Graduates are employed in all branches of the minerals industry that utilise surface and underground mining methods, including base and precious metals, industrial minerals, oil and coal, drilling and undersea mining. In addition, some graduates work in international mine finance or planning and others specialise in tunnelling in civil engineering projects. The Mining Engineering degree provides the traditional all rounder for any branch of mining. Mine and Quarry Engineering students initially follow a joint programme with the mining students, but then take more specialised quarrying modules. Students following this path may find employment in any branch of mining and would be ideally suited to the quarrying industry.
All students attend surveying field courses in their second year.
Between the second and third years they spend at least eight weeks working in the mining industry, often overseas. An industrial tour takes place in the final year. The role of the minerals engineer is to extract valuable minerals and metals from mineral resources, using a combination of physical, chemical and biological techniques. Recycling and reclamation are becoming increasingly important and improvements in extraction technology now allow the treatment of secondary sources, such as the waste from previously mined deposits, industrial and domestic waste, and despoiled land. In many cases it is possible to develop processes which greatly reduce waste production and minimise environmental impact.