Mineral Resources Engineering M.Sc.
Key Info
Basic Information
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Start of Studies:
- Winter Semester, Summer Semester
- Standard Period of Studies:
- 4 semesters
- ECTS Credits:
- 120Mehr Informationen
What does that mean?
ECTS are credit points that measure the workload of one's studies.
- Language:
- German or English
Admission Requirements
-
First university degree, required qualifications according to the examination regulations
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What does that mean?
A first recognized university degree, through which the necessary education background for the Master course of study can be proven. The necessary knowledge needed in order for studies to be successful is determined in the respective exam regulations (PO).
-
Proficiency in German or English
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What does that mean?
You must provide documentation of your language skills for the language of instruction at the time of enrollment. The exam regulations stipulate the relevant requirements.
Admission to First Semester
- Open
No NC
Admission to Higher Semesters
- Open
No NC
Dates and Deadlines
This degree program is being discontinued. The last chance for students to enroll will be the 2024 summer semester. After that, the course of study will be replaced with the new Master of Science Program in Sustainable Raw Materials and Energy Supply.
Sustainably supplying people with mineral resources is an important task for the present and future. Specialists are needed to develop efficient mining and preparation methods as well as intelligent recovery systems, in order to ensure sustainable handling of the Earth's resources. Graduates from the field of mineral resources and disposal engineering contribute greatly to making sure the following generations' need for mineral resources can be met.
Bachelor graduates from the mineral resources field or other engineering disciplines can use a Master's program to go from being an all-around generalist to a specialist: Specialization fields such as mining and recycling are offered. Students advance the knowledge and skills they gained in the Bachelor studies Sustainable Resources and Energy Supply with the specialization fields mining and recycling to work on complex technical and organizational problems. Law and management courses contribute to this advancement.
Students become intensively familiary with their specialization in two years. In an additional internship they are able to implement what they learned in their studies early on. Mineral resource engineerings begin their professional careers equipped with comprehensive technical knowledge, experiences in project and team work, and the awareness for technical and business questions in the mineral resources industry.
Characteristics of a RWTH Aachen Course of Study
The Master's coures of study offers extraordinarily individual and intensive teaching with possiblities early on to participate in current research projects. It teaches not only theoretical knowledge. Practical know-how is also very important. During the studies there are regularly scheduled excursions to selected located and companies. This allows students to work on and advance technical content on site. Whether they are heading to Brazil, Canada, Chile, the USA, or Sweden, the possibilities for students in mineral resources engineering are broad. Due to excellent supervisory relationships, Master's students gain intensive glances at current research projects and participate in them. An initial overview is avaiable on the website Research Projects.
Degree Content
This course of study consists of a mandatory and elective component and a specialization. The foundation is formed by the mandatory section, which all students complete together. An elective block enables students to select courses from a catalogue. Although the elective component only makes up 20 percent of the Bachelor course of study, it makes up 80 percent in the Master's studies. A set curriculum is completed in the selected specialization.
Degree Content
Mandatory Component
Mineral raw materials and sustainability, non-technical elective, law
Specialization: Mining
Mineral resources engineers specializing in xxtraction study the detection of deposits, extraction of minerals using environmentally compatible and economically feasible technology, and the legal requirements governing mineral extraction. They decide which extraction methods to use in individual projects, and develop efficient extraction systems. Students learn about the characteristics of resources, occupational health & safety, geodata management, marketing the resources extracted, as well as fundamental legal and economic knowledge. Mineral resources engineers specializing in sustainable extraction design underground structures and tunnels in special civil engineering, work as development or sales engineers of machinery manufacturers, as blasting engineers for explosives manufacturers, or they work for business consulting firms.
Mineral resources engineers specializing in the mine surveying elective survey deposits and infrastructures using modern metrology methods, they document and assess geo- and basis data using geoinformation systems, and work on potential georisks in minerals extraction. When choosing the specialization in process technology, students will concentrate on designing and modelling processing systems and deal with the actual processing or conditioning of mineral raw materials.
Students specializing in sustainable extraction or the mine surveying elective can additionally obtain the prerequisites for subsequent training in the German civil service (Assessor des Berg- oder Markscheidefachs). Learn more about this specialization here
Specialization: Recycling
Mineral resources engineers specializing in recycling work on recycling secondary raw materials. Among others, they are responsible for modeling processing processes as well as designing and commissioning processing systems and plants, they develop and optimize conversion technologies for plastics and paper and recycling of valuable metals such Fe/Ne metals.
In addition, mineral resources engineers are experts in bio- and geoenergy, and they can also handle sustainable energies such a methane and geothermal energy.
Specialization: Repository Safety (held in English)
Germany has phased out nuclear power generation. The challenge of safely disposing of the radioactive waste from the operation and dismantling of nuclear power plants remains. In Germany, repositories in deep geological formations are planned for this purpose. The safe disposal of radioactive waste is one of the greatest challenges facing society worldwide. In Germany alone, this project will take almost 100 years to complete.
The final storage projects in other countries are similarly complex – and there is a lack of well-trained junior staff. Young, responsible scientists must urgently be trained by focusing on excellent and comprehensive education in all aspects of final disposal – in Germany and the international job market.
The English-language specialization Repository Safety expands the topic of sustainable handling of raw materials and energy sources to include the aspect of protecting future generations from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation from radioactive waste.
Study Abroad
Students in the Mineral Resources Engineering M.Sc. course of study have the option of participating in the independent "European Mining Course" Master program. EMC is organized by three universities: RWTH Aachen, MU Leoben and Aalto University in Helsinki. This four semester program is held in English. The Master students participate in classes at several universities during the first three semesters. During the last semester, they will study at one of the partnering university of their choice that will then also confer their dual degrees (M.Sc.) on them. The intense contact among students and with companies during the EMC is an important component of this program and provides a good opportunity to get to know potential employers. The division website Study Abroad has specific information about EMC - European Mining Course. The MoveOnline Exchanges database is helpful if you want an overview of all of RWTH Aachen's exchange programs.
Internships and Practical Experiences
Students in the Master's course of study must complete 40 additional days of a practicum in addition to the 60 internship days during Bachelor's studies. The internship guidelines are part of the examination regulations (Anhang3). Places to complete the practicum depend on the specialization. Additional information on the division's website
Excursions
The division regularly offers excursions that make it possible to experience mineral resource extraction, preparation, and recycling on site. The website Excursions offers a glance.
Prerequisites
The prerequisite for admission to the program is an initial university degree. The required academic background is described in the exam regulations. The determination on whether or not the admissions requirements are met is made by the examination board.
You can find more information about the prerequisites on the divisions website.
Career Prospects
Resource-extracting and -processing industries (mineral oil, natural gas, coal, geothermal energy, ores, precious metals)
Due to their interdisciplinary, academic education and training, graduates of the Mineral Resources Engineering M.Sc. course of study often work in management of companies in the resources industry, environmental technology, or in the energy sector. In addition, they can also assume regulatory, expert and consulting functions in the resources industry. They can now also increasingly be found in business consulting firms, insurance companies or banks. Due to an enormous demand for expertise and modern technology in the resources industry, mineral resources engineers are currently highly sought after all over the world.The division's website Graduate Portraits illustrate interesting career paths.
Module Handbook and Examination Regulations
The module handbook provides a description of all modules of a degree program and offers a comprehensive insight into the program contents.
The examination regulations are comprised of legally binding provisions on learning objectives, prerequisites for study, the course structure and processes, and examination procedures.
Regulations that generally apply to all Bachelor's and Master's degree programs, including information on language proficiency requirements, can be found in RWTH's General Examination Regulations. These general regulations are further specified and complemented by the subject-specific examination regulations.
If two examination regulations are valid for a degree program during a transition phase, the most current version shall apply to students enrolling in the program for the first time.
Please note that only the German examination regulations are legally binding.
Module Handbook
Subject-Specific Examination Regulations
RWTH's General Examination Regulations
Faculty
The Masters's course of study in Mineral Resources Engineering is offered by the Division of Mining Engineering, Mineral Processing, and Recycling in the Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering.