees

Bachelor's

80.3 %

Master's

10.6 %

Associate

3.0 %

Start to develop specific mine engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Mine Planning	9.64%
Ventilation	9.53%
Continuous Improvement	7.00%
Project Management	5.19%
Safety Standards	4.69%

Complete relevant mine engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New mine engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a mine engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real mine engineer resumes.

Research mine engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage exploration RC drilling program in a remote location.
Manage daily dragline operations and weekly repair schedules.
Conduct time-and-motion studies and performance of truck-and-shovel analysis and efficiently allocate trucks to shovels and attain optimum productivity.
Mine production 2 million TPY and 12 million CY excavate per year.

Prepare your mine engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your mine engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a mine engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Mine Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Mine Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Mine Engineer resume.

Apply for mine engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a mine engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do mine engineers rate their job?