Master of Engineering in Geological Engineering
The Master of Engineering (Non-Thesis) Program in Geological Engineering may be completed by individuals already holding undergraduate or advance degrees or as a combined undergraduate/ graduate degree program by individuals already matriculated as undergraduate students at The Colorado School of Mines. The program is comprised of 24 hours of coursework and 6 hours of independent study (non-thesis project) for a total of 30 semester hours, Prerequisite requirements are the same as those listed for Geological Engineering degrees.
GGE Graduate Programs has information about the Graduate Application Process and Graduate Application Fee Waivers.
Program Details for Non-Thesis Masters of Engineering Degrees
Mines’ Combined Undergraduate / Graduate Degree Program
Students enrolled in Mines’ Combined undergraduate/graduate program (meaning uninterrupted registration from the time the student earns a Mines undergraduate degree to the time the student begins a Mines graduate degree) may double count up to six hours of credits which were used in fulfilling the requirements of their undergraduate degree at Mines, towards their Master of Engineering (Non-Thesis) Program in Geological Engineering. Courses that count towards the graduate degree requirements are defined below and may be used for the purposes of double counting at the discretion of the advisor (ME Non-Thesis). These courses must have been passed with a “B-” or better and meet all other University, Department, Division, and Program requirements for graduate credit.
Up to nine credit hours can be at the 400 level and the remainder will be 500 or 600 level. For the combined degree program, courses recommended as appropriate for double counting may be chosen from:
| GEGN403 | MINERAL EXPLORATION DESIGN | 3.0 |
| GEGN439 | MULTIDISCIPLINARY PETROLEUM DESIGN | 3.0 |
| GEGN469 | ENGINEERING GEOLOGY DESIGN | 3.0 |
| GEGN470 | GROUND-WATER ENGINEERING DESIGN | 3.0 |
The typical program plan includes 12 course credit hours in both the fall and the spring terms followed by 6 independent study credit hours during the summer term.
GEGN599 requires a project and report that demonstrate competence in the application of geological engineering principles that merits a grade of B or better. The project topic and content of the report is determined by the student’s advisor, in consultation with the student. The format of the report will follow the guidelines for a professional journal paper.
The student, in consultation with the advisor, must prepare a formal program of courses and independent study topic for approval by the Geological Engineering Graduate Program Committee. The program must be submitted to the committee on or before the end of the first week of classes of the first semester.
The most common difficulty in scheduling completion of the degree involves satisfaction of prerequisites. Common deficiency courses are Statics, Mechanics of Materials, and Fluid Mechanics. These are essential to the engineering underpinnings of the degree. Some students may choose to take these prerequisites elsewhere before arriving on the Mines campus.
The Masters of Engineering (non-thesis) requires the following courses in addition to the prerequisites:
| GEGN532 | GEOLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS | 3.0 |
| GEGN599 | INDEPENDENT STUDY | 6.0 |
Candidates must also take at least three of the following:
| GEGN563 | APPLIED NUMERICAL MODELLING FOR GEOMECHANICS | 3.0 |
| GEGN570 | CASE HISTORIES IN GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING AND HYDROGEOLOGY | 3.0 |
| or GEGN673 | ADVANCED GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN | |
| GEGN573 | GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING SITE INVESTIGATION | 3.0 |
| GEGN575 | APPLICATIONS OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS | 3.0 |
| or GEGN580 | APPLIED REMOTE SENSING FOR GEOENGINEERING AND GEOSCIENCES | |
| or GEGN568 | POINT CLOUD DATA ANALYSIS IN EARTH SCIENCE & ENGINEERING | |
| GEGN671 | LANDSLIDES: INVESTIGATION, ANALYSIS & MITIGATION | 3.0 |
Electives and course substitutions are approved by the advisor. Possibilities for other electives include graduate- level rock mechanics and rock engineering, soil mechanics and foundations, ground water, site characterization, geographical information systems (GIS), project management and geophysics, for example.
Documents and Forms
A number of important forms can be accessed in interactive form at the Office of Graduate Studies website. Several forms (e.g., Admission to Candidacy form) must be filled out at that website and printed for signatures and submittal. The Graduation Application form should be completed and submitted online.
Following are the Thesis Committee Step-by-Step Guide for Graduation Commencement for May 2023 and December 2023.
- Thesis Committee Step-by-Step Guide Fall December Commencement 2023
- Thesis Committee Step-by-Step Guide Spring May Commencement 2023
Field Trip Forms (Three)