The graduate program is designed to educate mining and minerals engineers for higher level and challenging efforts in research, development, design, industry, university teaching, and government. The various areas offered are flexible to provide specialization in particular phases of mining and minerals engineering or to provide a broad general training. Graduate research may be pursued in the field of rock mechanics, ground control, equipment evaluation, systems analysis, health and safety, mineral processing, coal preparation, conservation, mining environment, mining ventilation, and mineral economics. Because of the close location of the university to the extensive number of operating mines and facilities of the central Appalachian coal fields, an opportunity is provided for qualified individuals to pursue a part-time graduate program. Graduate students are generally supported by assistantships, fellowships, federal traineeship grants, departmental grants, and the departmental hourly payroll.
Graduate students play an important role in the sponsored research program active in the department.
The student is provided the opportunity to participate in creative research projects and to produce results that have potential for dissemination by publication in the literature. The facilities of the department include laboratories for rock mechanics, mineral processing, coal preparation, surface chemistry, electrochemistry, comminution, sizing analysis, image analysis, electrostatic separation, environmental control, mine ventilation, systems analysis, health and safety, chemical analysis, and necessary shop facilities. The facilities in health and safety and mining ventilation laboratories include capability for gas detection, dust analysis, and noise monitoring, a series of wind tunnels, fans, and airflow monitoring equipment and micro-computing facilities. In addition, an entire suite of coal analysis equipment is available for determining proximate analysis, sulfur, Btu and ash fusion temperature. Graduate students in the department have exclusive access to numerous terminals within the department which allow use of the university's computer systems.