colorado school of mines degrees

Flexible, In-Demand STEM Education at Mines

Colorado School of Mines appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Technologically Advanced Small Colleges.

Ranked the U.S. News & World Report’s 32nd top public college, the Colorado School of Mines applies a scientific inquiry-based approach for delivering 21 bachelor’s, 48 master’s, and 30 doctoral majors, including seven online programs, at a 16:1 student-professor ratio. For example, the Petroleum Engineering B.S. drills into a 137.5-credit curriculum in Marquez Hall with Reservoir Characterization Lab projects, Montanuniversität Leoben trips, and the Chevron Short Course Series. Chaired by Dr. Thomas Gennett, the 133.5-credit Chemistry B.S. lets undergrads specialize in Environmental Chemistry, intern at Argonne Laboratory, pledge Phi Lambda Upsilon, and attend the Leadership Summit.

Online via Canvas, the Space Resources M.S. builds a 30-credit Web sequence of 500-level, 16-week Colorado School of Mines classes like Aeronautical Systems Engineering plus In-Situ Resource Utilization Lab projects for 93 percent job placement at NASA affiliates. Since January 2019, the Mining Engineering Management M.P. headed by Dr. Jurgen Brune has capped cohorts at 20 for a 33-credit, ABET-accredited online track toward upper-level positions at Bechtel, Kiewit, Monsanto, Newmont Gold, and more.

Other degrees include the Economics B.S., Metallurgical Engineering B.S., Computer Science B.S., Applied Math M.S., Electrical Engineering M.S., Hydrology Ph.D., and Geophysics Ph.D.

About the Colorado School of Mines

The Colorado School of Mines originated in October 1870 when Protestant Episcopal Church leader Rev. George Maxwell Randall opened the Jarvis Hall Collegiate School on C.C. Welch’s land. In 1876, it was publicly acquired by the 38th state’s new government. In April 1878, it was merged with Matthews Hall by Thomas Lloyd Bellam. After a fire, Chemistry Hall became the first building on the present 373-acre Golden campus near Lookout Mountain in 1880. Twenty-six years later, the Colorado School of Mines was born with the world’s first experimental mine. In 1946, Mines notably started one of the West’s earliest petroleum refining departments. From 1964 on, CSM has hosted the Colorado Energy Research Institute’s Oil Shale Symposium. By 2019, the Colorado School of Mines beat Harvard as Lumosity’s fourth brainiest college.

Endowed for $286.1 million, the Colorado School of Mines now employs 625 tenured faculty to train 6,268 Orediggers from 80 countries for 92 percent retention online or in Golden with 260+ clubs like Dance Team. In 2018, Mines received the Sigma Pi Sigma Honor Society Chapter Project Award. Mines received the first NACDA Division II Award of Excellence for Community Engagement in 2007 too. The Wall Street Journal ranked CSM among the world’s top 300 universities. Forbes placed the Colorado School of Mines 117th nationally with the 62nd most research impact. On Niche, CSM has America’s 26th best engineering degrees, 74th top mathematics programs, and 88th best computer science courses. Money Magazine also labeled Mines the 140th top value with a 20-year PayScale ROI of $909,000.

Colorado School of Mines Accreditation Details

On August 15, 2013, the Colorado School of Mines was delivered a formal letter from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA) Institutional Actions Council that reaffirmed the maximum Level VI accreditation until 2022-23 under its 17th president, Dr. Paul C. Johnson, who earned the Brown and Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award in Remediation. Located 1,013 miles east via Interstate 80 in Chicago, Illinois, this giant 19-state Great Plains Region accreditor is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and Colorado Department of Higher Education. Particularly, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has accredited Mines since October 1, 1936. The Chemistry Department founded in 1952 has full approval from the American Chemical Society (ACS) too.

Colorado School of Mines Application Requirements

Entering the Colorado School of Mines is classified “very difficult” by Peterson’s because just 6,228 of the 12,661 Fall 2017 applicants were okayed for 49 percent acceptance. First-year Orediggers must verify the completion of a college-prep high school course of study. This usually entails four years each of English, Math, and Science. GPAs above 3.0 are expected since 3.81 is the average. Freshmen present a median 1400 New SAT, 1990 Old SAT, and 31 ACT score. International F-1 visa holders need at least 20 Reading, 21 Listening, 17 Writing, and 21 Speaking marks on the TOEFL iBT. Transfers must hold 24+ accredited credits, including Calculus I and Physics I, with GPAs above 2.75. The Office of Graduate Studies seeks high-achieving Bachelor of Science STEM majors with 3.0 GPAs or greater. Most advanced programs request a minimum 160 Quantitative and 151 Verbal GRE score.

The Colorado School of Mines has freshman deadlines of November 1st for Early Decision and March 1st for Regular Decision. Incoming transfers must file by October 15th for Spring or May 1st for Fall starts. The Office of Graduate Studies has published varying dates by program though. For instance, the Online Space Resources M.S. has a July 1st cutoff. Online Mining Engineering Management M.P. cohorts apply between March 1st and September 1st. Accordingly, submit the $45 ($75 if graduate) Mines Application online. Have official transcripts sent to 1812 Illinois Street in Golden, CO 80401. Select institutional code 4073 for SAT, TOEFL, or GRE score reporting. Supplemental items include the 500-word statement of goals, three typed recommendations, résumé or curriculum vitae, research paper, and immigration visa. Pose further questions to (303) 273-3000 or [email protected].

Tuition and Financial Aid

For 2018-19, the Colorado School of Mines charged full-time Colorado B.S. majors $16,650 each year. Non-resident undergrads paid annual tuition of $36,270. Mandatory fees were $2,314 yearly. Part-time baccalaureate study incurred $1,209 per credit. Residing at the Golden campus’ dorms like Bradford Hall added $13,169 for room and board. CSM budgeted $1,500 for textbooks, $1,215 for personal expenses, and $650 for transport. Annual bachelor’s attendance equaled $35,503 in-state and $55,118 out-of-state. The Office of Graduate Studies billed Coloradoans $952 and non-residents $2,015 per credit. Online programs like the Space Resources M.S. cost everyone $999 per credit. The Mining Engineering Management M.P. has a $32,967 two-year price tag.

According to the NCES College Navigator, the Financial Aid Office at Ben Park Center on 16th Street gets 72 percent of Mines Orediggers striking gold with median assistance of $10,224 for $33.93 million combined. University funds include the Path Ambassadors to High Success Scholarship, Thorson First-Year Honors Scholarship, Boettcher Foundation Scholarship, Transfer Scholarship, Athletic Scholarship, DeFilippo Family Scholarship, James Darden Scholarship, Bill DePuy Memorial Scholarship, Richard DeVoto Scholarship, Philip Dickson Memorial Scholarship, and Pamela Edrich Memorial Scholarship. The Colorado Resident Merit Scholarship gifts $5,000 yearly to freshmen with minimum 3.5 GPAs and 1490 SAT scores. The Harvey Scholars Program has a November 1st priority deadline for full-tuition awards. FAFSA applications coded 001348 judge Federal Pell Grant, Opportunity Grant, Direct Loan, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, and Work-Study Program eligibility. Colorado aid like the CSG Award, Daniels Opportunity Scholarship, and Stephen Marchello Scholarship also help.

Learn more about the Colorado School of Mines at its Online Learning Division website.