Graduate Certificates in Mineral Exploration

Program Description:

The Graduate Certificate Programs in Economic Geology and Exploration Methods outlined below are each 12.0 credit hours. Up to 3.0 credit hours can be at the 400-level and the remainder will be 500- or 600-level as listed below. Courses counted towards the completion of one Certificate may not be double counted towards the completion of a second Certificate. Two Certificates may be counted towards the completion of a Professional Master’s Degree in Mineral Exploration.

Certificate in Economic Geology: (12 credits)

Skills development:

1. Ore deposit models
2. Geochemistry of mineral deposits/hydrothermal geochemistry
3. Geochronology and isotope geochemistry
4. Structural geology
5. Petrology/petrogenesis
6. Field mapping

Students working towards a Graduate Certificate of Economic Geology are required to take at least 6.0 credits out of the following courses, courses cannot be used in fulfilling the requirements of other Certificates:

Core courses:

*courses are offered in block mode.

Students working towards a Graduate Certificate of Economic Geology can choose up to 6.0 credits out of the following courses, courses cannot be used in fulfilling the requirements of other Certificates:

Electives:

*courses are offered in block mode.

Certificate in Exploration Methods: (12 credits)

Skills development:

1. Geophysical methods
2. Exploration geochemistry
3. Remote sensing and/or Hyperspectral methods (Structural interpretation; ASTER; SWIR, Corescan/TerraCore)
4. Data analytics/programming
5. Geostatistics/resource definition/3D visualization (Leapfrog, Surpac, Dataming, QAQC)

Students working towards a Graduate Certificate of Economic Geology are required to take at least 6.0 credits out of the following courses, courses cannot be used in fulfilling the requirements of other Certificates:

Core courses:

*courses are offered in block mode.

Students working towards a Graduate Certificate of Economic Geology can choose up to 6.0 credits out of the following courses, courses cannot be used in fulfilling the requirements of other Certificates:

Electives:

*courses are offered in block mode.

Admission Requirements:

Admission to the Graduate Certificates in Mineral Exploration is restricted to individuals holding an undergraduate degree in geology or related fields. The admission is competitive. Applications will be reviewed by an admission committee comprising faculty members involved in the program delivery. Preference will be given to applicants with a minimum of two years of relevant professional experience.

Official transcripts are required for successful application to the Certificate Programs. Applicants are also required to submit a CV, a statement of purpose/motivation and pay application fees ($ 60-80 USD). The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is waived for applicants with more than two years of professional experience in the mineral industry and no recommendation letters are required.

Program Modes:

On-job part-time students:

In the on-job mode courses can be visited as a part-time student offering the possibility to complete the program at your own pace. Most block courses are offered once a year and special block courses are offered every two years. Block courses are 5-14 day modules offered as half-day or full-day lectures and labs on campus, field camps are 5-14 day full-day courses offered at the end of the Spring semester (May and June) or beginning of the Fall semester (August).

Full-time students:

As a full-time student, a Certificate can be completed in only one semester and students may also take semester-long courses.

 Stacking Degrees:

Two certificates can be counted towards a Professional Master’s Degree in Mineral Exploration, which will allow part-time students to complete their education in stages, while maintaining their employment in industry. Full-time enrolled students are expected to follow the Professional Master in Mineral Exploration which can be completed in 1 – 1.5 years (~3 semesters).

Contact: mineralexploration@mines.edu