Bachelor of Applied Science in Mining Engineering

First year: All UBC Engineering students complete a common, foundation year consisting of courses in general engineering, math, chemistry, and physics.

Second year: The “engineering science” year with courses in mathematics, statistics, earth science, fluid, solid and soil mechanics, and electric circuits. Mining students are introduced to the basic concepts of mining, mineralogy, and mineral processing.

Third year: Development of skills in applying engineering science to mining and mineral processing systems. Application areas include rock mechanics, surface and underground mine design, physical mineral processing methods, and flotation. Modeling and simulation methods are introduced.

Fourth year: More advanced applications in underground mine ventilation, rock mechanics design, mineral process control, automation, mine waste management, and mine environmental engineering. In a two-term capstone course you will work in a team on a real design project.

Electives: There are 15 credits of elective courses available in third and fourth year. These include block cave mining, strategy and management, mine finance, precious metals processing, indigenous peoples and mining, materials handling, and maintenance engineering. You can also take courses from other engineering or science departments.

Complementary studies: These are 20 credits of courses taken in all degrees in Applied Science. Courses include technical communications (6), humanities or social science (6), engineering economics (3), impact of technology on society (3), and engineering law and ethics (2). A maximum of three credits in a language course can be used to satisfy the humanities and social science requirement. A language course is recommended for mining students since it is a global industry. Details at Course Planning – Engineering Academic Services (ubc.ca)

The undergraduate program is shown in a picture here.

Coop: This is available to all engineering students and provides up to 20 months of paid, relevant engineering work experience during your degree. The details are given at Prospective Students – Engineering Co-op (ubc.ca) Mining companies across Canada provide a variety of coop work opportunities for mining students.

Minors and options: These are described at Minors and Options | UBC Engineering. Although these take more time to complete (ranging from one term to a year) they are an excellent way to incorporate significant (i.e., not introductory) content into your degree. In the past mining students have done the Commerce Minor, the Arts (Economics) minor, and one did a dual degree in Visual Arts and Engineering. A Data Science minor should be available in 2021.

Educational & Fun: Every year, the 4th year graduating class plans and raises funds for a field trip to a mining region somewhere in the world. In the past destinations have included Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Nevada, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. A lot is learned on these trips about how the mines operate in different countries.