Mining Engineering in Western Australia

Mining is the process of taking things from the ground. Any material that cannot be grown must be mined. Mining things from the ground is called extraction. Mining can include extraction of metals and minerals, like coal, gold, silver, platinum, copper, and iron. Mining can also include other things like oil and natural gas.

Some mining is done by scraping away the soil (dirt) from the top of the ground. This is called strip mining. Some mining is done by going deep underground into a mine shaft. Some mining, such as gold mining, is done in other ways. Gold can be mined by searching in the bed of a creek or other stream of water to remove the flakes of gold. This is called panning or placer mining.

Mining is the only way to extract coal, a vital source of energy. These mines can be strip mines, or they can be hundreds of feet in the ground. Underground mining is a dangerous job. Many coal and copper mines have accidents. Several coal miners die every year from accidents. Safety rules and special safety equipment is used to try and protect miners from accidents.

Mining Engineering is a gateway to one of the most diverse range of graduate career paths and have the opportunity to work in a range of technical, management, financial, corporate and government fields.
In general, mining engineering is concerned with the safe, economic and environmentally responsible recovery, processing, marketing and financial management of mineral resources. In order to be able to undertake these tasks, mining engineers are required to have a broad education that incorporates aspects of many other disciplines. These disciplines include geology, civil and mechanical engineering, metallurgy, commerce, economics, management, law and information technology.

Students take courses in blasting/explosives, rock mechanics, economics, surface and underground mining methods and many other branches of mining, business and environmental issues as well as core engineering courses in mechanical, civil, electrical and chemical engineering. Computers are applied throughout the program, as in the industry.