Best Schools for Mining and Mineral Engineering in 2026
These are the top schools offering Mining and Mineral Engineering, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Mining and Mineral Engineering graduate earns $84,287/yr across 5 schools.
All Mining and Mineral Engineering Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV · Public |
73
70–74 |
$85,897/yr | 22.9x |
| 2 |
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ · Public |
72
69–73 |
$86,924/yr | 17.9x |
| 3 |
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO · Public |
70
67–71 |
$83,309/yr | 13.3x |
| 4 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA · Public |
68
66–69 |
$74,793/yr | 14.6x |
| 5 |
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Rapid City, SD · Public |
62
59–63 |
$90,514/yr | 20.8x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.